Electrical....Open Ground....Where did I go wrong
Budys back
writes:
>Wabio D. Kowe" wrote:
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> All you electrical gurus...I need help on this one.
>>
>> From my breaker I ran BX straight to a recetple.
>> Hot and neutral and then ran three or four more
>> receptle runs in a series run.
>>
>> When only the recetacle is run from the box only,
>> it is okay. Once I start runnning off other lines off
>> the first box.....the tester tells me I have an open ground.
>>
>> HELP...where did I go wrong
>
>Duh, did you connect the grounds? When the cable feeds through a box
>you should wire nut the two bare copper wires together with a third
>short piece to be used to connect to the receptacle.
>
DUH!!! He said BX. No "Bare copper ground"
\\\///
From: (ô ô)
+oOO-----(_)-------------------------+
| Budys back |
+-----------------------------------------+
Daniel Hicks
>
> In article <38AB4F45...@ieee.org>, Daniel Hicks <danh...@ieee.org>
> writes:
>
> >Wabio D. Kowe" wrote:
> >>
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> All you electrical gurus...I need help on this one.
> >>
> >> From my breaker I ran BX straight to a recetple.
> >> Hot and neutral and then ran three or four more
> >> receptle runs in a series run.
> >>
> >> When only the recetacle is run from the box only,
> >> it is okay. Once I start runnning off other lines off
> >> the first box.....the tester tells me I have an open ground.
> >>
> >> HELP...where did I go wrong
> >
> >Duh, did you connect the grounds? When the cable feeds through a box
> >you should wire nut the two bare copper wires together with a third
> >short piece to be used to connect to the receptacle.
> >
>
> DUH!!! He said BX. No "Bare copper ground"
BX with no ground is no longer legal.
Greenlight
Daniel Hicks <danh...@ieee.org> wrote in message
news:38AC9292...@ieee.org...
> BX with no ground is no longer legal.
BX is also called armored cable (AC) and is still in the 1999 NEC (Article
333). However many states and local governments (say San Francisco) have
long objected to the various possible defects of BX because it has to be
installed properly. For instance it is necessary to cut the cable neatly so
that the insulation isn't cut, then a plastic or fiber bushing (usually
called a red head) has to be sleeved and seated between the end of the
outside jacket of the cable and the connector, then the correct connector
has to be used and tightened down tight enough to complete a ground path but
not pierce the cable armor, then the connector has to be attached to a metal
box with its lock washer tight enough to make a good ground connection, etc.
BX cable installed correctly, can be reliable, but again many jurisdictions
have outlawed it. Also it can present a high impedance path to ground
(especially when used as a switch leg) by inexperienced installers so that
inductive heating can occur. So now that MC (Metallic Clad) cable is cheap,
with a sturdy insulating sleeve inside, and a solid green insulated ground
wire, the preferred method is MC cable.
In either case, assuming that the local jurisdiction allows it, the BX cable
must be grounded to the first receptacle box with a lock washer inside the
box driven tight so that it digs in to the electrical box to make metal to
metal contact (ground path). Then usually a pig tail from the box has to be
run to the green ground terminal of the receptacle AND to any other ground
wires in the box. If you are running romex off the first box, the ground
wires in the romex must be joined to the pigtail off the box (this is often
done with a suitably sized wire nut).
If you are running BX out of the receptacle box then each cable must
similarly be tightly bonded to each box with a pigtail (green or bare
copper) to each green ground screw on the receptacles. Sounds like the
ground path located at the first receptacle box is discontinuous to the rest
of the system. Check your connections there.
Budys back
writes:
>BX with no ground is no longer legal.
Someone better tell Home Depot... and the rest of NYC
Daniel Hicks
>
> In article <38AC9292...@ieee.org>, Daniel Hicks <danh...@ieee.org>
> writes:
>
> >
> >Budys back wrote:
> >>
> >> In article <38AB4F45...@ieee.org>, Daniel Hicks <danh...@ieee.org>
> >> writes:
> >>
> >> >Wabio D. Kowe" wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> Hello,
> >> >>
> >> >> All you electrical gurus...I need help on this one.
> >> >>
> >> >> From my breaker I ran BX straight to a recetple.
> >> >> Hot and neutral and then ran three or four more
> >> >> receptle runs in a series run.
> >> >>
> >> >> When only the recetacle is run from the box only,
> >> >> it is okay. Once I start runnning off other lines off
> >> >> the first box.....the tester tells me I have an open ground.
> >> >>
> >> >> HELP...where did I go wrong
> >> >
> >> >Duh, did you connect the grounds? When the cable feeds through a box
> >> >you should wire nut the two bare copper wires together with a third
> >> >short piece to be used to connect to the receptacle.
> >> >
> >>
> >> DUH!!! He said BX. No "Bare copper ground"
> >
> >BX with no ground is no longer legal.
>
> Someone better tell Home Depot... and the rest of NYC
You can buy Greenfield flex conduit, of course, and armored cable with
an integral ground wire. But using the steel shell for ground is no
longer to code. I think if you look at any BX being sold now you will
see that it includes either a separate ground wire or a strip of copper
along the edge of the steel strip.
Budys back
writes:
>You can buy Greenfield flex conduit, of course, and armored cable with
>an integral ground wire. But using the steel shell for ground is no
>longer to code. I think if you look at any BX being sold now you will
>see that it includes either a separate ground wire or a strip of copper
>along the edge of the steel strip.
I asked around at work and there's no such animal here.
Maybe NYC will update the code.
Daniel Hicks
>
> Dan, what you seem to be describing is MC (Metal Clad) cable - see article
> 334. It is now usually the preferred method. It looks like BX but has a
> green ground wire in it and some tough plastic sheating between the
> conductors and the armor. As I said above, the 1999 code still approves
> armored cable (called BX). This type of cable has no ground wire (the armor
> being the ground path), but it must have an internal bonding strip 333-19.
> See also 333-21, but yes, some jurisdictions do not allow it, because of
> reasons in the above post.
Right, the internal bonding strip provides the ground, not the steel
shell. Special fittings are needed on the ends to assure that the
bonding strip makes good contact.
John Milton
as NM.
Budys back (budy...@aol.com) wrote:
: In article <38ADCF7A...@ieee.org>, Daniel Hicks <danh...@ieee.org>