carhunter
Well-known member
We're finalizing the electrical to the barn after a little hiatus...(contractor ran off, long story). We ended up with a 400A meter base feeding 200A to the house/attatched garage and a 200A disconnect feeding the pole building.
Necessity and code required we move the meter to the oustside of the garage and add a main disconnect due to the increased distance.
Because of that, we'll have to isolate neuts and grounds as you guys have explained to me before. However can you calarify one point? The electrician told me we'll need to pull a new ground from the water main, past the 200A main panel in the garage and out to the main disconnect for the house. He said #2 copper is required and explained its due to the 400A rating of the new meter.
I'm confused? If we're not running 400A into the house, why require a ground rated for it? And why only a #4 for the barn wiring?
Looking at my grounding inside the house, where's a big 1/0 (I think) AL stranded ground clamped to the main, which runs up into the basement ceiling somewhere. Out in the garage about 40 feet away, I can see a #4 or #6 CU solid coming up through the drywall to the panel, but can't trace it yet. Could there be two separate grounding locations, or could there be a Ufer in the garage slab? House was built in '92 so it should be fairly standard stuff.
Necessity and code required we move the meter to the oustside of the garage and add a main disconnect due to the increased distance.
Because of that, we'll have to isolate neuts and grounds as you guys have explained to me before. However can you calarify one point? The electrician told me we'll need to pull a new ground from the water main, past the 200A main panel in the garage and out to the main disconnect for the house. He said #2 copper is required and explained its due to the 400A rating of the new meter.
I'm confused? If we're not running 400A into the house, why require a ground rated for it? And why only a #4 for the barn wiring?
Looking at my grounding inside the house, where's a big 1/0 (I think) AL stranded ground clamped to the main, which runs up into the basement ceiling somewhere. Out in the garage about 40 feet away, I can see a #4 or #6 CU solid coming up through the drywall to the panel, but can't trace it yet. Could there be two separate grounding locations, or could there be a Ufer in the garage slab? House was built in '92 so it should be fairly standard stuff.