Please help w/ info about grounding a barn

[matt82]

I am building a barn for livestock and i need to ground the slab i believe that i just need to run a uninsulated 8 wire across the 4x4 metal screan over the stone but does the wire need to come out of the cement and lug to anything other then screening? what do i do with the two ends of the wire? does one end get connected to the panel? Please help. thank you in advance for tips.
Please help

 

[wyliesdiesels]

What your referring to is called a UFER ground. If you're using rebar, then the best way to do this is to bring a piece of rebar thats tied into the rest of the rebar in the slab, up out of the slab near where the panel will be mounted. Then u can use a clamp to tie a piece of #6 cu wire to the rebar and then run the wire into your panel.

Is this panel a subpanel, meaning its connected to another panel say at a ranch house? If it is, then the neutral bar and ground bar must NOT be bonded and the neutral bar should be insulated/isolated from the panel enclosure!

 

[pattenp]

Okay.. excuse me for being the dumb one here, but are you asking how to ground your electrical system using the slab or are you asking how to actually ground the slab independent of electrical system because of being a livestock barn?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Good question. I ASSUMED the former since he mentioned his panel BUT we all know what ASSUME means!

 

[STINEY]

Be aware that the Code for the bonding of the neutrals and grounds has a exemption for any buildings that have livestock waterers in them.

NEC wants 4 wire conductors with a single bonded ground at the main service and no separate grounds at the building. IE the sub panel at the barn would be unbonded.

It has been proven that the NECs' preferred bonding causes mild shocks to livestock, especially dairy herds, which will dramatically decrease production.

So the exclusion basically goes back to the previous code, where a 3 wire conductor with a bonded ground at the main and at the sub with a ground rod or UFER ground. Again, this is only for a situation with livestock and a waterer in the building.

I took quite a beating in the past here on Garage Journal, and went to great lengths to prove my point, and was vindicated, so all you code quoting guys please do your homework before taking this one on.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Be aware that the Code for the bonding of the neutrals and grounds has a exemption for any buildings that have livestock waterers in them.

NEC wants 4 wire conductors with a single bonded ground at the main service and no separate grounds at the building. IE the sub panel at the barn would be unbonded.

It has been proven that the NECs' preferred bonding causes mild shocks to livestock, especially dairy herds, which will dramatically decrease production.

So the exclusion basically goes back to the previous code, where a 3 wire conductor with a bonded ground at the main and at the sub with a ground rod or UFER ground. Again, this is only for a situation with livestock and a waterer in the building.

I took quite a beating in the past here on Garage Journal, and went to great lengths to prove my point, and was vindicated, so all you code quoting guys please do your homework before taking this one on.

Really? So whats the code article #? I've got my NEC 2011 book right in front of me and I'm all ears!!