Quick grounding question???

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icarus
icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
Sorry to be away so much. Life is getting in the way. A quick code grounding question if you would, not solar related, but you guys are smart.

I ma working to sell a house (grid powered) and one string of outlets, including the bathroom gfi sem to have an open ground. I have chased every which way to Sunday and cannot find the problem, as there must be a J box somewhere I can't seem to find. The question is, would it be Ok to simply grab a ground from a adjacent circuit to provide the safety ground? There is one place where two boxes back up to one another so pulling a ground between the would be very simple. (they are on seperate circuits). The ground in question is not completly open, as I get ~ 75 vac from the hot to ground. The question is, is this a legal solution, or more importantly is it safe.

Thanks again in advance to all!

Tony
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: Quick grounding question???

    Tony;


    If you're seeing power between hot and ground on the receptacle but it is about 1/2 Voltage than the ground isn't disconnected it's high resistance. That presents quite a problem. Have you got everything unplugged/disconnected from the line in question? It sounds like someone twisted up the wiring somewhere and the 'ground' on this (these) outlet(s) is actually traveling through some resistive load somewhere (ceiling light or fan perhaps?) to a 'real' ground. Simply tying it to ground will probably cause sparks.

    I'm sure code wouldn't allow it; they probably would object if there were no ground at all and you tied to another one. Which is a bit odd because in a retrofit of a non-grounded system that's exactly what you have to do; run a separate ground wire everywhere.

    Is there any Voltage between the neutral and ground? What about the hot and neutral?
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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
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    Re: Quick grounding question???

    Thanks Marc,

    After nearly 8 hours I remembered a j box hidden behind a toilet! It turns out the wire on the home run had come out of the crimp. A pain all the way around, but it is all good. (only to find another open ground in another bath room! This one only has three devices so it should be (relatively) easy to find!).

    A plug checker is a pretty good idea when you out a circuit in service, and certainly before you have a buyers home inspection. Cheaper to fix it before the finish, but failing that cheap to fix it before it queers a deal!

    Thanks once again,

    Tony
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