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Bonding, Grounding and The NEC: Presented by The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors
Bonding, Grounding and The NEC: Presented by The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors
www.NACHI.org
The New Code …
• The 1999 and 2002 editions of the
NEC* have now clearly defined the
separate and vitally important
purposes of grounding and
bonding in making safe electrical
installations
*The National Electrical Code (NEC) is a registered trademark of the National Fire Protection Association,
www.nfpa.org.
The New Code …
• Section 250-4 establishes new
performance requirements which
clarify what grounding and
bonding are required to
accomplish
The New Code …
Section 250-2 introduces and defines
the new terms:
• Ground Fault
• Ground Fault Current Path
• Effective Ground Fault Current
Path
The New Code …
• These new definitions are in
addition to the two important
definitions in Article 100 which
apply to Section 250-2
The New Code …
These definitions are:
• Grounded - Connected to earth
• Bonded - The permanent joining of
metallic parts to form an electrically
conductive path that ensures electrical
continuity and the capacity to conduct
safely any current likely to be imposed
The New Code …
• The importance of grounding
electrical equipment seems to be
well understood
• The purpose and intent of bonding
to create a low impedance ground
fault return path seems to be less
understood
The New Code …
• The importance of bonding is best
described in the following graphics
which review how bonding
performs in a typical circuit
A Typical Circuit …
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Current flows…...
Path of Current Flow -
Normal Operation
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Only 12 Amps …
• Will 12 Amps trip our 15A circuit
breaker?
Absolutely not!
With Equipment Grounded
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.3 ohms
.57 ohms
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.3 ohms
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