Also, if you bond to pipes for ground, which I don't really recommend but
may be your only choice in some cases, please make sure your pipes are
actually grounded! In many homes you now have mixed iron/copper/plastic
systems. If you have a newer well, the well is probably connected by plastic
pipe. Probably somewhere along the line one of your iron or copper pipes
goes to ground, but if you can not confirm it, only ground to pipe AFTER
providing a ground wire to a proper ground spike. The ones from radio shack
are a bit short, but will do, better ones are available from most home
supply places that carry electric supplies. Drive it in the ground and
connect your pipes to it with 4 gauge wire. (Usually sold uninsulated.)
Also, if you can not confirm iron/copper from where you bond to where you
can confirm the pipes are grounded, don't use it as ground. You must make
sure there is a common bond before using it as a ground source. Also, this
practice connects more potential sources of shock exposure from pipes as it
connects your electrical system to your plumbing system. A good grounding
spike and ensuring common grounding in all pipes people might come into
contact with is a good idea, but using that grounding source for electrical
appliances increases the potential of a short reaching a human being.
BTW, grounding the contents of your grinder hopper is NOT a problem,
grounding outlets and appliances is the risk, and the discussion seemed to
be leading to the issue of grounding the outlet, not just the hopper of the
grinder. |