nina_ramirez•1mo agoProlific Poster

Got called out on a service upgrade in Denver and the inspector was right

I was swapping a 100 amp panel for a 200 amp at a house off Colfax. Had the main shut off, everything looked good. Inspector pointed at the grounding electrode conductor and said 'That's a #6, you need a #4 for this service now.' I argued for a minute but he pulled out the code book and showed me the table. Had to re-pull the whole ground wire. Now I double-check conductor sizing BEFORE I even order material. Anyone else get tripped up by a grounding rule change?

3 comments

3 Comments

thea_knight1mo agoMost Upvoted

Well, at least you can say you got a personal code book tutorial from an inspector, which is the expensive version of continuing education. I swear those tables are written by someone who gets paid by the copper mining lobby, because #4 is a lot more money than #6. Next time I'll just bring a few extra inches of ground wire and offer to re-pull it on the spot, maybe save myself the walk of shame back to the truck.

alexj991mo ago

Forget arguing with the book... inspectors always win. Seen that exact thing happen before.

riley_ramirez811mo ago

Yeah but that table can be tricky, I've seen guys get away with the #6 on a 200 amp.