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Electrical

Grounding a Shed

Situation:  I am running 400 amp service onto my property/campsite/future home site.  I set up the meter base and a 200 amp breaker on a pedestal(2 4x6's with a board wall)  I have a grounding rod attached to the meter base as per the schematic from the electric companies engineer.  I am running an underground wire (Approximately 25 feet) to a small shed off of a 60 amp breaker in my 200 amp main breaker.  I bought a 100 amp breaker box value pack because it was cheaper than the sub panels that I looked at.  I installed a grounding busbar onto the 100 amp breaker box (Screwed into the box itself) and when I wired the shed all of the grounds are running to it. The grounds and neutrals aren't currently connected in the shed. 

Questions:How do I ground the 100 amp breaker box?  The grounds are not bonded to the neutrals, but I am unsure if I am supposed to add another grounding rod (Some of the other campsites I've looked at don't have a grounding rod for small buildings.), connect the grounding busbar to the ground on the 6-3 UF wire I was going to use to run underground to the 200 amp main breaker, or do I do both? 

Location: Indiana
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Posted 2015-07-08T15:30:12+0000  by Jerold Jerold
 
If you're planning on using this property for commercial use (e.g., public campground) I would highly recommend hiring a licensed electrician if for no other reason than liability.  Local and national codes may require it as well.

As for your shed, I'm assuming the sub-panel is for lighting, receptacles, etc.  In which case you need 4 wires - hot, hot, neutral, and ground - between the main service panel and the sub-panel.  Inside the sub-panel you need to install a separate bar for the neutral wires that is isolated from the enclosure (the ground bar is also bonded to the enclosure). 

You will also need to install a ground rod, usually two of them at the shed.  You can get away with one ground rod if the resistance of the soil is below a certain level but the only way to test that is to drive another ground rod 6' away from the first and measure.  Once you've driven the second rod, the requirement is met so most people just drive the second rod and call it a day.

UF cable needs to be buried at least 24" deep and needs be protected where it comes out of the ground with conduit for 18" underground and on the outside of your shed.  You'll also need to do that at the service panel side.  Depending on soil conditions and ow easy it is to dig, it may be worth your while to use individual wires and conduit.  PVC only needs to be 18" deep and rigid steel 6" deep.

You should also be checking with your local building code folks because it's very common for local municipalities to modify the national code.
Posted 2015-07-09T01:26:44+0000  by Adam444
 
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