You will want a cord drip loop before every connector; consider mounting power supplies (power bricks) above the water line on the wall if possible!
No grounded outlets.
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You will want a cord drip loop before every connector; consider mounting power supplies (power bricks) above the water line on the wall if possible!
The GFCI itself requires a third grounding wire, so you’ll either need to add that, or pull new wires from the breaker panel with a ground included to make a GFCI operate correctly!
This thicker gauge wire shouldn’t be strictly necessary unless the thinner factory wires have known issues…Also they have off brands that advertise heavier gauge wire.
Thicker wire just means it can safely handle more amps of current; if the wave makers don’t draw a ton of current; thicker wire is a waste of money!
This is the easiest temporary solution until you can get electrical safeties installed; ideally sooner rather than later!
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NO!
NEVER DERIVE YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT GROUND BY POUNDING A GROUND ROD INTO THE EARTH!
While this sounds like a good idea, if your SERVICE Is not directly tied to that SAME ground rod, there is a real world danger of potential (current flow) between your derived ground reference and that of the service panel (utility).
I don't think we need to head down the technical rabbit hole here, but there is a reason that the NEC requirements for grounding systems are as specific as they are.
The proper course of action when an equipment grounding conductor is not present is to replace the ungrounded receptacle with a GFCI outlet or install a GFCI breaker at the panel.
Never ground your tank, or anything else to a separate ground rod. Never use the "water pipe" either. You can't be sure it is bonded to the utility ground.
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Incorrect -- a GFCI does not require an equipment grounding conductor. It is specifically approved for use on ungrounded circuits. It must be labeled with “No Equipment Ground.”
see NEC 406.4(D)(2) and 250.114
A GFCI monitors current on the HOT and NEUTRAL conductors. If there is an imbalance, it trips because some current leaked elsewhere. It doesn’t need a ground to detect this. It is essentially checking for a “leak in the hose.”
The use case is precisely for instances like this, where there is danger of shock or electrocution from ungrounded branch circuits.
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cilyjr
Valuable Member
No it doesn't.
See bean animals post it is correct.
Oops! You are 100% correct… my mistake! — I shouldn’t be in such a rush to get to the answers…
A ground is a ground.
New code require two separate grounds which must be at least 6 feet apart to the panel where main breakers are.
If your plumbing enters the house in a metal pipe and is underground it is grounded and can be used as such. Any panel that has main breakers the neutral bar and ground bar must be joined and bonded. Any panel without main breakers ground bar and neutral bar must be separate and not bonded. Must also have a wire from ground bar back to ground.
Could argue that a gfi that’s not on a grounded circuit is more dangerous because the current can travel through your tanks water back through neutral and the gfi won’t trip because it detects nothing.
Don’t want to argue. Research it if you’re a nonbeliever
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I'm going to take the time to respond inline here because of the dangerous nature of spreading incorrect or incomplete electrical information. This isn't about singling you out personally, but your response includes a number of partial truths and misinterpretations that can lead to unsafe outcomes.
Drive two ground rods into open earth some distance apart, connect them with a voltmeter or ammeter, and you will measure a potential difference — often even current flow — between them.
When you drive separate ground rods and tie equipment to one and the service to another, you create a second, isolated reference point for “ground.” But earth is not a zero-resistance conductor.
That means voltage differences can exist between the two grounds. If there's a fault (e.g., hot wire touches a metal case), the fault current may try to return through earth rather than a dedicated, low-impedance equipment grounding path.
This creates two very real dangers:
The NEC requires a single grounding electrode system, not “two separate grounds.”
--NEC 250.50: All available grounding electrodes must be bonded together to form one unified grounding electrode system.
--NEC 250.58: These electrodes must be connected to the main service panel using a single grounding electrode conductor (GEC).
There is no requirement for “two grounds”—only that if multiple qualifying electrodes exist, they must be used and bonded together (not separate). It also requires qualifying water systems to be bonded to that system, not as a second ground, but to render them at the same potential as the bonded service ground.
Note the recurring theme here... BONDED. That has a very narrow and specific meaning.
In simple terms: Code allows (and may require ) multiple rods, but those rods must be connected with a single continuous conductor (no splices) and that conductor must be bonded to the main panel. Any other electrodes (e.g., water pipes, additional rods) must be bonded to that same point, and nowhere else.
The entire purpose is to create a single common ground reference. Multiple, independent “grounds” violate code and create dangerous differences in potential.
You are required to bond the ground to the water system at the point of entrance, but many water services are plastic derived and therefore can not act as a system ground. The NEC addresses this also in 250.
So again -- If present, metal water systems must be bonded, and if no other bonded electrode exists, one must be added. Key point again -- bonded, not separate.
A GFCI-protected circuit, however, will trip if any current leaks outside the hot-neutral loop, regardless of grounding.
To be 100% clear:
If you put hot in one end of a tank and neutral in the other, you’ve made a resistive load, no different than a heater or lightbulb. If the resistance is low enough, current flows. If the current stays below the breaker rating, the breaker won’t trip, and neither will the GFCI. That’s true with or without a ground.
The GFCI adds protection when current escapes the intended circuit, such as through you, stray metal, or water paths. That’s when it trips. Grounding is not required for this behavior.
However, introducing an isolated ground does create a new danger. The GFCI only monitors for imbalance between hot and neutral. It does not detect current that flows from neutral to an improperly grounded chassis or remote ground rod.
That current could pass through your body or cause a neutral to overload and overheat without tripping the GFCI or the breaker.
This is precisely why the NEC requires that all equipment grounding conductors be bonded to the grounding electrode system at the service panel.
No sir — that is not correct.
Drive two ground rods into open earth some distance apart, connect them with a voltmeter or ammeter, and you will measure a potential difference — often even current flow — between them.
When you drive separate ground rods and tie equipment to one and the service to another, you create a second, isolated reference point for “ground.” But earth is not a zero-resistance conductor.
That means voltage differences can exist between the two grounds. If there's a fault (e.g., hot wire touches a metal case), the fault current may try to return through earth rather than a dedicated, low-impedance equipment grounding path.
This creates two very real dangers:
- Shock hazard: Touching metal equipment bonded to that isolated ground could expose you to voltage, since the breaker won’t trip — there’s no proper return path for fault current.
- Equipment damage: Sensitive electronics may reference different ground potentials. This can cause circulating current and voltage spikes that destroy components.
That is absolutely not correct.
The NEC requires a single grounding electrode system, not “two separate grounds.”
--NEC 250.50: All available grounding electrodes must be bonded together to form one unified grounding electrode system.
--NEC 250.58: These electrodes must be connected to the main service panel using a single grounding electrode conductor (GEC).
There is no requirement for “two grounds”—only that if multiple qualifying electrodes exist, they must be used and bonded together (not separate). It also requires qualifying water systems to be bonded to that system, not as a second ground, but to render them at the same potential as the bonded service ground.
Note the recurring theme here... BONDED. That has a very narrow and specific meaning.
In simple terms: Code allows (and may require ) multiple rods, but those rods must be connected with a single continuous conductor (no splices) and that conductor must be bonded to the main panel. Any other electrodes (e.g., water pipes, additional rods) must be bonded to that same point, and nowhere else.
The entire purpose is to create a single common ground reference. Multiple, independent “grounds” violate code and create dangerous differences in potential.
No Sir.
You are required to bond the ground to the water system at the point of entrance, but many water services are plastic derived and therefore can not act as a system ground. The NEC addresses this also in 250.
NEC 250.52(A)(1): A metal underground water pipe is a valid grounding electrode only if:
- It is metallic for at least 10 feet in contact with earth.
- It is electrically continuous into the building (i.e., no plastic sections or dielectric unions).
- It is bonded to the service equipment with an appropriate grounding electrode conductor (GEC).
NEC 250.53(D)(2):
“A metal underground water pipe shall be supplemented by an additional electrode…”So again -- If present, metal water systems must be bonded, and if no other bonded electrode exists, one must be added. Key point again -- bonded, not separate.
There is absolutely no new danger introduced by adding a GFCI to an ungrounded circuit. An ungrounded outlet without a GFCI has zero protection. a fault won’t trip anything unless it draws enough current to overload the breaker.
A GFCI-protected circuit, however, will trip if any current leaks outside the hot-neutral loop, regardless of grounding.
To be 100% clear:
If you put hot in one end of a tank and neutral in the other, you’ve made a resistive load, no different than a heater or lightbulb. If the resistance is low enough, current flows. If the current stays below the breaker rating, the breaker won’t trip, and neither will the GFCI. That’s true with or without a ground.
The GFCI adds protection when current escapes the intended circuit, such as through you, stray metal, or water paths. That’s when it trips. Grounding is not required for this behavior.
However, introducing an isolated ground does create a new danger. The GFCI only monitors for imbalance between hot and neutral. It does not detect current that flows from neutral to an improperly grounded chassis or remote ground rod.
That current could pass through your body or cause a neutral to overload and overheat without tripping the GFCI or the breaker.
This is precisely why the NEC requires that all equipment grounding conductors be bonded to the grounding electrode system at the service panel.
This has absolutely nothing to do with belief. My comments are based on fundamental electrical principles and the NEC.
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How far away ? If you use an extension cord with heavy enough wire is what I would do. The only concern is loss of voltage due to inductance but for what your talking about is not a concern. Just my opinion. Would not use ungrounded lines
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Googling NEC code without understanding context, definitions, references or fundamental electrical theory often leads to misinterpretation, such as you posted above.
While you are free to believe whatever you wish, what I posted above is both factual and fundamental with regard to electrical practice and theory, as well as being fully in alignment with the NEC.
One of the most fundamental concepts in the NEC is grounding and bonding -- it forms the literal basis for the rest of the code. If you misunderstand that, you're likely to misapply or misinterpret large portions of the rest.
This is an area that I have direct expertise in, both in residential and commercial single and three phase systems.
If you'd like to challenge any of it, do so with code references or technical sources, not generic search results and opinion.
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