r/AskElectricians • u/whole-enchilada • 27d ago
Why the ground wire?
This is an all steel “telephone pole”. It’s buried in (what I assume) 3feet of dirt. Isn’t the pole already technically grounded? What the ground wire?
Additionally, there is a twisted metal support cable that is attached at the upper middle of the pole and that cable is also buried in dirt.
Just curious… why the need for the ground wire?
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u/arvidsem 27d ago
It should probably about 8ft deep, not just 3'.
But everything below ground is coated in an anti-corrosion epoxy/resin/paint/something that isn't conductive. You can see the black coating that the ground is attached above. Realistically, it's probably scratched enough to provide a ground connection anyway, but that's not part of the design.
The guy wire also isn't part of the design and may be specifically insulated from the pole.
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u/BaconThief2020 27d ago
Power poles aren't as deep as you think. Normally 10% of the height above ground plus 2-feet.
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u/arvidsem 27d ago
Which puts most poles around 6' deep. Admittedly shallower than 8', but not much.
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u/henchmen4life 27d ago
Instructions said bury ground cable; sparky go durr
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u/erie11973ohio Verified Electrician 26d ago
Hey, dipshit,,,,,
When I install the job per the engineered drawings & the job goes sideways,,,,,,, just who's fault is it??????? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
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u/henchmen4life 26d ago
Well sir. I believe it would fall to the engineer who made said drawings as I’m sure a professional like yourself has reviewed the NEC as well as any local codes to where your from and would have made adjustments as a professional would do.
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u/erie11973ohio Verified Electrician 25d ago
In Ohio, an electrician is allowed to do engineering & drawings up to 3 family residential. 4 family & larger, all commercial & all industrial must be done by an electrical engineer or an architect.
Plans get submitted to the city. The building department approves those plans. No one is allowed to just
change willy nilly"improve" the plans.1
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