Just a heads up for anyone looking for information on grounding requirements for new main electrical services and electrical panel upgrades in Los Angeles on existing (and new) buildings:
Los Angeles City is now requiring the use of two ground rods, in conjunction with the cold water grounding electrode.
This requirement went into effect (officially) in January 2015.
And if you really want to make your inspector happy, regardless if you connected your cold water grounding electrode in front of the water regulator, use a bonding jumper.
We performed a main electrical panel upgrade in Los Angeles a couple of months ago and as it has always been, only one ground rod was required
I installed another main panel upgrade in Los Angeles a month later and got called for the second ground rod as a new requirement.
There always seems to be some confusion as to what an inspector will require for grounding.
The previous head inspector at LADBS only required one rod and you could connect to the nearest cold water pipe, provided that the panel was an upgrade on an existing home.
And I received that information, because I called code verification for clarification after one inspector told me that he would have accepted the cold water connection at the nearest cold water pipe, while on another job the inspector wanted it within 3' of the main water valve.
But now change comes with the new head inspector... (wants the cold water ground clamp has to be within 5 feet of the main water valve) and a bonding jumper across the the water regulator, even if you're connected in front of it.
Mj
Los Angeles City is now requiring the use of two ground rods, in conjunction with the cold water grounding electrode.
This requirement went into effect (officially) in January 2015.
And if you really want to make your inspector happy, regardless if you connected your cold water grounding electrode in front of the water regulator, use a bonding jumper.
We performed a main electrical panel upgrade in Los Angeles a couple of months ago and as it has always been, only one ground rod was required
I installed another main panel upgrade in Los Angeles a month later and got called for the second ground rod as a new requirement.
There always seems to be some confusion as to what an inspector will require for grounding.
The previous head inspector at LADBS only required one rod and you could connect to the nearest cold water pipe, provided that the panel was an upgrade on an existing home.
And I received that information, because I called code verification for clarification after one inspector told me that he would have accepted the cold water connection at the nearest cold water pipe, while on another job the inspector wanted it within 3' of the main water valve.
But now change comes with the new head inspector... (wants the cold water ground clamp has to be within 5 feet of the main water valve) and a bonding jumper across the the water regulator, even if you're connected in front of it.
Mj