While the grounding of electrical systems in the home is most likely well beyond the comprehension (or interest) of most homeowners, it is a very important component to be in place for both life safety and proper operation of electrical equipment.  Home inspectors will attempt to verify visually that required grounding is in place (effectiveness of such grounding is very complicated and well beyond the scope of a Standard Home Inspection). 

     There are several ways to "ground" the home's electrical system.  The two most common ways are through ground rods (electrodes) driven into the ground; and, to the metal water-service-pipe run to the home.  A third method, Concrete-encased Electrodes or Ufer Ground (named after Herbert Ufer who developed the method during World War II), utilizes the metal re-enforcement in the foundation footings.  The Ufer ground is becoming more popular (and required) as more homes have plastic water service pipes----eliminating the water service being a means of achieving grounding.  The Ufer ground is considered to be a far superior method of achieving "effective" grounding.

     On occasion I find homes that have replaced their water service with plastic and have no other means of achieving grounding---essentially leaving the home "un-grounded" except via the wire back to the Utility transformer.  At this time I won't complicate this post with the issues that this causes.  Suffice it to say that it is very important for the home's electrical system to be properly grounded. 

     On a recent inspection I found the ground wire to the ground rods disconnected.  In the picture you can see the end of the wire and you can see the green and yellow tags where the phone and cable systems are connected to the disconnected ground wire.

     In this home, there was a second means of grounding the electrical system through the water service.  Because the ground wire was not connected to the "street-side" of the pressure reducing valve, the home could easily become "ungrounded" if the pressure reducing valve had to be removed/repaired/replaced for any reason.

     Checking these types of electrical grounding issues is something that home buyers should be expecting of their home inspector.

Charles Buell 

     PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed) all  pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.