How do I go about 'grounding' all my electrical, putting in a 200amp breaker box, and grounding that???thank u
Answers:
yeah that is an awfully ambitious undertaking.
in order to ground every device, you would have to run a ground wire from every device back to the panel. altho you don't necessarily have to cut open your walls for this, it can be very difficult and time consuming for even a licensed contractor to complete this work. You wouldn't even have all the tools to make this job complete in less than few years (assuming you work for a living too).
Do you have a fish steel ? Do you have drills and a diversi-bit ? do you even have attic space and are you willing to spend most of your time up there ? OR how about under your house ... is there clearance ? as far as actually grounding the panel, that can be relatively simple but it is grueling work. BTW - you're putting your family in greater risk by messing with something you don't know than just leaving it alone as it is. Please call a licensed contractor. CAll me if you're in the Greater Bay Area.
Other answers:
Simply attach all of the ground wires to the pipes, and make sure to install GFCI switches in the bathrooms and wire them to the outdoor receptacles. Grounding your house will be very difficult if your house doesnt have conduit wiring, which is very unlikely.
For your daughters safety, make sure you know the safety code, and make sure you arent grounded.
Also, make sure to screw mount everything, its time consuming but you'll have a connection that will last a lot longer.
Simply attach all of the ground wires to the pipes, and make sure to install GFCI switches in the bathrooms and wire them to the outdoor receptacles. Grounding your house will be very difficult if your house doesnt have conduit wiring, which is very unlikely.
For your daughters safety, make sure you know the safety code, and make sure you arent grounded.
Also, make sure to screw mount everything, its time consuming but you'll have a connection that will last a lot longer.
I would get a licensed electrician with a good reputation to do it all. It will give you peace of mind knowing you're not going to have a fire or any other electrical problems down the road.
I was in the same dilemma as you, with my '54 home.
As handy as I am, that proved to be a bit beyond me. Although I do electrical wiring at work.
I hired a professional to do it, especially the 200 Amp Circuit box, upgrade, and that long Grounding rod, pounded deep into the ground, through concrete.
Of course that doesn't ground the outlets in your home. I changed all the two prong outlets in my house. I was only able to ground some appliances, by running a ground lead from those receptacles down the wall, to my crawl space. Then connecting the wire to the cold water pipes.
Not a fun job. Best get some quotes, and have the pro's do it.
If you can, you may do as I did, and ground the important outlets yourself.
YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT A REAL JOB HERE. YOU WILL BE REPLACING EA ELECTRICAL LINE WHICH IS 2 CONDUCTOR WITH 2 CONDUCTOR WITH GROUND. THOSE OLD WIRES WERE PUT IN AND THE CODE TOLD THE ELECTRICIAN TO STAPLE IT IN PLACE WITHIN 12 INCHES FROM THE OUTLET. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS THAT NOW THE SHEETROCK IS COVERING THE PLACE WHERE THE STAPLE IS, SO YOU NOW ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BUST SOME SHEETROCK AND ON AND ON. IT IS NOT AN IMPOSSIBLE JOB, IT IS JUST SO MUCH MORE THAN IT APPEARS. IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO IT, PICK UP A WIRING BOOK ON HOUSE WIRING FROM THE PUBLIC LIBRARY AND DO SOME HOME STUDY. IF NECESSARY BUY A BOOK AT ONE OF THE HOME IMPROVEMENT STORES THAT WILL COVER "REWIRING" A HOUSE. ELECTRICAL PERMIT IS NOT USUALLY GIVEN TO A HOMEOWNER BY THE AUTHORITIES AND UNLESS YOU ARE IN A NON-CODE AREA I DON'T KNOW OF A WAY TO DO IT WITHOUT A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN. YOU WONT GET THE POWER CO. TO COOPERATE WITH THE ON-OFF ACTIVITY, THEY ARE PREVENTED BY ORDINANCE FROM HOOKING UP WITHOUT A PERMIT IN PLACE. SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Whoa! First of all, your outlets are probably grounded already with a separate copper wire running from box to all outlet/switch holders. That was code in most areas in 58'. To test outlet grounding, get an ohm meter, set to low ohms, remove a plug or switch near box, and see if you don't get 0 ohms when measuring between metal box and fuse box ground. IF so, you don't have to worry about that one.
IF you do NOT have a 200 amp breaker in your present box, you CANNOT just upgrade your box and install a bigger main! You will HAVE TO HAVE a 'heavy up' on your supply lines from the pole! If you have, say, 100 AMP service, the wires from the pole are NOT going to handle 200 amps! This is NOT a job you can do. You are not allowed to play with the electric company supply lines...only a master electrician can do that. And, most jusrisdictions require a licensed electrican to install a new main and box. IF you do insist on installing your own, REMOVE the meter before you start to play! Your family does not need to have a funeral over this. IF you do anything to violate code, you may have some real problems when selling the house. Sorry to be negative, but I am in same boat...I want to upgrade from 100 to 200 amps, and the amount of stuff that has to be done is above my ability, and I am a good electrician, but not licensed. Good luck.
youve gotten some real funny answers, except,"hire an electrician". i can tell by your question its beyond your scope of knowledge, no criticism intended. get several estimates and hire an electrician.
Get a contractor