bondingandgroundingaburningissueintheelectricand（bondingandgroundingaburningissueintheelectricand）.docVIP

Bonding and Grounding a burning issue in the electric and neon sign industry. While doing a seminar at Atlantic City for Sign World, I was asked. What is the difference between bonding and grounding? What a great question. The major fault, which becomes the ignition source of the fires I investigate concerning neon signs are almost always related to either poor or not adequate bonding or grounding. Lets start with the definitions as reprinted from the current version of the 2002 National Electric Code. Bonding (Bonded). The permanent joining of metallic parts to form an electrically conductive path that ensures electrical continuity and the capacity to conduct safely any current likely to be imposed. Ground. A conducting connection, whether intentional or accidental, between an electrical circuit or equipment and the earth or to some conducting body that serves in place of the earth. Grounded. Connected to earth or to some conducting body that serves in place of the earth. Grounded, Effectively. Intentionally connected to earth through a ground connection or connections of sufficiently low impedance and having sufficient current-carrying capacity to prevent the buildup of voltages that may result in undue hazards to connected equipment or to persons. Ground-Fault. An unintentional, electrically conducting connection between an ungrounded conductor of an electric circuit and the normally non-current-carrying conductors, metallic enclosures, metallic raceways, metallic equipment, or earth. As we quickly notice, words like neutral and common are not defined in the code but are used frequently in the electrical industry. We are going to use the term Neutral usually white as our return conductor and only reference it being grounded at the point of delivery for clarity in our system layout. Lets start at the point where bonding and grounding are the same. This is at the point of delivery (meter location) to the facility or disconnect as it could re