Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cwjcc!gatech!emory!stiatl!john
From: john@stiatl.UUCP (John DeArmond)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: How can I recognize true ground?
Message-ID: <5874@stiatl.UUCP>
Date: 18 Jul 89 21:32:42 GMT
References: <18425@mimsy.UUCP> <1989Jul7.155721.19105@utzoo.uucp> <10269@dasys1.UUCP>
Reply-To: john@stiatl.UUCP (John DeArmond)
Organization: Sales Technologies Inc., "The Procedure IS the product"
Lines: 36

In article <10269@dasys1.UUCP> aj-mberg@dasys1.UUCP (Micha Berger) writes:
>
>If your house isn't of this decade, your plumbing is grounded. This is because
>they bury your pipes uninsulated. So, if you're really nervous....
>(New houses can have plastic pipes.)
>Barring lightning, I wouldn't panic about grounding. Especially if your
>outlet strip has a fuse / circuit breaker.
>-- 

I'm amazed that people make such irresponsible statements in public.  
Perhaps it's so easy to type, they don't bother thinking.

Micha,
Consider things that people do to old houses:

They patch old pipes with plastic pipe bandages.
They remodel and extend piping with plastic.
They feed the house from a well with plastic pipe.
They tie into city water with plastic pipe.
They replace rusted out sections with plastic pipe.

To rely on a water pipe goes beyond foolish into stupid.  Even if you detect
ground with your VOM, the pipe can quite likely not be capable of handling
fault current.  And there is no reason to think piping would not be
rearranged in the future.  Plumbers know pipes carry fluids; they don't give
a thought to its current capacity.

As to not worrying about grounding other than lightening, well..... I'll let
your words speak for themselves.  Perhaps you ought to experience electrocution
sometime.  Might change your emphasis.


-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC                     | Manual? ... What manual ?!? 
Sales Technologies, Inc.    Atlanta, GA    | This is Unix, My son, You 
...!gatech!stiatl!john    **I am the NRA** | just GOTTA Know!!!