Part 3 (Grounding)

Grounding Electrode

A conducting object through which a direct connection to earth is established.

Grounding Electrode Conductor

A conductor used to connect the system grounded conductor or the equipment to a grounding electrode or to a point on the grounding electrode system.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)

A device intended for the protection of personnel that functions to de-energize a circuit or portion thereof within an established period of time when a current to ground exceeds the values established for a Class A device.

Ground-Fault Protection of Equipment

A system intended to provide protection of equipment from damaging line-to-ground fault currents by operating to cause a disconnecting means to open all ungrounded conductors of the faulted circuit. This protection is provided at current levels less than those required to protect conductors from damage through the operation of a supply circuit overcurrent device.

Grounded Conductor

A system or circuit conductor that is intentionally grounded.

Ground-Fault Current Path

An electrically conductive path from the point of a ground fault on a wiring system through normally non-current-carrying conductors, equipment, or the earth to the electrical supply source.

Ground Fault

An unintentional, electrically conductive connection between an ungrounded conductor of an electrical circuit and the normally non-current-carrying conductors, metallic enclosures, metallic raceways, metallic equipment, or earth.

Grounded (Grounding)

Connected (connecting) to ground or to a conductive body that extends the ground connection.

Bonded (Bonding)

Connected to establish electrical continuity and conductivity.

Equipment Grounding Conductor

The conductive path(s) that provides a ground-fault current path and connects normally non-current-carrying metal parts of equipment together and to the system grounded conductor or to the grounding electrode conductor, or both.

Main Bonding Jumper

The connection between the grounded circuit conductor and the equipment grounding conductor at the service.

System Bonding Jumper

The connection between the grounded circuit conductor and the supply-side bonding jumper, or the equipment grounding conductor, or both, at a separately derived system.

Bonding Jumper, Equipment

The connection between two or more portions of the equipment grounding conductor.

Intersystem Bonding Termination

A device that provides a means for connecting intersystem bonding conductors for communications systems to the grounding electrode system.

Effective Ground-Fault Current Path

An intentionally constructed, low-impedance electrically conductive path designed and intended to carry current under ground-fault conditions from the point of a ground fault on a wiring system to the electrical supply source and that facilitates the operation of the overcurrent protective device or ground-fault detectors.