HAI OPII, not grounded

[js19707]

I had a dealer/installer put in an HAI OPII a few months ago, and just noticed that he failed to ground the panel. I stopped by a local shop (HomeTech) where their HAI expert suggested just wiring it to the electrical ground. The HAI install documentation suggests that wiring to the electrical ground is a big no-no.

I assume the panel should be grounded, but is using the electrical ground really a bad idea?

FWIW, I don't think I have any cold water pipes close by; what's the easiest (safe) way to correct this?

 

[Digger]

I had a dealer/installer put in an HAI OPII a few months ago, and just noticed that he failed to ground the panel. I stopped by a local shop (HomeTech) where their HAI expert suggested just wiring it to the electrical ground. The HAI install documentation suggests that wiring to the electrical ground is a big no-no.

I assume the panel should be grounded, but is using the electrical ground really a bad idea?

FWIW, I don't think I have any cold water pipes close by; what's the easiest (safe) way to correct this?

The installation instructions for the panel "may" state not to use the electrical ground "possibly" because UL required them to state the cold water pipe or ground rod. I had an issue with this last year as some new construction was using a plastic water feed to a home for a customer. We went back to UL and asked them to rethink the logic and they agreed to let us state the electrical ground was acceptable. In our case we have not revised all of the installation instructions yet for the mfg I work for since the UL costs to add that statement would be thousands of dollars. We will add it as we revise the instructions for other things.

I would check with HAI to ask their position on this.

For what it is worth the grounding is necessary in some panels (not all such as the ELK M1) to minimize damage from transients caused by lightning etc. Some installers are lazy and others may have other reasons not to do it (some may charge a customer to replace a panel if its damaged by lighting). Grounding a panel is still not a 100% protection but for many panels it helps.

Grounding to an electrical outlet center screw etc is the most likely ground to be innocently disconnected by a home owner and was one of the main reasons UL stated they really preferred the cold water pipe.

 

[js19707]

OK so I spoke to my installer, who claims that because the OPII is in a (channel vision 28") structured wiring enclosure w/ an outlet, the enclosure is grounded and therefore the OPII is grounded

This is in spite of the fact that there is no ground wire actually connecting the ground terminal on the panel to the enclosure directly, and in spite of the HAI installation instructions' admonition against using an electrical ground for this purpose. The OPII board is attached to the enclosure by way of the standard HAI mounting plate, which is painted..

So..

To my friends from HAI:

Is this ever considered an acceptable way to ground your product? Should I insist that my installer actually do the right thing here and attach the ground terminal to a cold water pipe or earth ground?