Manche757

When pvc/cpvc, poly piping and pec pipe came into use, the water piping was no longer conductive. Grounding rods became the secondary ground. Evidently it is 8 feet across the country. Dry New Mexico or a low area. I have never heard of as inspector raising an issue, but if you leave 2 inches out of the ground, then an 8 foot rod is not 8 feet in the ground. Some prefer leaving the top out of the ground; others below the ground. Some electricians cover themselves by putting two rods in the ground. Or using a 10 foot grounding rod. Ok done with all that

If there was a well and no city water main to ground to, the secondary ground was attached to the cold water line to the well. If there was a single well pipe going in the ground, often the ground wire was attached to that water pipe. If it was a cased well, the line was often to the well casing. You might know the single pipe well as a well point, a sand point or, driven well. A vertacle strainer on the bottom of vertical piping, A cased well is one that has a larger pipe drilled or washed in the ground (soil) and another pipe inside it.

The purpose of the secondary ground is if the first ground to the power company fails. If there was no secondary ground and the fist one failed, current would flow to the path of least resistance. Possibly through you or your loved ones. When your house was built in 1967, the secondary ground was through your metal conductive cold water line that was hooked to the metal city water main. You found that under your house. You also found a grounding wire around the water meter. The purpose of the wire around the water meter was in the event the water meter failed and had to be replaced. Water meters are usually brass and conductive. If that grounding wire was not there, removal of the meter would have at least temporarily left the system without a secondary ground. There may be a grounding rod on the other side of the cinder block foundation. Usually ground attachments are left exposed. They ideally would be attached to a cold water pipe where it first entered the building in case some piping was disconnected. Often, the electrical line from the electric panel was attached to the cold water inlet piping on an electric hot water heater so that it would remain visble.

You might know most of this already. I apologize in advance if i insult your intelligence. Your power company has responsibility up to the meter base, i.e. service entrance cable and meter base itself. Your responsibility begins at the meter base. As you know you have 3 leads coming into your main panel. Two 110-120 ac volt, 60 cycle (meaning each pulses 60 times a second) phases and a ground. For purposes of illustration assume above ground power lines. The ground runs from your meter base to the power pole. There is a bare cable that runs from utility pole to utility pole. At each utility pole, another bare cable is attached and runs down the pole and 6 feet into the ground. Earth ground. For redundancy, there is another ground. Initially to your water line to the street and later to the grounding rod that you pounded into the ground

Also look for the threaded end of screw on the inside of the box that might be the grounding screw on the back

Let me ask you to leave what you are doing and focus on the grounds. Initially, you found wires connected to the back of the boxes in the kitchen and said they were brown. Those may have been installed as part of your initial electrical system. My knowledge of your house is not better than the answers and pictures you give. There may have been a system that linked metal boxes together on each phase from the panel. Go to one of the bedrooms that are least likely to have been modified by someone previously. Take the cover off of an outlet. With a screw driver or utility knife, punch a slot below the box. Narrow enough so that place plate will cover it. With flashlight, see if you find wires there. Note color of wire. Also if you see 1 wire or two. If two, it might be draped over a screw on the back that continues on to the next box.

What wall? Are you in the attic?

Can we focus on inspection of the grounding system you see?

The 6 ga wire is the ground to your original service. Leave it. Leave the 12 ga for now

Unknown as to the existence of grounding wire attached to the back of boxes other than the (3?) in the kitchen: When under the house did you see evidence of grounding lines there?

Take pics of what you see as possible problems like you did with the ceiling box and the bathroom outlet and kitchen outlets

First. Visually inspect as much of the system as you can. Do not make changes unless you find something obviously dangerous. It might mean having to start over, but better to live on.

Methodology: Inspect the whole system to the extent that it is in view. Next start at the main breaker and isolate as many problems to individual circuits as possible.

The existence of problems has been determined. Hoping for a quick find and fix of a problem, multiple issues have been found but most remain. Now for a more thorough approach. Remember the Comanche Club loves you, don't get fried

Up until you found that hot exposed wire under house, I was not overly concerned about the prior guys deeds. Hot under the house is as dangerous as it gets. You are fully grounded. You can correct what he did.

No, you have done good work. But if you have children pets, or sleep walkers in the house that are at risk, leave things as they are

Terms of engagement: Don't make any changes to your electrical system without making it known first. Doing so may mean starting the process over. In a mathematical equation, change only one variable at a time. We good here?

You have been busy. The light switch in the foyer: You may be looking at a switch leg. Leave it alone for now. Careful of hot wires under the house. Multiple cases of electrocution occur there. A case in particular: a man was laying on the ground on his back drilling a hole in the floor hits a hot wire with his drill and dies. Someone who worked on your house previously did not know enough about electricity and didn't give a sheit about what he did know. I understand that you have other things to do and will indicate some things for you to do as you get time.

Good morning Dzimm. Hope you had a productive night at work. Do want to proceed further?

Looks like i lost you. I need to run. I will not be near computer the rest of today

If you have 3 switches controlling one light, one of is a 4 way switch.

Let's stay on one circuit at a time

Red is hot and black is hot also. You have two places to turn that light on and off? Two way switches flip between two hot lines between the switches; only one is hot at the time. 3 way switches are easy to wire wrong. If they worked before, let's assume they are wired ok. The white wire is probably the "load" line to the light. Wrap a piece of black electrical tape around the white wire an inch or so from the screw. It indicates you are using a white wire for hot for the next person that works on it

Turn furnace off

Only circuit 1 should be on. Did you turn others on and 1 off?