Print

[AirForcePOL]

Has anyone ever heard that a owb should be grounded?  Someone a friend of mine was talking to said that it should be grounded at the boiler to get rid of electrical current caused by the water flowing through the pipes?  Sounds weird to be but I just figured I would ask. 

[ijon]

Portage and Main says in the manual to ground the boiler.

[jerkash]

I grounded mine

[oaky]

I would assume the owb is grounded from the ground wire in the electrical wiring to the owb, correct?

[jerkash]

Just ground the main part of the OWF to the ground.  You don't need to tie into the electrical ground as it should be grounded to the OWF.  I just unscrewed a 3/4" nut on mine and wrapped a ground wire around that and and retightened the nut and hooked the other end to a ground rod.

[userdk]

I would assume the owb is grounded from the ground wire in the electrical wiring to the owb, correct?

If the Electrical is connected to the steel structure, it should be grounded.
Also, chances are, the heating system in the house is grounded all over the place.
But if the owner's manual says to ground it, it can't hurt anything.

[Woodboiler]

I used to be a Wood Doctor Dealer and Installer.  I would always install copper ground rod next to the  stove and ground the stove with #6 stranded copper to the ground rod.  On Wood Doctor models, there was a electrical lug on the leg of the stove. There is a theory out there that moving water in the stove and pex creates a slight electrical current.   

[AirForcePOL]

I used to be a Wood Doctor Dealer and Installer.  I would always install copper ground rod next to the  stove and ground the stove with #6 stranded copper to the ground rod.  On Wood Doctor models, there was a electrical lug on the leg of the stove. There is a theory out there that moving water in the stove and pex creates a slight electrical current.   

That's what he was talking about.  Do you think it's necessary?  I guess it wouldn't hurt... but yes, I would assume that if the power is grounded to the stove it would already be grounded....

[crankshaftdan II]

Seems that I read in a owner's manual that you need two (2) ground wires spaced 10' apart.  As most OWB's are setting out in the open and even if they are grounded back to the electrical wiring-what's to say that during  electrical storm the guy above singles out your flue pipe for a direct hit-I would rather have the juice go into the ground rod first as it's supposed to take the path of least resistance???  If you get a direct hit-probably ALL electrical will be fried???  Anyone had a direct hit?  Please chime in-I'm just a bystander at this time.

[dwneast77]

I know when I installed my CB I was told it was required and my dealer included the ground rod with my other accessories.   When I installed my Wood Doctor I saw the ground lug as mentioned above and so I went ahead and sunk another ground rod for that furnace too.  Figured it was required by all brands.  As someone else mentioned, I remember hearing about the electrical charge produced by the moving water.  Haven't I seen some guys post out here in past years about anode rods also, like in an electric water heaters??  Maybe I'm mistaken.  Not sure.   

[mlappin]

If your worried about lightening, a piece of 6 gauge ain't gonna cut it. Still have lightning rods on the farm house, the grounding cable are woven copper wire big around as my ring finger.

Two grounding rods is not a bad ideal though. I have a fence charger that requires three grounding rods 10' apart. Then I have a ground wire running around the pasture with another three grounding rods various places on the perimeter of the pasture. Charger puts out 16000+ volts with a capacity upwards of 21 joules. A lightning bolt is how many million volts and what amperage?

[whitepine2]

  MY first boiler forgot to ground within 5 years was rusted through.New P&M put in 6 foot rod all the way in and grounded,three years now and not a sign of rust. Don't know if that is what caused first to rust but live and learn what's it cost to do it right less than $20 it cant heart
anything so why not and be safer for it.