When do you call it quits for grounding of metallic items inside substations.

[qman5]

The code isn't very practically helpful (NEC and CEC). Are there better comprehensive references?

So I bond a permanently installed platform in a basement that is nowhere near energized conductors? Some clients are concerned about induced voltages for absurb reasons. Do I go through the efforts of explaining the risks (or lack of) or just increase my price

Do I go ahead and bond the door frame to the building grounding loop? Why? Should I them not be concerned that the hinges might not be perfectly conductive over the lifespan of the installation and start getting concerned about the door handle bonding?

Do I bond steel cladding, at what interval? Do I concern myself about the conductivity of bolted connections and galvannized surfaces? Do I bond crane beams overhead that reasonably will never be accidentally exposed to an energized conductor?

Do I bond each piece of unistrut where the conduit on it is PVC instead of metallic conduit?

At what point do I consider that the steel of an A frame or dead end isn't bonded (e.g. lattice pieces)? Some clients won't accept mechanically bolted connections. Do I need to run a copper braid or bond between each section? Who can tell me 15 years from now that the 234th piece of 3000 won't be a touch potential risk?

Seems like this is a poorly understood or over engineered approach without any real guidelines or standard practice. Engineers are guided by IEEE 80 and NEC/CEC, including IEC standards. The easy answer is to "bond everything" but that's a lazy and wasteful approach, and further contributes to confusion.

Outdoors is fairly straightforward but indoors is another issue entirely for most clients.

A down to earth guideline for bonding could save a lot of £&$s on copper

What was been your experience?

 

[waross]

Yes.
We do occasionally run into people who don't understand the codes or the way the codes are developed.
Code bonding is not difficult nor is it that expensive.
There are some special circumstances where a site or industry has experienced, or anticipated, after a competent engineering study, that supplemental grounding is required.
Do what everyone else does;
Price it out.
Mark it up.
Do the work.
Cash the check.


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Ohm's law
Not just a good idea;
It's the LAW!