Replies

1. 
   Dam_inspector | Oct 14, 2009 05:37am | #1

   Your inspector is ta total doofus.

1. 
   TomW | Oct 14, 2009 05:47am | #2

   I agree, total doofus, but seriously, how many flor covering are conductive anyway. Carpet? Wood? Tile? Linoleum? Vinyl? Cork? Bamboo?

2. 
   JeffyT | Oct 14, 2009 05:49am | #3

   You really ought to leave him a legitimate little detail to point out so that he feels like he's done his inspectorly duty for the day.

   j

1. 
   DanH | Oct 14, 2009 05:52am | #5

   That's the way the engineers dealt with the UL people when our products were getting the UL stamp -- leave them something obvious to find.
   As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz

1. 
   JeffyT | Oct 14, 2009 06:18am | #6

   <leave them something obvious to find>it works and it lets everyone go away happy. The inspector's done his job, the builder's happily recognized the 'mistake' and promptly fixed it. Builder gets a chance to feel like he's got one up on the BI. Inspector feels that way anyway so doesn't need extra opportunities ;)j

3. 
   DanH | Oct 14, 2009 05:51am | #4

   Everywhere, or just in some specific area? Makes no sense to me.

   Concrete is conductive, but not a good conductor. If the floor somehow got "hot" it could in theory create a shock hazard, but I don't know how that would happen unless electric heating wires were embedded in it and seriously frayed -- an "incidental" connection due to, say, a frayed wire in a feedtrough to the floor below wouldn't be enough to be a hazard. (And electric heating wires are embedded all the time in bathroom floors, and code certainly allows that.)

   And, generally, having the floor GROUNDED should be a good thing.

   As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
4. 
   BillHartmann | Oct 14, 2009 07:15am | #7

   This brings up some interesting side points.

   Now concrete IS "conductiive". In fact it is used part of a the Ufer ground electrode system.

   But it requires 2 conditions. The first is that moist. The second is that if be in contact with another conductor. For the Ufer it is the earth and that grounds the concrete.

   This is why UNFINISHED basements require GFCI protection on receptacles.

   But the code never defines "finished" and definitely does not require "non conductive flooring". In fact acid stained floor is one way of "finishing" the floor. But that does not change it basic characteristics of being concrete.

   Now the code does require METALLIC materials that are LIKELY TO BECOMW ACCIDENTALLY ENERGIZED. Assuming that this could be stretched to concrete as it "can be conductive".

   The proproblem with this is 2 fold. First this is a suspended slab and thus would be dry and NON-CONDUCTIVE.

   The 2nd is how would this LIKELY to become energized.

   Now there are some very specialized applications where it is probably required that concrete be made more conductive and also bonded. I am think things like explosive handling and semiconductor processing.

   .
   William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
5. 
   gfretwell | Oct 14, 2009 08:07am | #8

   Your inspector is right about the floor being conductive and likely grounded. Bill put his finger on the issue. All the inspector could legitimately ask for would be GFCI protection but that would depend on what room this is.
   I also agree that there are plenty of finished floors that are just as conductive.
   I got the snot knocked out of me right after I moved into this house standing on the terrazzo floor barefooted and touching the stove. It turned the floor was grounded better than the stove (and the rest of the service).
   That was the first of many things I had to fix.

1. 
   GregT | Oct 14, 2009 12:45pm | #9

   Thanks to everyone who replied.  The whole house is currently concrete until we can afford floor coverings.  One area might be left exposed, stained and sealed.  The potentially wet areas (bathroom, kitchen and mud room) are already GFCI protected so I won't worry too much about our safety.

   Thanks again.

   Greg T

2. 
   BillHartmann | Oct 14, 2009 03:17pm | #11

   "Your inspector is right about the floor being conductive and likely grounded. "Don't forget that this is an elevated slab on wood framing used to provide mass for hydro radiant heating massing.Thus the concrete will be dry and not conductive, at least after it cures some more. And there is nothing for it to be grounded to..
   William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

1. 
   brownbagg | Oct 14, 2009 03:44pm | #12

   what you say is, you going run some sentive computer equipment so you added some ground rods under the slab to ground out against the small metal fibers installed in the slab. But really it only coductive if a electical souce is applied to it, like lighting. me I would told him to blow it out his, and then called his boss telling wally world wanted their cart collector back.If its not in the code book, he cant request it

1. 
   Dinosaur | Oct 14, 2009 05:16pm | #13

   Man, you do have a way with words.

   Thanks for kicking me out da door with a smile on my face!

   Dinosaur

   How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....

1. 
   Don | Oct 14, 2009 10:46pm | #14

   Concrete is conductive - or not! I've been rendered snotless like another poster by concrete being conductive. In my In-laws house. Turned out to be a hot electrical connection that was grounding to their concrete floor where it was exposed for a patio door penetration. It is NOT conductive enough for explosive operations. Those bldgs require a conductive overlay that is well grounded to the earth. Back before lead became a 4 letter word, we used sheet lead for the job, running it up the walls about 4 inches, also. Lotta sheet lead got used in the Army's munitions production base. Probably several million sq ft of it. A lot of lead workers probably got sick from all the soldering operations involving it. I know that the production workers never ate the stuff, so they didn't get the brunt of the problems. Lead has been replaced since at least the 1980's. I recall seeing blueprints that called for "...conductive flooring, not to be lead."Even lead isn't good enough sometimes. In the "Backlines," where primary initiating explosives are processed, the people work on concrete floors w/ integral baseboard high sides that are partially filled w/ water (sorta like a foot bath in a swimming pool locker room entrance.) for good grounds - also to catch any explosive dust that falls to keep it desensitized. Stepping on primary initiating explosives dust can take a foot off if there is enough of it. Working those backlines in January in Kansas & Iowa is a true female dog since there isn't much heat & you wallow around in a lot of very cold water.DonDon Reinhard
   The Glass Masterworks
   "If it scratches, I etch it!"

6. 
   Piffin | Oct 14, 2009 01:36pm | #10

   I love starting my day out with a laugh like this

    

    

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