Why We Bond Metal Boxes? Do Plastic Boxes Need Bonding?

As we are learning to install a quality electrical product during our apprenticeships, we are constantly reminded to bond our metallic boxes. But why do we bond metal boxes, and why DON'T we bond plastic boxes? In a never ending pursuit to answer his followers questions, Dustin once again provides a great explanation to this topic!

01:07 - CODE TIME
01:21 - Article 250 . 4a
07:45 - Why we land a ground
08:20 - Examples of a completed circuit
12:20 - Another Example
14:35 - Merch messages

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So why would we even bother to bond our metallic boxes if we aren’t required to bond our plastic boxes? To find the answer lets dig into our 2020 NEC and see what it has to say about the topic!
Article 250.4 (A)(3) Bonding of Electrical Equipment, of the 2020 NEC tells us that any normally non-current carrying (something that is normally not energized) conductive materials enclosing electrical conductors or equipment shall be connected together and to the electrical supply source.
What is an effective ground-fault current path you may ask? Article 100 of our 2020 NEC states that an Effective Ground-Fault Current Path is “An intentionally constructed, low-impedance electrically conductive path designed and intended to carry current under ground-fault conditions from the point of a ground fault on a wiring system to the electrical supply source and that facilitates the operation of the overcurrent protective device or ground-fault detectors”. This definition tells us that an effective ground-fault current path is a purposely constructed path that is meant to carry current under abnormal conditions from the point of the fault to the source that lets the overcurrent protective device or ground fault detector to do its job.
So, in layman’s terms, we have to bond any metal conduit or boxes surrounding our wires together, so that in the event that something goes wrong, the offending electrical charge can be sent back to its source and allow the device protecting the installation to do its job. There could be any number of items that could cause a fault; terminations could come loose or break, things overheat, conductors burn up or go bad, or a myriad of other potential problems. Keep in mind that problems do not arise in the middle of a perfectly good installation, but rather at the termination or weak points.
Now that we have established that the NEC requires us to bond together our metal parts, let us dig a bit deeper still into things. Wouldn’t the ground be considered a redundant neutral? Absolutely not! The neutral is meant to have current on it returning to the source from the load allowing the circuit to create a full loop and work as it is supposed to. The ground path is an alternative path that still allows the objectionable current to return to its source under other than normal conditions. So, by bonding all of our metal parts together, it places them all on the same equal plane as a return path to the source of power giving the offending electricity a quick path to return and trip the breaker or blow the fuse.

[thebroken]

PETA coming now, you fried the cat 😂😂😂

[dialecticalmonist]

Even on a "simple" or "obvious" video, you do a thorough enough job that I always gain some kind of insight.

[kevindadams]

Nice job using the smart board. I like how it has a slight gray background allowing you to display the white conductors. This was an issue on the white boards in earlier videos. Great way to solve it. Keep up the good work!!!

[Relay]

You explained that with more energy and animation than I ever could. 😁 Thanks for the code references.

[DominickRuocco]

The best channel YouTube channel for Electricians. Keep up the amazing work Dustin. I always look forward to your videos even if I already understand the topic you're discussing.

[ottopartz]

I really appreciate your way of explaining things simply in a way that someone not in the industry can understand. I'm a manager at a warehouse and small production facility. The guy that we had who took care of the maintenance stuff and had dealt with electricians and getting equipment hooked up moved, so these videos have been really helpful in helping me understand the basics of how things work. Knowing what the different plugs are for, how the system works, and what to keep in mind will be very helpful when I have to deal with stuff and hire an electrician to do work.

[robfontenot]

Guys remember here in the USA, there are multiple utilities that have corner grounding that will LIGHT YOU UP!!! Always check voltage to anything metal!! Oil field is the most common! Be safe guys!

[tonycarrelli]

Thank you for all the great videos. I think I have a good example for you. I bought a 1940's drill press that did not have a grounded plug. When plugged in, it operated with no issue. I got it home and plugged it into a grounded metal outlet and again it worked with no issue. The problem came when I went to unplug it and touched the grounded outlet box and the metal housing of the press at the same time. Thats when I got zapped. Upon inspection, the insulation on the hot inside the motor was worn making contact with the motor case. This energized the whole press. I replaced the motor and grouded the case so everything is fine now. Thanks again for all your educational videos. I am not an electrician but I appreciate the way you explain your craft in an informative and entertaining way.

[michaelolson]

Appreciate you sharing this basic info. As a homeowner with some facilities maintenance experience, you provide great insight into the basics of electrical work. I greatly appreciate your work on these videos as they are helping me to become more confident in working with electrical components.

[Odin]

When I was a kid back in the 80s, we lived in a house that had been wired in the 1920s, and there was a problem where if you touched the refrigerator and the freezer at the same time you'd get shocked. The whole house got rewired in the late 90s so that's not a problem now, but it was a problem then.

[gregchambers]

Dude. You kept a straight face during that intro. Your abilities and impulse control skills are top notch. Ground, grounded, grounding, bond, bonded, bonding. They are things. NEMA 4X we always install a ground bar and no we don't mount that bar with 10/32 screws, and we're not supposed to drive screws through the wall of the box, since the box has to maintain it's integrity, so what do you do in that situation? Anyone?

[roobtuben]

I usually tell the difference between Tip to remember difference from GROUNDED AND GROUNDING CONDUCTORS as the G in the GroundinG as the G for Green for a green ground-screw. And GROUNDED as the Neutral.

[garrettmccleary]

Great video! Super informative and the drawings helped with that point too! Also, thanks for the tool that I won from your holiday give away Dustin! Looking forward to seeing what you come out with next

[anthonysmith]

This was a very informative video. I am a IBEW electrician for 47 years, I hope the young electrician’s watch this and understand the purpose and most important thing the safety aspect of a equipment grounding conductor. You explained this very good. Keep up the good work.

[TheWmiller]

Thank for sharing. We have found within our 40 year plant the metal tanks and pumps were not grounded properly. So we are now running miles and miles of ground cables and rods

[raymond]

Great content as always, your demonstration and illustration are so phenomenal. The graphics you use on the board are so dynamic.

[jakerandall]

This was a great level of detail for me, just a regular home owner trying to learn slme electrcity basics.... thanks!

[mikez]

Great job on the channel. Been here from the start. My go to source for real world info on the subject. Great teacher for the new generations (well everyone) especially. Def makes learning the principals fun.

[stevenblack]

Great job on the simple breakdown Dustin. Sometimes that's all that's needed.

[yeroca]

I'm not a professional, but this question and the great explanation given cleared up a lot of ideas in my head that were a bit fuzzy. It now makes complete sense to me. Thanks!