Electrical Grounding
Gragg Electrical Services provides essential electrical grounding services for your home’s safety. Our licensed electricians in East Canton, OH ensure your system has a safe path for stray electricity.

Top Electrical Grounding Service in East Canton, OH
A proper electrical grounding system is one of the most critical safety features of your entire home. Gragg Electrical Services specializes in the installation and repair of home grounding systems. This system protects both people and property from the dangers of electrical faults. It provides a safe path for stray electrical current to travel to the earth, preventing shocks and fires. Our electricians can install new grounding rods and connect your panel and plumbing to create a robust system. We also troubleshoot and repair faulty or inadequate grounding in older homes. For comprehensive electrical grounding services in East Canton, trust our knowledgeable team. We are dedicated to making your home’s electrical system as safe as possible. Your family’s well being is our ultimate priority.
Financing Available For Electrical Grounding
We offer flexible financing options to make your electrical grounding project more affordable. Spread the cost over manageable monthly payments without delaying critical safety upgrades. Ask us about our quick approval process and competitive rates today.
FREE ESTIMATES
We provide free estimates with clear pricing and honest recommendations to help you make informed decisions.
24/7 EMERGENCY ELECTRICIAN
Our team is available for emergency electrical repairs any time, day or night, to restore safety and power for your family / business.
lIFETIME GUARANTEE
Our work is backed by a lifetime craftsmanship guarantee to give you long-term peace of mind and reliable performance.
Electrical Grounding
Electrical grounding is a fundamental safety principle in all modern wiring systems. The “ground” is a direct physical connection from your home’s electrical panel to the earth itself. This connection is typically made via a long copper rod driven deep into the ground outside your home. The purpose of this system is to provide a safe, low-resistance path for dangerous fault currents to dissipate harmlessly into the earth. In the event of a short circuit or other wiring problem, the grounding system is what guides the electricity away from places it should not be. The expert electricians at Gragg Electrical Services understand the critical importance of a properly installed and maintained grounding system for protecting your home and family.
The grounding system, properly called the grounding electrode system, has several key components. The main component is the grounding electrode, which is most often one or more eight-foot-long copper-clad steel rods. These rods are driven vertically into the soil until they are flush with the ground. A heavy copper wire, called the grounding electrode conductor, is then run from the electrical panel and securely clamped to the rod. This conductor bonds the panel’s grounding bus bar to the earth. In addition to the ground rod, the system is also required to be bonded to your home’s metallic water piping system, creating another effective path to ground. Our team ensures all these components are present and correctly connected.
A properly functioning grounding system protects you from electric shock in two primary ways. First, it stabilizes the voltage in the system, ensuring that all circuits are operating at their correct potential relative to the ground. Second, and more importantly, it provides a path for fault current to flow. If a hot wire inside an appliance comes loose and touches the metal casing, the grounding system creates a short circuit. This causes a massive flow of current that instantly trips the circuit breaker, shutting off the power and eliminating the shock hazard. Without a ground, the appliance’s metal frame would remain dangerously energized, waiting for someone to touch it.
Grounding is also essential for protecting your sensitive electronic devices from damage. Power surges, whether from lightning strikes miles away or from fluctuations in the power grid, can send high-voltage spikes through your home’s wiring. A robust grounding system helps to safely divert the excess voltage from these surges into the earth before it can reach and destroy your computers, televisions, and other expensive electronics. When combined with a whole-house surge protector installed at your panel, a good grounding system provides the best possible defense against this type of damage. It is a vital part of a comprehensive electrical protection strategy for a modern home.
Many older homes, particularly those built before the 1960s, may have inadequate or nonexistent grounding systems. Old knob-and-tube wiring, for example, did not include a ground wire. Some older systems may have relied solely on the metal water pipe for a ground, which is no longer considered sufficient by itself. Our electricians can perform a thorough evaluation of your home’s electrical system to assess the state of your grounding. If we find it is inadequate, we can install a new, modern grounding system by driving ground rods and running the necessary conductors to bring your home up to current safety standards.
The process of upgrading a home’s grounding system is a job that requires professional expertise. Our electricians will locate a suitable spot outside your home to drive one or two new ground rods, ensuring they are properly spaced. We then run a thick, continuous copper grounding electrode conductor from your main electrical panel to the rods, protecting the wire in conduit where it is exposed. We use special acorn clamps to create a durable, weather-resistant connection to the rods. We will also ensure a proper bond is made to your home’s metallic water service pipe, creating the multiple paths to ground required by code.
After the installation or repair of a grounding system, we test its effectiveness. Using specialized equipment, we can measure the resistance of the connection to the earth. A low resistance reading indicates a highly effective ground that can safely dissipate fault currents. This verification is key to ensuring the system will perform its life-saving function when called upon. At Gragg Electrical Services, our commitment to thoroughness means you can be confident that your home’s most important electrical safety feature is installed correctly and working perfectly. We are dedicated to providing the highest level of electrical safety for our East Canton clients.
A good grounding system is the unsung hero of your electrical system, working silently in the background to keep you safe. You may never know when it has saved you from a shock or protected your devices from a surge. It is a foundational element that every other safety device in your home, from circuit breakers to GFCIs, relies upon to function correctly. Do not neglect this critical component of your home’s infrastructure. If you have an older home or have any concerns about your electrical system, contact us for a professional grounding system evaluation. It is a vital investment in your family’s safety and peace of mind.ment in efficiency, reliability, and, most importantly, the safety of your home.cooking. Our meticulous approach guarantees a successful and reliable installation.

Mike W. Was so kind and was very concerned of our needs. We had a gfi box where the wire had croaded. And it was installed 30 yrs ago. Gragg electric was referred by our neighbor Nate Bergert they was here in 24 hours

Gragg Electric came through for us on our FULL GRIP Store Project in downtown Akron. The building was built in 1930 and Gragg took on the challenge. Great work guys!

This was a residential job to rewire (completely) a 70 year old house, so not an easy task. It took the amount of time I expected. I also expected my house to look like swiss cheese after the work was done. That was not the case at all. They found ways to fish wire that resulted in about 30% of the holes I expected. A new panel replaced a 10 year old panel put in by JENNINGS which was full of water, rust & damage. They replaced the service drop and weather-head. It was a lot of work and I am happy with the completed job. I would call them again for future work. Ask for Sean!

Solid choice for local electrical work. Highly recommend if you are in need of a quality electrician. Handles both residential and commercial.

A top notch company that is willing to do anything and everything to make you happy. The field team is great to work with, and the communication with the office staff is the best I've come across in a very long time. I build homes for a living, and Gragg hasn't missed a deadline yet and are always one of the neatest sub contractors I deal with. If you're looking for an electrical contractor, this is where you want to be.

Solid choice for local electrical work. Highly recommend if you are in need of a quality electrician. Handles both residential and commercial.

Gragg electrical services has been nothing but great for all of our requests. They are timely on services and extremely knowledgeable. Highly recommended for any electrical work needed.

Absolutely the best! Best price, most professional & friendliest ever. From the 1st initial phone call, to our tech Don who was outstanding. Will continue to use them in the future & would highly recommend them.

We had quit a few things that needed done at the house the crew that came out was very respectful! Explained everything they were doing, answered all questions we had, and did an amazing job at everything that needed done . I Will definitely recommend this company to everyone I know.

We had quit a few things that needed done at the house the crew that came out was very respectful! Explained everything they were doing, answered all questions we had, and did an amazing job at everything that needed done . I Will definitely recommend this company to everyone I know.

Gragg Electrical Services: They helped us out in a pinch. We had an issue where we need someone out the same day to deal with a parking lot lighting issue. Not only did they come out same day and diagnose the issue. They were able to provide a solution and come out the next day to resolve it. Mind you we had other vendors on this who could not provide the same level of service Gragg Electrical did. I will be using them again for any electrical needs we have. Thank you so much for hard work on this for us.

Don was exceptional! Very quick response time, professional, knowledgeable and super friendly. Our new go-to electrician!

I had an electrical emergency! Gragg Electrical sent Don out the same day I called! He handled my emergency, explained everything, and answered all my questions! The cost was reasonable, actually less than expected! I have already referred them to my family and friends and will use them in the future!

A very professional trustworthy company Faith based with true Christian values Technicians able to resolve problems and make recommendations A true customer service oriented company Thank you for a very good repair job

Don came out to diagnose my outlet outage in the kitchens. He reset them and checked the breaker box. He assured me everything was fine. I will definitely use Bragg again and highly recommend Bragg Electric in East Canton OH.

Quick responses to any of my questions and cut out to give the estimate the very next day

Gragg is Best co, I’ve had several electric companies in my home and none of them could resolve my issues! Very intelligent/ knowledgeable! Gragg is now my electricians for life!

This company is amazing and actually cared that I wasn't able to come home until work was done and rushed to get me scheduled. Truly the best company around. Out of 14 that I called I'm confident I received the best price and service. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

I had an issue and they were able to come right out. 150 for the service charge. But it was a power company problem, it's fixed. But appreciated Gragg electrical for being so flexible and professional. Also the technician explained everything to me in a way I understood.

This company is amazing and actually cared that I wasn't able to come home until work was done and rushed to get me scheduled. Truly the best company around. Out of 14 that I called I'm confident I received the best price and service. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

I called them to install a kitchen light, and add light switches, as well as to install some plugs in my basement. While he was there, he also fixed the issue with my outside motion light in the process (as it tied into the same switch plate). The customer service and professionalism for this company is phenomenal. They answer your call and/ or call you back quickly. They communicate exactly when they are coming as they set up an appointment, and called the day of to let me know he was on his way. I strongly recommend this company and will be sure to use them for future electrical needs.

Gragg Electric was courteous, fast, efficient and very reasonably priced. Someone you can appreciate when you need electrical work done. Will definitely call them if needed again.

Brandon came right away and provided a quote for work I needed done. David and Zach did the inside work for me and they were very professional and super nice guys. We had a little adventure when they had to enter to attic which unfortunately had a quite large number of winged rats to fight off. These guys are great electricians, but they are pretty brave too 🙂

Brandon and his team were great! I called them when I was in a pinch. He provided fast, detailed service, and kept me informed every step of the way! Definitely recommending Gragg to everyone I know and meet in the future:) Thanks for the help!!

Gragg's service was first class from their timely estimate to the last inspection! David was very knowledgeable, friendly and got the job done.

Extremely professional from start to finish. Very clear precise plan that was followed through without any issues. Quality work. Gragg will be my go to electricians.

We have utilized Gragg Electrical for many years!! Would not go anywhere else. They are trustworthy and excellent electricians and genuinely good people!

Brandon, David and his crew are great!!! They arrived on time and completed my long list of electrical work that needed to be done... this is the 4th time we have used Gragg electric... the prices are very fair as well ! we will never go anywhere else!!! Next comes the inground pool 🙂

Professional. Arrived timely. Explained issues. Nice guys. Reasonable price. We will call them in future for electrical work. Recommend them to anyone looking for an electrician.

I highly recommend this company. They arrived on time very professional and you got done in a timely manner. This is the second time I’ve used this company and I will be using them again in the future !!

Gragg electric was a blessing to have do the work for our new construction home. Very trustworthy and did a wonderful job!

I just want to say what a joy it was to have Gragg Electrical Services, LLC work on my house today. The electricians were very knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. They cleaned up after when they were done. Everything went great. They took care of all my wants and needs and I had a long list of wishes that they took care of. I highly recommend them. I will be a returning customer. 😀 Thank you Brandon, David and the entire team who made my dreams a reality.
Years in business
5-Star Reviews
satisfied clients
Jobs Completed
Most Common Electrical Grounding Questions
Electrical grounding is a vital but often misunderstood aspect of home safety. A proper ground connection is essential for protecting against shock and fire. Here are answers to some of the most common questions homeowners have about their electrical grounding system.
For a homeowner, it can be difficult to determine if your house is properly grounded just by looking. One of the simplest clues is the type of outlets you have. If your outlets are all of the modern three-prong variety, that is a good sign that your home’s wiring system includes a ground wire. If your home has older two-prong outlets, it is a clear indication that the branch circuit wiring lacks a ground and your home’s grounding system is likely outdated or inadequate. However, even with three-prong outlets, you cannot be certain the ground is actually connected and effective without professional testing. A previous owner could have installed three-prong outlets on ungrounded wires, which is a dangerous and misleading practice.
A more definitive sign can be seen at your main electrical panel. A properly grounded system will have a thick, bare copper wire (the grounding electrode conductor) leaving the panel and running to the outside of your house. Outside, near your electric meter, you should be able to see this wire connected to one or two copper rods driven into the earth. You should also see a similar wire or a metal clamp connecting your panel to the main cold water pipe where it enters your home. If you cannot see these connections, or if they appear corroded or damaged, your grounding system may be compromised.
The only way to know for certain if your house is properly and effectively grounded is to have it inspected by a licensed electrician. An electrician can visually inspect all the required components of the grounding electrode system. More importantly, they can use a special instrument called a ground resistance tester or a megohmmeter to measure the actual effectiveness of your connection to the earth. This test provides a definitive reading of the system’s resistance, confirming whether it can perform its safety function correctly. If you have any doubts, especially in an older home, a professional inspection from Gragg Electrical Services is the best course of action.
The symptoms of a poor or faulty electrical ground can range from subtle annoyances to serious safety hazards. One common symptom is experiencing a mild static-like shock when you touch metal appliances, light switches, or even plumbing fixtures. This indicates that there is stray voltage on the metal components that is not being safely channeled to the ground. This is a clear warning sign that a dangerous fault condition could exist. You may also notice that your lights flicker or your electronics behave erratically, which can sometimes be caused by an unstable voltage reference due to poor grounding.
A more serious symptom is seeing your electronic devices frequently being damaged or destroyed during thunderstorms. While a direct lightning strike is catastrophic, even distant strikes can induce powerful surges into the power grid. A robust grounding system is your first line of defense, diverting much of this surge energy safely into the earth. If your sensitive electronics like computers, TVs, or modems seem to die for no reason, especially after a storm, it may be because your grounding system is not adequate to protect them from these common voltage spikes. This indicates your system is failing at one of its key jobs.
The most dangerous symptom of a bad ground is, unfortunately, one you might not notice until it is too late. A faulty ground can prevent your circuit breakers from tripping quickly during a short circuit. The ground path provides the low-resistance route needed to create the massive current surge that trips a breaker instantly. Without it, a fault might only draw a small amount of current, not enough to trip the breaker, but enough to energize an appliance’s frame or start a fire. This is why you should not wait for symptoms to appear. A proactive inspection of your grounding system is the best way to ensure it is ready to protect you.
Yes, it is absolutely possible and highly recommended to add a modern grounding system to an older house that lacks one. This is one of the most important electrical safety upgrades you can make to an older home. A licensed electrician can install a complete and effective grounding electrode system that will bring your home’s main electrical service up to current safety standards. This process provides a new, safe path for fault currents and creates the foundation for further safety upgrades inside the home. It is a critical first step in modernizing an old electrical system.
The process of adding a ground typically involves driving one or two eight-foot copper-clad ground rods into the earth outside your home, near the main electrical panel. A heavy copper wire, the grounding electrode conductor, is then run from the neutral/ground bus bar inside your panel to these new rods. A permanent, corrosion-resistant clamp is used to make the connection. In addition, the electrician will bond this grounding system to your home’s main metallic cold water pipe, as this provides another excellent path to ground. These two connections working together create a robust and reliable grounding system.
It is important to understand that adding a grounding system at the panel does not magically add a ground wire to all of your home’s older two-wire circuits. To get the full benefit of grounding at your outlets, the wiring for those circuits would need to be replaced with modern three-wire cable. However, adding the main grounding system at the panel is still a massive safety improvement. It allows other modern safety devices, like GFCI outlets and whole-house surge protectors, to function correctly and provide their full protective benefits even on the older two-wire circuits. It is a foundational upgrade that enables many other layers of safety.
A grounding rod is a simple yet essential component of your home’s electrical safety system. It is a long metal rod that is driven deep into the earth to create a direct electrical connection between your electrical panel and the ground. The most common type used for residential installations is an eight-foot-long rod that is about five-eighths of an inch in diameter. These rods are typically made of steel and are coated in a layer of copper. The steel provides the strength needed to drive the rod into hard soil, while the copper provides excellent electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance for a long-lasting connection.
The purpose of the grounding rod is to act as the primary “grounding electrode.” Its job is to safely dissipate unwanted electrical currents into the vastness of the earth. In the event of a nearby lightning strike or a major fault on the utility lines, the grounding rod provides a path for that high voltage to flow harmlessly into the ground, rather than into your home’s wiring and appliances. It is a critical part of the overall grounding electrode system. Modern electrical codes often require two ground rods to be installed, spaced at least six feet apart, to ensure a more effective, low-resistance connection to the earth, especially in areas with dry or rocky soil.
The connection to the grounding rod must be made correctly to be effective. A thick copper wire, called the grounding electrode conductor, runs from your main panel and attaches to the top of the rod. This connection is made with a special type of bronze or copper clamp, often called an acorn clamp, that is designed for direct burial and will not corrode over time. An electrician will drive the rod until its top is flush with or just below the ground level to protect it from physical damage. The grounding rod is a fundamental building block of electrical safety.
For many decades, the main metallic cold water pipe entering a home was considered the primary and often the only grounding electrode. Metal pipes that run underground for a significant distance are in direct contact with the earth and can provide a very effective, low-resistance path to ground. Because of this, the National Electrical Code still requires that your electrical system be bonded to your metallic water piping system. This connection helps to equalize the electrical potential between your wiring and your plumbing, preventing shocks when you touch a faucet and an appliance at the same time. It remains an important part of the grounding system.
However, relying solely on the water pipe for your ground is no longer considered sufficient or reliable. The primary reason for this change is the increasing use of non-metallic materials in modern plumbing systems. Sections of the underground water main in your city could be replaced with plastic PVC pipe, which would completely interrupt the ground path. Even in your own home, a plumber might repair a section of your copper pipe with plastic PEX tubing, unknowingly severing your home’s main ground connection. This makes the water pipe system an unreliable grounding electrode when used alone.
Because of this unreliability, the electrical code now requires a supplemental grounding electrode to be installed in addition to the water pipe bond. This supplemental electrode is almost always the copper-clad ground rod we have discussed. By having both the water pipe bond and a dedicated ground rod, your system has a redundant and robust connection to the earth. If the connection through the water pipe is ever interrupted, the ground rod will still be there to provide its critical safety function. A professional electrician will always ensure your system includes both of these components for a complete and code-compliant installation.
Bonding is a concept that is closely related to grounding, but it is slightly different. Grounding is the act of connecting your electrical system to the earth. Bonding, on the other hand, is the act of connecting all the non-current-carrying metal parts of your electrical system and home together to create a continuous electrical path. This includes things like metal electrical boxes, the metal conduit protecting wires, the metal frame of your electrical panel, and the metal chassis of your appliances. The goal of bonding is to ensure that all these metal parts are at the same electrical potential, or voltage.
The reason bonding is so important for safety is that it ensures any fault current has a clear path back to the electrical panel. For example, if a hot wire inside a metal junction box comes loose and touches the side of the box, the bonding path ensures the box is electrically connected back to the panel’s ground bar. This creates a short circuit that will immediately trip the breaker. Without bonding, the metal box could just become energized and sit there as a shock hazard, waiting for someone to touch it. Bonding ties everything together so the safety devices can work properly.
The grounding system and the bonding system are connected together at the main electrical panel. The main bonding jumper is a screw or strap that connects the panel’s neutral bus bar to the ground bus bar and the metal enclosure of the panel itself. This single point of connection is critical. It ensures that any fault current that flows back on the equipment grounding conductors (the bonding system) has a direct path to the neutral conductor and back to the transformer, which is what causes the breaker to trip. Our electricians ensure all bonding connections are secure as part of a safe installation.
No, traditional knob and tube wiring systems, which were common in homes built from the late 1800s through the 1940s, do not have a ground wire. Knob and tube wiring consists of only two conductors: a hot wire and a neutral wire. These individual wires were run separately and were supported by ceramic knobs and passed through ceramic tubes to protect them from contact with the wood framing of the house. The concept of an equipment grounding conductor to protect against shock hazards was not a part of these early electrical systems. This lack of grounding is one of the primary safety concerns with knob and tube wiring.
The absence of a ground wire means that if a fault occurs where a hot wire touches the metal part of an appliance or fixture, there is no safe path for the current to flow. The circuit breaker or fuse will not trip, and the metal part will become dangerously energized. This is why you will only find two-prong outlets in homes with original, un-tampered knob and tube wiring. It is a major code violation to install modern three-prong outlets on a knob and tube circuit because it creates a false and dangerous impression of safety, as the ground pin on the outlet is connected to nothing.
If your home still has active knob and tube wiring, upgrading your electrical system should be a high priority. While adding a main grounding system at your panel is a good first step, the only way to make the individual circuits safe is to have them completely rewired with modern three-wire NM cable. This is a significant project, but it is the most important investment you can make in the electrical safety of an older home. It provides each outlet with a proper equipment ground and eliminates the other hazards associated with outdated knob and tube systems, such as deteriorating insulation.
If you are experiencing a tingling sensation or a noticeable static-like shock when you touch a metal appliance, like a refrigerator, dishwasher, or even a metal lamp, it is a serious warning sign of a problem with your electrical system’s grounding or wiring. That tingling feeling is a small amount of electrical current passing through your body. It indicates that the metal frame of the appliance has become energized with stray voltage, and your body is providing a path for that voltage to go to ground. This should never happen in a properly wired and grounded home.
This condition can be caused by a few different issues. It could be an internal fault within the appliance itself, where a live wire is making partial contact with the metal casing. If the appliance or the circuit is not properly grounded, this voltage has nowhere else to go. The problem could also be with the outlet it’s plugged into, where the ground connection is loose or has been broken. The most dangerous possibility is that your entire home has a faulty or missing main grounding system, which means multiple appliances and metal surfaces could be carrying this stray voltage.
You should not ignore these small shocks, even if they seem minor. They are a clear symptom of a fault condition that could worsen over time and potentially lead to a much more severe and dangerous electric shock. The presence of this stray voltage also indicates that your system’s primary safety features are not working correctly. You should immediately unplug the offending appliance if possible and call a licensed electrician from Gragg Electrical Services. We can troubleshoot the system to find the source of the stray voltage and repair the faulty wiring or grounding to eliminate the hazard for good.
Work With The Top Electrical Grounding Service Near You
Contact Gragg Electrical Services to schedule a comprehensive evaluation of your home’s grounding system. Our East Canton electricians are ready to provide the grounding solutions you need to keep your home safe.