Can you beat Verizon?

[glatt]

Originally Posted by tw

Grounding to any pipes is no longer acceptable - a code violation. A ground wire must attach to the same rod that also services or served the AC electric box, cable, and old phone ground.

Yeah. It's weird. I need to take another look at it. I'm not sure why it's grounded in the first place. It's also plugged into a grounded outlet with (I think) a 3 prong plug.

[tw]

Originally Posted by glatt

I'm not sure why it's grounded in the first place. It's also plugged into a grounded outlet with (I think) a 3 prong plug.

If AC plug is removed, the box has no safety ground. A failure in TV isolation (for example) could result in a hot box. The earth ground may also serve other functions such as RFI reduction, transient protection, etc. Devices that are not moveable traditionally also have dedicated safety grounds. One could argue it both ways. But simpler and safer is to dedicate that ground - that may also be earthing a ground separate from the receptacle safety ground.