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Wednesday, August 19th, 2026 12:26 PM

Ungrounded coax drop caused equipment failure

I am reporting an improperly installed coaxial service drop at my home that appears to violate NEC 820.100, and requesting a technician inspection.

During a recent lightning storm, a surge entered the home over the Xfinity coax. It destroyed the cable modem, the router connected to it by Ethernet, an Ethernet PC card, and damaged several other Ethernet-connected devices.

On inspecting the entry point afterward, I found the cause. The ground wire from the coax entry block is not bonded to a ground rod, to the electrical service, or to any grounding electrode. It was simply pushed a couple of inches into the soil — with the green insulation still on the wire, not even stripped. There is no ground path of any kind.

NEC 820.100 requires the drop to be bonded to the building's grounding electrode system. That was never done here. The surge had nowhere to go except through my equipment.

This is not only a significant risk to household equipment, which has already been destroyed as a consequence, but a life safety issue. An unbonded coax shield entering a home is a shock and fire hazard independent of any equipment damage.

What I am asking for:

1. A technician dispatched to inspect and properly bond the drop to my grounding electrode system.

2. The technician's findings on the existing installation provided to me in writing.

3. Guidance on filing a damage claim for the destroyed equipment.

I have photographs of the entry point, the unbonded wire in the soil, and the damaged equipment, and can provide them on request. Happy to move to direct message for account details.

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Official Employee

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3.1K Messages

57 minutes ago

user_anz9bc Thank you very much for reaching about this drop concern. Could you please send our team a direct message with your full name and full address? Our team can most definitely take a further look at this issue.

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