What is a described method to ground the alarm panel box?

• A. Attach a ring connector to the end of the ground wire, bolt the wires to the cabinet using existing holes.
• B. Attach a ring connector to the end of the ground wire, cut a short wire and attach a ring connector to its end, then bolt to cabinet using existing holes.
• C. Wrap the ground wire around the cabinet.
• D. Connect to a water pipe.

Answer: (B)

Grounding the alarm panel requires a solid, low-resistance bond to the metal enclosure using a grounded pigtail with a ring terminal that is bolted to a proper bonding point on the cabinet. Using a short jumper wire with its own ring terminal, then fastening that terminal to the cabinet through an existing hole provides a direct, reliable connection. This setup keeps the ground path close to the enclosure and ensures good metal-to-metal contact, which is important for a stable fault-ground path and for preventing the connection from loosening over time.

Wrapping a ground wire around the cabinet isn’t dependable and can loosen or be damaged, which breaks the ground path. Grounding to a water pipe can be inappropriate or noncompliant, since pipes may be insulated, corroded, or not part of the building’s electrical grounding system. Attaching a ground wire directly to the cabinet without a dedicated short pigtail and proper ring-terminal termination risks a weak or nonstandard connection, whereas the described short jumper with a ring terminal secured to the cabinet provides a proper, code-adherent ground.