View Single Post
Old 16-Aug-2014, 4:34 AM   #8
GroundUrMast
Moderator
 
GroundUrMast's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Greater Seattle Area
Posts: 4,773
Quote:
... would running a ground wire and from the rod I just drove and grounding it to the underside of my mobile home serve the same purpose as bonding the new rod to the original rod on that backside at the electrical panel?
It's unlikely that your local electrical code would consider that an acceptable option. But regardless, I wouldn't want to intentionally lead fault current into or through my home.

Quote:
Oh, and also the waterline runs about 6' (from the newly driven ground rod) away into the home. The waterline run to get to my home is like 75 yards and all underground. I have no idea what shape it is in because I have never gone under the porch and dug gently down to it to take a look. But, is this worth looking into for grounding something with a strap if it is in good shape?
If you can be certain that the water line is all metal and will never be repaired with non metallic parts, then it may provide a solid connection to earth. However, the primary goal of grounding the antenna system is not the making of a good connection to earth... The goal of grounding the antenna system is to ensure that minimal voltage differences between the antenna system and the rest of the systems in your house, if a fault current should occur. Connecting the mast and / or coax to a separate ground system (such as an isolated rod) or even to a remote part of your electrical service grounding system (remote from the connection point used by the other utilities such as TELCO and CATV) sets you up for significant or even dangerous voltage differences if you have an electrical fault or nearby lightning event.

I applaud your desire to properly ground your antenna system. However, I can't recommend the options you've described.

As an aside, I have heard others question the use of the words 'ground' and 'grounding' in this context. I agree with their observation that the words may mislead people into thinking that making a connection to ground is the ultimate goal. In some parts of the world, the term 'earth' and 'earthing' are used. These words may also be misunderstood by some to imply that a connection to earth is the end goal. However the terms 'bond' and 'bonding' are a bit better at describing the most important goal, that is; To prevent dangerous voltage differences from developing between objects that have a chance of being energized in the event of an electrical fault. If I were to try to pick a word or phrase that describes the intent behind 'grounding' an antenna system, I might choose the phrase, "protective bonding".
__________________
If the well is dry and you don't see rain on the horizon, you'll need to dig the hole deeper. (If the antenna can't get the job done, an amp won't fix it.)

(Please direct account activation inquiries to 'admin')

Last edited by GroundUrMast; 16-Aug-2014 at 7:08 PM. Reason: post script, sp.
GroundUrMast is offline   Reply With Quote