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Grounded


KD3Y

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  • Ionosphere


I was lucky in that the ground rod for the electric service is located outside the window about 10 feet away so I didn't have to drive a ground rod.
I used white PVC board for a window pass-thru so it matches the vinyl siding on the house and copper pipe facia strap for the common connection.
I was happy to find the strap at sLowes with the holes already drilled in it for dressing copper water pipe that passes through foundation plates, so it saved me some labor and time.  At least I have spots available if I wanted to run some more bulkheads thru the PVC board to add different antenna.
 

 

109215604_ShackGround(1).jpg.0baea381c9587756b4d9e029b9b68981.jpg

1066580615_ShackGround(2).jpg.c276717e1d62759ee56af71b86016ac1.jpg

 

Edited by KD3Y
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  • Administrator


Very clean install. I assume you've had rain recently and the PVC pass through has shown to be fully sealed?

Love the grounding band, by the way, very well installed indeed and the holes are, indeed, perfect.

Personal favor, could you stop showing us all up? You do realize that we now have to live up to your standard!! And don't get me started with your CW key!! 😇

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  • Ionosphere


Rains all the time here.  I was going to caulk the bulkhead but I realized I could drill the hole a tad small and just "screw the bulkhead" through the PVC.  The bulkhead just sort of cuts it's own threads as it goes so no sealant was needed.  The only sealing I did was the bottom of the PVC board where it sits on the sill and on top of the PVC board where the window sash closes on it so it forms a good seal.

As far as showing you up, I reckon you're just gonna have to move up to your A-game.  🙂

 

 

 

 



MorseKey.png.94c100aaa5cac583574edfd49114e5cd.png

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  • Elmer


3 hours ago, KD3Y said:

I was lucky in that the ground rod for the electric service is located outside the window about 10 feet away so I didn't have to drive a ground rod.
I used white PVC board for a window pass-thru so it matches the vinyl siding on the house and copper pipe facia strap for the common connection.
I was happy to find the strap at sLowes with the holes already drilled in it for dressing copper water pipe that passes through foundation plates, so it saved me some labor and time.  At least I have spots available if I wanted to run some more bulkheads thru the PVC board to add different antenna.
 

 

109215604_ShackGround(1).jpg.0baea381c9587756b4d9e029b9b68981.jpg

1066580615_ShackGround(2).jpg.c276717e1d62759ee56af71b86016ac1.jpg

 

I would make one suggestion based on >40 years as an electrician and spending 3 years installing remote communications shelters on ridges and mountain tops and adjacent to existing telephone exchanges to support several different communications system build-outs.

Install 2 more driven rods and bond them to the one/s you already have. Site them at least twice the length of the longer rod away from each other. Once they are bonded together they will make an effective Grounding Electrode.

If you want to go further and make the system nearly bombproof you can improve on the 3 rod system. Since you need to bury the bonding conductors between the 3 rods and the Grounding Electrode Conductor which connects that electrode to the single point bonding busbar in the shack you may want to consider installing them in the manner devised by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Instead of just the 1 foot or so of burial that will protect the rods, rod bonding conductors, and the EGC from physical damage make the trench a minimum of 30 inches deep. Instead of using the minimum #6 AWG conductor for the GEC and the rod bonding conductors run bare #2 AWG copper conductor between the rods and back to the  connection to the Station's Single Point Bonding Busbar. What you will have built is the equivalent of Ground Ring. The only thing that keeps it from being an National Electrical Code compliant "Ground Ring" is that it does not circle the entire structure. That is of no importance in the  case of a house because the minimum length of the ground ring around a smaller structure such as a pump house or guard post shelter is 20 feet and the one you would be installing would be 32 feet long between the 3, 8 foot long, rods plus the length of the buried portion of the GEC back to the station's single point bonding busbar. NIST's tests showed that form of grounding electrode installation is sufficient to protect the home's electrical system from surges and spikes generated outside the building including lightning when it is used as one of the building's electrical system Grounding Electrodes. The addition of a whole house surge protector will also protect the electronic portions of the system as well as the connected electronic loads from externally generated surges.

Tom Horne W3TDH

 

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  • Administrator


15 hours ago, KD3Y said:

Thanks Tom,
I will do that.

73 de Anthony, KD3Y

I know Tom well. In our region he's a bit of a Guru when it comes to such matters 😎

Tom, now don't let that get to your head.

Back to the topic at hand... grounding.

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  • Elmer


On 11/29/2022 at 11:52 AM, K3MRI said:

I know Tom well. In our region he's a bit of a Guru when it comes to such matters 😎

Tom, now don't let that get to your head.

Back to the topic at hand... grounding.

Is that why I have to wear a size 8 hat? I really do by the way.

 

Tom W3TDH

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  • Ionosphere


I followed Elmer Toms advice.  To my surprise the ground rods were actually not a problem.  Went right in with a sledge.  I suppose since it has rained off and on the last month it helped soften the ground.  I was expecting to get them about half way in and have to go bum and borrow a rod driver from an electrician.  I didn't want to bring them so far from the house but there is a concrete foundation footing that comes out about 1 foot from the house that I had to avoid.  Think I'll put a piece of PVC pipe over them so I won't forget and run over them with the lawnmower or something.

Thanks for the great advice, Tom.

Rod.png

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  • Elmer


I'm glad that it worked out for you. What are you using as a Grounding Electrode Conductor (GEC); US National Electrical Code (NEC) name for the wire that connects your main grounding busbar, Single point bonding busbar, or your antenna entry bonding panel to the grounding rod.

If you have any suggestions for connecting lightning arresters directly to ground rods I'd like to know. The ones available from equipment vendors are all north of $50 and that seems excessive.

Tom W3TDH

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  • Elmer


While I'm thinking about it I should mention that it is considered perfectly good practice to drive a Ground Rod below ground level and cover it with a large PVC pipe section of ~1 foot in length with a female threaded adapter on it. Once you have it set at ground level just below the vegetation, mulch, gravel or what have you screw in a pug style end into the threaded adapter. It is relatively landscaping equipment proof and provides access to check the condition of the connections and measure the impedance to ground during annual system checks.

 

Tom W3TDH

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