The ground loop is an important element of the wiring of any private house. If it is not there, or the quality of the contour leaves much to be desired, then you can forget about safety. Therefore, in order not to remember about grounding for the next 10-15 years after installation, it should be made initially correctly. How to do this - later in the article.
Generally accepted rules for installing the grounding loop
Before proceeding with the installation of the protective circuit, it is useful to read chapter 1.7. "Grounding and protective measures of electrical safety" PUE. If there is no time for a complete familiarization, then you can briefly revise the main sections: "Scope", "Grounding conductors" and "Grounding conductors".
Basic rules to consider when installing the ground loop:
- The ground loop must be made of metal parts. It can be products made of ferrous or galvanized metals, as well as copper.
- For each material in the PUE, a certain width, wall thickness, length, etc. are provided. All the required data are shown in table 1.7.4.
- Parts of the ground loop must not be painted.
- After installation, the contour is covered with homogeneous soil without debris or rubble.
Parts of the contour should be located below the conditional line of soil freezing, therefore, on average, the length of each electrode is at least 2-2.5 m.
Why you shouldn't install a delta grounding
The triangle is a common figure when installing grounding. A similar protective structure consists of three electrodes connected by metal strips. After finishing the installation, a wire is attached to the circuit, which is subsequently laid to the main ground bus. Why is this design considered not very successful?
Answer: because the installation of the triangle-shaped contour is wrong initially. For example, the distance between the electrodes must be at least the length of each of them. This rule is often forgotten even by experienced electricians, not to mention those who make grounding on their own, for the first time.
They also choose too small a thickness of the electrodes, trying to save money, which leads to early damage to metal parts by corrosion. With such an attitude, after 3-5 years nothing will remain in the earth, respectively, all consumers will be unsafe.
Modular pin grounding - modern power grid protection systems
What is modular pin grounding? This is a set of metal or copper pins that are connected to each other by means of special couplings. They are clogged with a simple construction puncher, and for such work, a nozzle is provided on the tool, which usually comes in the kit to the grounding loop.
Modular pin systems have a long service life, relatively affordable cost, and are quickly installed. The only drawback of such a system is that you can stumble upon a layer of underground rock, somewhere at a depth of 7-10 meters, but even this distance will be enough for the ground loop to function properly.