On 02/25/04 08:49 am Minnie Bannister put fingers to keyboard and launched the following message into cyberspace:
Or, now that I think about it further, it seems it would be much better to run my own ground wire from the dish to a ground rod connected to the halo ground.
And when I looked again at the diagram on the Cinergy Website, I saw that it does depict a ground that goes only partway round the building. I was confusing it with another diagram showing the ground wire going all the way around the building.
Ground wire partly around the building is better than what exists. However ground wire completely encircling the building makes earth beneath building equipotential. That Cinergy information says same. Three pictures (as I recall). One is bad, very bad. Second is improvement. Third is most preferred.
IOW protection required is a function of geology and other factors - best determined by neighborhood history. Typically a potentially destructive transient occurs once every eight years. How often does the neighborhood suffer a lightning strike? If a few events (even to trees) have occurred in the past decade, then consider a full halo ground.
But an earthing wire only part way around building and connecting to all incoming utilities is a major improvement over what you now have. Major improvement, I say, again.
Running a ground block to one point then using that connection to make the earthing connection? It comes back to a simple question. How many feet from that incoming wire, connecting to other wires, then all way back to central ground point. Add more feet for every sharp bend and splices. If those wires are bundled with other wires, (ie safety ground wire in romex), then that is more system compromises. Distance from incoming utility wire to single point earth ground must be 10 feet or less for effective transistor protection.
Same applies to a ground on water faucet. Important is not distance from incoming wire to faucet. Significant is distance from incoming wire, through all those pipes, and then on connecting wires (if they exist) to single point earth ground. Again, soldered pipe joints and 90 degree turns in that copper pipe only add more feet to that distance.
Do if only for human safety. You must get all those widely separated grounds interconnected.
Also, repeating a previous post for the benefit of all, measuring conductivity with meter (ie Or, now that I think about it further, it seems it would be much
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