Bad installation! Help!

[Fgsilva]

so, D* came yesterday to move my dish to new address. To make a long story short, it took the guy (he was 18 and have only been doing that for 3 months!! ) 6 hours to set up 1 HD dvr and 2 receivers (one line already in place!) and an OTA antenna. I was charged still $65.00 for an under mount in order to get their crappy OTA antenna set up. At first OTA was ok, and I was getting all, except one channel fine (some we're like in the 90s intensity!). This morning though most were gone. don't know if because of the rain or my stations vary on the intensity of their transmission. Anyway, but my main concern is, after the installtion was done, now there's this humming sound coming from my TV. To explain better, it sounds like as if you connect an RCA cable to the sound input of your TV or stereo and then touch the other other with your fingers. That is quite annoying! I noticed that after the installer was gone so I made him come back. He played around with it, called his supervisor whom kept insisting that it couldn't be their installation, but, first, my receiver, then later on my TV!!! I kept telling him, that has NEVER happened before. Besides, it only happens when the sat lines are connected to my HD Tivo receiver. If I unplugg them the noise goes away!!! If I unplug the HDMI-DVI cable, the noise goes away! I tried using the component cable instead but the noise was still there. And it's not only affecting when I'm watching Direct programming; when I switch my TV to the dish net input now, the noise is also there!!! WTF!!! Finally, after the supervisor kept trying to blame my equipment , etc, I just threathen to call Direct and complain about their instalation so now, he is supposed to come out and check. But, if I can get some help and figure it out by myself I won't have to call them (I'll call Direct first to complain about their poor instalation!). Could it be the addition of the OTA? THey had one diplexer(?) to combine the sat signal with the ota signal and a second one close to my receiver to separate them.

Thanks! any info will be really appreciated!!!

 

[wobbie]

Did the installer ground the sytem properly??? I've seen DirecTV techs ground systems to gas lines, Freon lines and even the back of a wash machine.

 

[Fgsilva]

Did the installer ground the sytem properly??? I've seen DirecTV techs ground systems to gas lines, Freon lines and even the back of a wash machine.

I think he ground it to a metal water pipe. where would be the best grounding place?

 

[ChrisPC]

A metal water pipe is decent, but he really should ground it to the main building ground. That should be near the electric meter.

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

Make sure the line is hooked up. when they xchanged my 3 LNB for the AT-9 they never hooked the ground back up.

 

[NiFi]

Try unhooking the ground totally too and see, couldnt tell you how many times i have come across homes with electrical issues with voltage on the ground.

Sorry your installer was a kid who didnt have a clue, but thats what both direct tv and dish are heading for and serves them right, they have done nothing but consistantly lower the pay and raise the amount of things included for free ( well free to them, but costing the installers ) So the only ones who are interested are the kids who dont have a clue whats involved or how to do it, just see the $$$

 

[stevo/65]

Try unhooking the ground totally too and see, couldnt tell you how many times i have come across homes with electrical issues with voltage on the ground.

Sorry your installer was a kid who didnt have a clue, but thats what both direct tv and dish are heading for and serves them right, they have done nothing but consistantly lower the pay and raise the amount of things included for free ( well free to them, but costing the installers ) So the only ones who are interested are the kids who dont have a clue whats involved or how to do it, just see the $$$

Right on Buddy!

 

[dragon002]

I think he ground it to a metal water pipe. where would be the best grounding place?

i would go for the washing machine, but hey, thats me


kidding??!!!!!!

 

[Turd Fergeson]

In my experience humming sounds usually come from a power feedback problems, usually very low voltage. Here is something easy you can do to troubleshoot it. Take one of your other recievers and hook it up at your hd location. If you still have the humming it is in their wiring or install and I would have them to come fix it. If it is not there, your problem may be in your equipment. Sometimes electronics don't like to be moved.

 

[little dish guy]

Sounds like a ground loop between the dish ground (if it has one) and the outlets that your TV and audio equipment are plugged into. If you have a different ground potential between the dish and other equipment, AC current can flow on the audio cables or any other cables between equipment as it tries to equalize out the grounds. If any TV or audio components have a 3 prong plug, use a ground lifter to see if the hum goes away. The problem could also be incorrect wiring in your house.
Bob

 

[dragon002]

good lord how many bobs are on here??

 

[charlesrshell]

Hey "little dish guy" what is a ground lifter? I keep reading that grounds should go to the main building ground that is usually near the electric meter. How do you do that when the dish is 100 feet away on the other side of the house?

 

[stevo/65]

The ground to water line is fine as long as it is a metal conduit,and 25 percent continuity when you check with volt meter. The problem is current overdrive. could be bad electrical wiriring or reciever problem. I would go with a volt meter for trouble shooting

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

well make sure you NEVER use a electric meter clamp to ground. when the meter reader comes out they are required to remove these.

 

[dragon002]

take out the ground block and barrell it straight thru!!!!

 

[little dish guy]

One term for a ground lifter is the 3 prong to 2 prong adaptor you can get at your grocery store. It’s intended to allow connection of a 3 prong grounded plug to a 2 prong socket by attaching a wire or lug to the screw on the outlet plate. In this case it will lift the ground on a 3 prong plug to help troubleshoot ground loop problems. If you find it cures the problem don’t leave it in line, fix the problem. 100ft is technically too far to run a ground wire to the dish. I’m not going to quote any specifics for that as it always starts a new flame thread, check the NEC or local code.
Bob # 57

Hey "little dish guy" what is a ground lifter? I keep reading that grounds should go to the main building ground that is usually near the electric meter. How do you do that when the dish is 100 feet away on the other side of the house?

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

I always put a split bolt on the main ground wire from the breaker box to the ground rod. Most cable companies do NOT allow water pipe grounds because they have been proven to cause picture problems. Insight and time warner did not let us in indy.

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

the 3 prong to 2 prong will only fix the issue if the outlet is properly grounded. if the house is more than 20 years old this may be a problem. I would install a 8 foot copper ground rod and use a football clamp to ground as large a wire as possible to it from your dish. But the pictures I saw of your dish on the pole did not look like the dish itself was grounded at all.

 

[Fgsilva]

Well, a more "senior" installer came over this morning and spent 2 hours there, but the humming is still there. At first he moved around all my cables (he was still trying to blame it on my TV!) I kept telling him: it' s not my TV, it's your installation! So, here's what he did and the effect on the humming:

1. He brought a D11 and connected to my TV. humming was gone
2. He connected (again) my other non-HD DVR to my TV. Humming was back.
3. He connected the HD DVR to two different outlets in the house, one where the nonhd dvr is and the other where a D10 is (in both other places there is no humming). Humming was there on my HDTV.
4. He then disconnected all cables from the LNB and ran an independent cable to the LNB. Humming was there, so he thought it was a bad LNB. He replaced the LNB. Humming was STILL THERE!
5. I told him (one more time) to try unplugging the ground cable. The minute he did it, the humming was gone!!

But...

The minute he reconnected all the cable: the humming was back!!!

He finally left after he called another "senior" installer whom will be coming back on Sunday! I unplugged the ground to check but there is still humming, though it sounds less intense now.

This house is indeed from the 70s, but before that I was in a house even older; the power surge was connected to a two-prong outlet.

heck I don't know!!!

 

[charlesrshell]

Wow, thanks for the update. Can't wait to hear the final outcome. Keep us posted. Thanks