Did they ground my coax/dish properly?

[harshness]

ground is a sour subject here because it changes from day to day.
how far away are is it from main water in? if it is grounded to water pipe it have to be connected 6 ft or under from where it comes from the ground. (at lest thats a law in my state) also make sure it is not PVS coming from ground

The NEC doesn't change daily. The regulations are the same or more stringent for every state.

What changes is the economy of hooking up a proper ground. The wire is stupid expensive.

 

[andyg]

http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=19077&d=1190386458

hey thanks alot..I really appreciate it

 

[Andrewwski]

I see...so say if I want it hooked up to a copper pipe, then I would need a copper grounding block and a copper grounding wire?

and say if I need to connect to a galvanized pipe, I would need a galvanized grounding block and what kind of wire then?

Theoretically...without a wet environment and/or some sort of catalyst, it probably wouldn't corrode noticably.

 

[charlesrshell]

That's pretty much exactly what I did, except I ran to the electrical entrance ground (preferred for a number of reasons, helps avoid "ground loops", etc.) vs. a water pipe that, as others have said, could be a dubious ground. I ran #10 stranded THHN (insulated) wire all the way from the dish itself, alongside the coax cables, through the hole in the wall then located the ground block there, out of the weather. The THHN was stripped at that point but otherwise unbroken. The stripped part is what the ground block contacted, then that wire continued to the panel, about 20' in my case. Avoid any excess wire, "coils", sharp bends (as you are doing), etc. to minimize the inductance. Use some "electrical grease" at the connections to minimize corrosion.

Putting the ground block inside is not in complete conformance with the NEC. I'm not sure what code would apply for you. My spin on it is that NO residential grounding scheme will protect me from a direct lightning strike regardless of where the block is located, so that is not really the intent of the ground. This type of ground will however do a proper job bleeding-off static that will affect performance, and could provide ample protection from an EMP caused by a nearby strike which is much more likely than a direct hit. IMO, the location of the block makes no difference electrically in either of those lesser cases and being out of the weather is better. Having NO ground could have implications as far as my homeowners insurance is concerned in the case of electrical damage that would otherwise be covered, but I really don't know if having the block inside vs. outside would matter in that case.

Welcome, BTW...

I installed the ground blocks inside too and even attached them to cold water pipes. The pipes were tested and have good continuity to the main home ground. Check out the pics. The Dish 500 and the Sirius antenna are on one ground block and the 1000+ has its own ground block. All six satellite's coax have their own ground block too. The ground wire is #10 solid and out of the three ground wires the longest one is 19 feet. I know this is not IAW the NEC, but it will have to do for now till I can work on it.

 

[3ddi]

what a response, thanks ever so much guys, 3ddi

 

[mdwatt]

I see...so say if I want it hooked up to a copper pipe, then I would need a copper grounding block and a copper grounding wire?

and say if I need to connect to a galvanized pipe, I would need a galvanized grounding block and what kind of wire then?

The ground block does not have to be copper. Only the wire, the pipe, and the strap you use to bond the two of them together. How far away is your electrical ground from where the ground block is located?

 

[dishcomm]

Hi guys,

Yesterday I had people over to install dish network.
I have noticed that the guy grounded the coax cable to the cold water pipe, but a plastic pipe, not metal. I was surprised because there were also copper and galvanized pipes within reach, but he chose the plastic pipe for some reason. Was that guy a complete a$$hole for doing that, or is that one of the proper ways of doing it?

If it is wrong, I would rather fix it myself then to deal with all the hassle of making a service call for them again. So, what should I do?

Thank you,
andy

Actually some plastics will conduct electricity. But in any event ,you are correct, the grounding on this particular job is incorrect.

 

[dishcomm]

Hi guys,

Yesterday I had people over to install dish network.
I have noticed that the guy grounded the coax cable to the cold water pipe, but a plastic pipe, not metal. I was surprised because there were also copper and galvanized pipes within reach, but he chose the plastic pipe for some reason. Was that guy a complete a$$hole for doing that, or is that one of the proper ways of doing it?

If it is wrong, I would rather fix it myself then to deal with all the hassle of making a service call for them again. So, what should I do?

Thank you,
andy

I am not there to look at the job so I will leave the a$$hole part out of it. Anyway the ground is not to NEC. So it is not acceptable
Next. Is any part of the water syetm in your home plastic or non metal? If so your satellite system CANNOT be grounded to the water system. If you want to handle it yourself, ground it to the main GND wire off your meter. If not ground it to the GND lug inside the A/C cutoff swicth box. Be very careful in doing this. You can also use an all metal electrical conduit that is bonded to the elctrical system of the house. Typically that would be a conduit that goes to the breaker box or a conduit that goes from the HVAC unit to the cutoff switchbox. Again, must be all metal.

 

[dishcomm]

The NEC doesn't change daily. The regulations are the same or more stringent for every state.

What changes is the economy of hooking up a proper ground. The wire is stupid expensive.

why Dish does not allow stranded wire is a mystery to me

 

[andyg]

The ground block does not have to be copper. Only the wire, the pipe, and the strap you use to bond the two of them together. How far away is your electrical ground from where the ground block is located?

it is probably about 20 feet away from the grounding block...

can I make a separate electrical ground closer to where the ground block is..inside?

 

[andyg]

I am not there to look at the job so I will leave the a$$hole part out of it. Anyway the ground is not to NEC. So it is not acceptable
Next. Is any part of the water syetm in your home plastic or non metal? If so your satellite system CANNOT be grounded to the water system. If you want to handle it yourself, ground it to the main GND wire off your meter. If not ground it to the GND lug inside the A/C cutoff swicth box. Be very careful in doing this. You can also use an all metal electrical conduit that is bonded to the elctrical system of the house. Typically that would be a conduit that goes to the breaker box or a conduit that goes from the HVAC unit to the cutoff switchbox. Again, must be all metal.

thanks dishcomm.
yeah, some of my water piping system is plastic..not all metal..so I guess I will have toi try to hook up to the main ground or to the ac shutoff like you recommended.

thanks

 

[andyg]

The ground block does not have to be copper. Only the wire, the pipe, and the strap you use to bond the two of them together. How far away is your electrical ground from where the ground block is located?

hi mdwatt.

Are you saying that the grounding wire has to be the same material as well? So if I use copper 10 solid ground wire, I have to hook up to copper pipe? or can it be hooked up to galvanized pipe instead?

thanks

 

[dude2]

Some houses have nothing but plastic pipe in them. Then you need to find where the power company grounded their connection to the house. I would bet he did this just to get done fast so he could be on his way and answer the question on the dish fourm that he did connect the ground to the water pipe.

 

[webbydude]

hi mdwatt.

Are you saying that the grounding wire has to be the same material as well? So if I use copper 10 solid ground wire, I have to hook up to copper pipe? or can it be hooked up to galvanized pipe instead?

thanks

Galvanized is fine. Just as long as the wire itself is copper.

 

[kaman]

So are plastic wires expensive compared to metal wires? (so the grounding wire material can match the PVC pipe)

The OP should call the installer and talk to the head honcho and say something like:

"What the hell kind of operation are you guys running? I'm no DISH installation expert, but I at least know that the grounding wire should be the same material as the pipe it is grounded to! I DEMAND that you come out here immediately and remove that stupid-ass METAL grounding wire and use PLASTIC grounding wire like you're supposed to!! Geesh!!"

 

[andyg]

So are plastic wires expensive compared to metal wires? (so the grounding wire material can match the PVC pipe)

The OP should call the installer and talk to the head honcho and say something like:

"What the hell kind of operation are you guys running? I'm no DISH installation expert, but I at least know that the grounding wire should be the same material as the pipe it is grounded to! I DEMAND that you come out here immediately and remove that stupid-ass METAL grounding wire and use PLASTIC grounding wire like you're supposed to!! Geesh!!"

yeah lol. only if that was funny to deal with those "professional" installers who cannot do their job properly