Grounding Antenna

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btalbott

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Jan 1, 2004
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I have installed an antenna in my attic (CM-4228) and I'm thinking I need to ground this thing. Any ideas on grounding antennas that are installed in the attic? Don't want anything to happen to the receiver that it is connected to.

Is there anything in the attic that is already grounded that I can attach to?
If it were outside it would be very easy.

Comments, suggestions, please.

Thanks

Bill
 
If you have a water pipe in your attic (exposed copper) they make a kit to do that. If not there is a lot you can do, but it should be grounded. I personally have mine running though my power-strip (HTS-2600) and that has its own THHN connection to my main ground. Nice antenna too, my wife calls ours a fly-swatter.
 
I'm going to check for the copper pipe tomorrow. If I can't find, what other options do I have? What is THHN? Copper wire?

Tks

Bill
 
The whole idea of grounding an antenna is so that electrical charges from lightning strikes do not enter the home. With your antenna being inside the attic, if it gets struck by lightning in there, then god just doesn't like you! I wouldn't bother grounding something that is already in your house.
 
THHN is simply a type of insulated copper wire. It is generally what is pulled through conduit. I use 10ga. stranded THHN from my dishes, through my grounding block, to my main electrical panel.

There are other reasons for grounding, both the antenna and coax. Frankly, nothing the average consumer can do will protect a system from a direct lightning strike. With the antenna in the attic, that is very unlikely. But there can be static build-up and electrical interference from any number of sources that grounding will reduce, and if you have a nearby lightning strike the induced EMP can be significant and a ground can help dissipate that.

I don't believe the NEC covers indoor antennas, so there is no set of rules to follow. I doubt you have any water pipes in the attic (freezing possibility) unless you are in a very temperate climate. But if you do have one and you are sure that it is continuously conductive to the point where it enters from the earth then that could work. (Note that the NEC requires that you connect an electrical ground to a pipe within 5' of where it enters the house, and it must be on the "earth" side of any meter.) Failing that, if you can run a separate ground, the 10 ga. THHN would be adequate. Heavier gauge is better and it doesn't need to be insulated. Or you can tap into the ground conductor in the house wiring itself. If there is a box somewhere convenient, just run the ground into that box and connect to the ground wires inside there. Otherwise maybe you can install a box. Any of these will be adequate for the static and interference protection which is your main objective. In general, heavier gauge and shortest possible run are preferable...
 
Last edited:
Dknow said:
The whole idea of grounding an antenna is so that electrical charges from lightning strikes do not enter the home. With your antenna being inside the attic, if it gets struck by lightning in there, then god just doesn't like you! I wouldn't bother grounding something that is already in your house.
Sir, that is not correct. You ground metal equipment such as dishes and antennas due to STATIC electricity which can and does DRAW lightening. However I do agree that if your home incurs a direct strike, God does not like you!!! Not to mention if you incur this said strike ... satellite equipment will be the least of your worries.

Just as a point of reason, VoOm installed my CM-4228 and did not ground, one day during heavy thunderstorm activity ... there were arcs between the Voom outlet and the cable outlet 1" below it.

Also I am not an electrician so you may want to check with one ... as did I.
 
bhelms said:
THHN is simply insulated copper wire...
LOL, I should have moved down as you already covered it. On the water-pipe ... true, but sometimes you can tap a shower nozzle that it "up top." I was not aware of the 5' thing though. Does it matter? I mean with the continuity of water and all ... it should completely dissipate and ground before anyting happens. Anyway, good info. thanks!
 
If you have a water system entering your house via metal pipe and it is continuous, i.e., connections are soldered vs. using pipe tape on threaded connections and no plastic pipe is in the run, then IMHO you should be good to go almost anywhere along that pipe. But in many installations the meter is the first thing the system encounters after entering the house, and that is often a fitted device vs. soldered, so that's the first discontinuity right there. Sometimes you'll see a ground wire "jumpered" around a meter to maintain electrical continuity, but I don't think the code would accept that. I'm guessing the 5 foot limit is arbitrary.

Your house electrical system is most likely bonded to one or more 8' ground rods driven in near the entrance. They may be completely below grade. In general I think you're better off grounding to the electrical system since it's a better bet. Also that will avoid "ground loops" that can result from differences in ground potential in systems with multiple grounds, and those can have nasty results...!
 
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