install question

[u4ea]

my installer is here now and he is going to install the dish over my back patio and he said there is no place to ground the dish to... he said he will ground the dish to the inside of the house when he drills through the wall? I guess to something in the wall, does this make sense.

 

[u4ea]

he said he will ground it the way you would ground an outlet inside the house.

 

[dishjockey]

The only correct way is to put a ground block outside and run a ground wire to the service entrance ground or electric panel ground.
Pay him if necessary to do it right.

 

[Grandude]

Another grounding method is to drive a ground rod into the ground and use it for grounding the dish and cables. I did this at my previous house but can't remember if the rod was 6 or 8 ft. Takes a lot of pounding to accomplish, depending on the soil.

 

[u4ea]

my installer was an a****** he didnt install this thing like i think he should have. i pushed the grounding issue a bit, but he insisted that thats how they do most of the installs. what do you think i can do about this? should I call dish or should I call another iinstaller to fix this BS.

 

[boba]

Welcome to DISH Network Adelphia's kissing cousin.

 

[dishjockey]

U4EA I would get this fixed if I were you .your inviting a lighting strike directly into your house wire.

Grandude you can use a grounding rod but according to code it must be bonded to the house ground rod so why bother.

 

[Sky King49]

They grounded mine to a cold water pipe in the basement I think. Should that be ok?

 

[bcshields]

Grounding should be done according to Electrical Code. If we can't ground it that way, we tell you we can't do it. Cold water pipes... eh.. in the margins, but definately not grounding to a house socket. Report that installer and get someone out to fix it.

If lightning strikes, that ground invites the lightning into your wires, bypassing your circuit breakers, and defeats the purpose of grounding the system. Everything in that curcuit will be fried.

Complain complain complain!

 

[Grandude]

Grandude you can use a grounding rod but according to code it must be bonded to the house ground rod so why bother.

Hmm, is that a local code or does it apply nationally?
At my old house, I installed the Dish on the opposite side of the house from the electrical service and the house ground rod. It would seem silly to run a ground wire all the way around the house to that ground rod. It would also seem, to me anyway, that a lightning strike would like to take the shortest route to ground and it would be a safer bet to put a separate ground rod by the Dish.
FWIW, out here on the left coast we seldom get electrical storms so a gounded system becomes a little less important but I do ground the system(s) anyway just to be safe.

 

[Mike500]

That's why you should drive a 8 ft ground rod at the entrance of the cables and the dish and bond it to the house ground with a #6 wire. As an electrician and a satellite/AV installer, I would not accept less than this for my own residence.

 

[bcshields]

I agree.. we'll drive a ground rod if necessary.

 

[u4ea]

Well, I complained and told dish what the installer did... They didnt think that sounded good at all, and they are having an "area Supervisor" coming out on Sunday to look at the install and fix what might need fixing (i.e. the whole shabang in my opinion). :shocked

Heres a link to a small photo gallery I created to show the install....

Aside from the install - I really like the reception, even on my 50+" hdtv...
I really like the 522, I think I may also get the HD box (for the big screen and keep the 522) once I totally drop cable. Also, the CS reps were very helpful and understanding to the problems, so I cant blame Dish yet for anything.

 

[Sky King49]

So are you telling me that I should have them ground it somewhere else besides the cold water pipe in the basement? Where should they ground it? Why is it not ok to ground it to the cold water pipe? TIA

 

[bcshields]

If lightning strikes while you're in the shower, doing dishes, etc. Dishwashers, washing machines...

The best is to ground it to an electrical ground. To another ground wire or to a ground rod. Anything that constitues a legal ground according to code for whatever area you're in.

 

[redline65]

Should all of the wires going from the Dish into the house be grounded? My installer only grounded one of them.

 

[Sky King49]

So where specifically should I tell them to ground the unit? Are they obligated to do it? Wouldn't they know what the legal ground code is for my area? Sorry to sound so needy but I am going to have these guys do it over if need be. TIA

 

[Grandude]

So where specifically should I tell them to ground the unit? Are they obligated to do it? Wouldn't they know what the legal ground code is for my area? Sorry to sound so needy but I am going to have these guys do it over if need be. TIA

Have the installer look at the first few pages of the manual(s) that come with the equipment. In all cases there is a specific requirement for grounding including a simple illustration of how to do it.
Dish not only recommends/requires that the cables be grounded but also that the dish itself be grounded.
I have self-installed two systems and grounded both but when the Dish installer came out and installed my dish for 148 he did not ground it, so I do not know if grounding the dish itself is still considered a requirement. The cables all run through two SW34Pro switches which have a place for attaching the ground as do all the other switches. If no switch is used then a grounding block is to be used which normally has connections for two cables in and out.
The old self-install kits had all the hardware needed. A grounding block and plenty of ground wire which always was just a shade to thick to go into the hole in the switch or grounding block.

 

[BarryO]

The National Electrical Code (NEC) is explicit and fairly unambiguous as to what the grounding conductor is to be connected to. In Section 810-21:

(f) Electrode. The grounding conductor shall be connected
as follows.
(1) To the nearest accessible location on the following:
(a) The building or structure grounding electrode system as covered in Section 250-50
(b) The grounded interior metal water piping system as covered in Section 250-104(a)
(c) The power service accessible means external to enclosures as covered in Section 250-92(b)
(d) The metallic power service raceway
(e) The service equipment enclosure, or
(f) The grounding electrode conductor or the grounding electrode conductor metal enclosures;

{two sections not applicable to residences deleted}

(g) Inside or Outside Building. The grounding conductor
shall be permitted to be run either inside or outside the
building.

If you use a separate ground rod, it must be bonded to the main electrical ground (very important):

(j) Bonding of Electrodes. A bonding jumper not smaller than No. 6 copper or equivalent shall be connected between the radio and television equipment grounding electrode and the power grounding electrode system at the building or structure served where separate electrodes are used.

 

[Sky King49]

He gounded mine to the cold water pipe in the basement.