Is this grounded properly?

[liquid ice]

I recently had my dish relocated to install a SWM16.

Installer put the dish up on my roof along with the SWM16.

My question is if the grounding was done properly.

Dish -> (short run since SWM16 is on the roof) SWM16 -> (long run about 150 ft) SWM Splitter -> (short run around 20 ft) Grounding block with house ground

Hope this makes sense. I know normally you would ground before you go into the house but there is no grounding block outside of the house where the dish was relocated. If I left the dish where it was located, I would not have been able to run the 2nd cable into the house.

 

[Joe Diamond]

You wil be ok. The whole grounding thing is to abate static build up on the dish. The receiver is grounded to your house electric system with the ground pin on the plug. IF you really want to get technical you could "back bond" the dish back to the house ground rod. The installer did you a favor and took a chance. He could have said your upgrade is impossible because it cannot be grounded and canceled the work.

Joe

 

[liquid ice]

You wil be ok. The whole grounding thing is to abate static build up on the dish. The receiver is grounded to your house electric system with the ground pin on the plug. IF you really want to get technical you could "back bond" the dish back to the house ground rod. The installer did you a favor and took a chance. He could have said your upgrade is impossible because it cannot be grounded and canceled the work.

Joe

Thanks! Appreciate the help.
?

 

[george99]

In a new home (built 2012), if the dish is about 10 feet above a water faucet (for my backyard hose), can the dish be grounded to the water pipe/faucet?

 

[Joe Diamond]

In a new home (built 2012), if the dish is about 10 feet above a water faucet (for my backyard hose), can the dish be grounded to the water pipe/faucet?

These grounding things get goofy fast.............but to answer your question: Yes, No, Maybe!

Yes, it may well be grounded to a water faucet. Loosen the screw and twist a ground wire around it.
No, you have to verify that there is a continuous steel or copper pipe connected to that faucet and that it continues into earth nearby. There is a good chance the faucet is copper or steel but the plumbing is PVC.
Maybe, after verifying the faucet is connected to a metal pipe going into earth...either to a well or water system, some quality control wonk will come along and report your system is not "bonded" to the main electric ground and try to ding the installer for failing to ground the dish "properly."

And there is the technical suggestion to avoid multiple grounds.

There is a difference between "bonding" and "grounding." If possible installing a static arresting "ground block" near the main electric ground rod is best. This block has a lug to connect a "ground wire" that is attached to the main electric ground rod..."bonding " it to the house electric. Every other attempt is a compromise. Remember this has nothing to do with lightning protection and the gauge of the cables in a satellite system will burn open with a close lightning strike. The system will work with or without the ground attachment. Opinions vary from there and there are even contradictions in local and national electric codes. I am not an EE or electrician....I just report what I have observed and have read.

Finally, some installer may refuse to use the faucet because he has been told to bond to the main electric ground rod....only. This is for inspection purposes and has to do with some offices finding ways to avoid paying installers. Many satellite dishes are not grounded or bonded but work fine and have been in service for many years without issiue.

Joe

 

[david_gilbert]

what exactly is "with house ground"? if he just tapped it a ground wire on an outlet then no. if he tied it to the main house grounding bus in the panel, then maybe.

as pointed out above, the dish itself should technically be bonded to the ground system. you can't just drive a new rod either, unless you tie that rod back properly to the main grounding electrode. I work on multimillion dollar tower sites and I can tell you proper ground bonding can get expensive quickly!

that being said, for residential use what he did should be ok. not ideal to put the block inside, but it works.

 

[Joe Diamond]

what exactly is "with house ground"? if he just tapped it a ground wire on an outlet then no. if he tied it to the main house grounding bus in the panel, then maybe.

as pointed out above, the dish itself should technically be bonded to the ground system. you can't just drive a new rod either, unless you tie that rod back properly to the main grounding electrode. I work on multimillion dollar tower sites and I can tell you proper ground bonding can get expensive quickly!

that being said, for residential use what he did should be ok. not ideal to put the block inside, but it works.

Dave,

The "house ground" is not an accurate term. Modern electrical systems have a ground contained within the ROMEX cable that is used to construct the house electric system. An installation error that is to be avoided is to ground satellite dishes to this wire that bonds the electric outlets within the building. That said, it is impossible to install satellite dishes in apartments because of the distance to the ground rod for the building. Yet you will see systems grounded to the center screw of a wall outlet;even a panel screw on the outside of the breaker box. More often the exterior of the meter is used as a ground. Sometimes there is just no place to attach an exterior ground...but the job goes in.

Within the world of satellite installation any procedure that involves opening a breaker panel is way above the pay grade of the installer. Some of the placement of equipment is specified only to allow for ease of inspection. I like getting all eq out of the weather but the next tech is going to look for the GB near the E meter attached to the outside of the structure.

That part about "gets expensive quickly" applies to satellite installation work in that because these systems are installed for FREE the list of procedures that are FREE is short. In exceptional cases additional work is paid for by the customer. Back bonding would be an example.

Remember, I am summarizing what goes on out there.

Joe

 

[harshness]

if he tied it to the main house grounding bus in the panel, then maybe.

I'm pretty sure this is NOT an acceptable dish grounding method.

 

[harshness]

In a new home (built 2012), if the dish is about 10 feet above a water faucet (for my backyard hose), can the dish be grounded to the water pipe/faucet?

Only if the faucet is within 10' of where the water service enters the home through steel pipe that has at least a 20' run AND with the understanding that all of the pipe between is conductive. If you're more than 10' away, NEC says no even if you can prove the plumbing is conductive.

New homes are increasingly using Pex plastic tubing instead of steel or copper because it is so much faster to install and cheaper. It is also highly resistant to freezing issues and typically doesn't transmit noise or vibration.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

I'm pretty sure this is NOT an acceptable dish grounding method.

Actually nothing is wrong with that, but try to find a tech that will open up your panel if its not open already.

 

[harshness]

Actually nothing is wrong with that, but try to find a tech that will open up your panel if its not open already.

I'm thinking that the grounding bus is not recognized as a general purpose bonding point.

 

[Hutch1814]

Here ill make this an easy way to keep this from becoming an argument. Directv requires the dish be bond and ground to the home electrical ground outside. Not inside at the panel, an outlet, at a different ground. Home ground only. It should be bonded to the switch/splitter/ground block then from there a green ground to the outside home electrical ground. Anything else is considered a failed QC. So If we're going via QC guidelines this is the ONLY option. Anything else is either 1- ground N/A or 2-failed for grounding.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Here ill make this an easy way to keep this from becoming an argument. Directv requires the dish be bond and ground to the home electrical ground outside. Not inside at the panel, an outlet, at a different ground. Home ground only. It should be bonded to the switch/splitter/ground block then from there a green ground to the outside home electrical ground. Anything else is considered a failed QC. So If we're going via QC guidelines this is the ONLY option. Anything else is either 1- ground N/A or 2-failed for grounding.

Hutch,
That "required" part is the problem. Early on I called in a job in a campground. Nobody had a landline phone (connectivity) and all the structures were sheds or trailers with generators. Any built in electric wire was without a permit and jumped from the street lighting system. A sales group had signed up many many residents........I refused to do the installs because there was no landline phone and no way to ground anything. I was back charged for being late for the jobs I refused. The next guy they sent was back charged for failing to ground the dishes.

In all cases the customer had service and DirecTv was collecting money. This was in the day of HSPs and connectivity. The message I received was to connect and shut up. Of all the topics on installation of these systems it is grounding that contains the most mythologies.

I was amused at a QC note reporting no service at an address. The e meter & house bond were indoors, as was the sat cable. Remodelers had surrounded the original building and the QC wonk could not find any service connection.

Kids!:dead

Joe