Will I Loose My Dish, Because Of Grounding

[daro]

I've been with dish since 1996 and never have grounded my dishes. I think grounding dishes is way over rated. If it can't be done properly it shouldn't be done at all.

I agree with this [/quote] If it can't be done properly it shouldn't be done at all [/quote]

I've seen em grounded to everything imaginable ..gas pipes ..window unit ac's ...pvc pipe....etc

If theres not a ground source I get the customer to sign a waiver saying they will provide an electrician to install one.

 

[crappieguy]

Fair enough ! I'm in construction,I'm tried of climbing ladders!

Agreed

 

[brad1138]

We go to "Team Summit" (Dish Network's Annual Pep Rally for Dish Network Retailers) almost every year. They have classes, demos of all E* related stuff, concerts (saw Rascal Flats at the Grand Old Opry in 05) and lots of Alcohol .

Anyway in the classes put on by high-up E* employees, every year we ask the the Instructor "why, when you say 'the system MUST be grounded' do you sell to apts that can almost never be grounded properly, if at all"? They ALWAYS give the same non-answer, "that's sales, you'll have to ask them, we say it has to be grounded".

In the end it's "it has to be grounded" unless it costs E* a sale/customer then "don't worry about it". We have called in to DNSC dispatch and/or E* to inform them we can't install because we can't ground and they say "can't you just install it anyway". It really is a joke.

Grounding is done to meet NEC, it serves no other purpose. Grounded or not EVERY line connected to the dish and everything connected to those lines will light up and fry if the dish gets struck by lightning. A good argument can be made that grounding the dish gives it a higher ground potential and therefore makes it MORE likely to be struck by lightning, but in the end, you ground it when & where you can and don't loose any sleep over it.

Brad

 

[vegassatellite]

You need to learn how lightning streamers work. Grounding a DISH dissipates the positive electron buildup on the dish. These electrons, if unchecked, aid in creating the path that lightning takes.

 

[charlesrshell]

You need to learn how lightning streamers work. Grounding a DISH dissipates the positive electron buildup on the dish. These electrons, if unchecked, aid in creating the path that lightning takes.

vegassatellite, I am getting a little confused reading yours and brad1138 on grounding. Can you straighten me out? Will grounding the dish attract or help dis-track lightning?

 

[vegassatellite]

If you look at the photo, that is a snapshot of a positive streamer emitting from a TV tower. It is not a lightning strike. That streamer, if it comes in contact with a step leader, will complete a circuit that results in a lightning strike. Grounding reduces the positive particles on the dish and thus the streamer is cut back as well. This reduces the likelihood of a step leader finding a streamer emitting from the dish. So yes, grounding will reduce the probability of a strike.

Lightning rods work in the same way. They absorb positively charged particles in the surrounding air and route those particles to ground. In this manner, a "void" is created around the rod, thus protecting the home it is attached to. There won't be a strike near a lightning rod.

Incidentally, humans can't see lightning strikes. We only see the heat it produces.

 

[charlesrshell]

If you look at the photo, that is a snapshot of a positive streamer emitting from a TV tower. It is not a lightning strike. That streamer, if it comes in contact with a step leader, will complete a circuit that results in a lightning strike. Grounding reduces the positive particles on the dish and thus the streamer is cut back as well. This reduces the likelihood of a step leader finding a streamer emitting from the dish. So yes, grounding will reduce the probability of a strike.

Lightning rods work in the same way. They absorb positively charged particles in the surrounding air and route those particles to ground. In this manner, a "void" is created around the rod, thus protecting the home it is attached to. There won't be a strike near a lightning rod.

Incidentally, humans can't see lightning strikes. We only see the heat it produces.

Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me. Grounding sure can get confusing sometimes.