Each house has a network that conducts electric current, and electrical appliances, the constant use of which causes deterioration of wiring, outlets, which leads to a short circuit. This can entail not only damage to expensive equipment, but also a life threat. To avoid such consequences, in residential premises and other structures provide for the discharge of current discharges into the ground. It should be borne in mind that in multi-storey buildings, these works should be carried out during the construction by specialists, since it is necessary to make accurate calculations here. And in one-story buildings, you can do the grounding in your house with your own hands, having initial knowledge in electrical engineering.
What is grounding?
Grounding is the connection of non-conductive parts of devices, usually the chassis to the ground. This is done in order to protect people from the breakdown of current and from the accumulation of static electricity. A typical grounding installation includes a loop element consisting of electrodes connected to the ground and a special wire coming from the network in the house. The removal of current into the soil is based on the principle of physics, according to which the flow of charged particles follows the path of least resistance. In this case, you can do the grounding in your home with your own hands and not be afraid of electric shock and short circuit when you turn on the devices.
Useful Tips
In order to do the grounding in a private house with your own hands, it may be useful to know the following information:
- as conductive elements and electrodes, it is necessary to choose materials whose conductivity is higher than that of the human body;
- grounding to the neutral wire is not recommended, since an electric field also exists in it;
- it is forbidden to cover the electrodes with anticorrosion paint, since in this case the current will not be diverted to the ground.
Ground loop
For a more complete coverage of the topic "Grounding in your home with your own hands," it will be useful to consider in more detail what constitutes a ground loop. This is the installation of a structure consisting of vertically arranged electrodes to a depth of 3 m, horizontal connecting elements and a cable coming from the distribution panel.
The shape of the contour can be in the form of a triangle, square, rectangle or just a straight line. In this case, the circuit can be placed around the house or at a distance of 1–10 m. The products most often used are ferrous metal products as electrodes: pipes, corners, fittings with a smooth structure or an I-beam. The main condition for choosing the material is that the section of the part must be at least 1.5 cm 2 .
Work order
Do-it-yourself grounding in your house can be reduced to the following order of work:
- Dig a trench to a depth of at least 80 cm, the freezing point of the soil, according to the selected contour shape.
- Drive parts into the ground to a depth of 1.5–3 m, depending on the location of groundwater;
- Connect the electrodes with a wire using a welding machine, treat the welding spots with a special coating that protects against corrosion.
- Route the cable from the energy distribution board and connect it using a bolt welded in advance to the circuit.
In this case, the only difficulty will be the replacement of an existing electrical network with communication with three wire elements. This requires knowledge of electrical engineering, as well as skills in laying wires. You also need to know how to do it yourself at the outlet connections. Working with live devices is dangerous without special knowledge, and therefore it is better to contact specialists.