Grounding the dish

[ElectricianRick]

I am an electrician doing an addition on a house. I had to move the main service/panel(s) to a new location which is an additional ~50'.
Direct TV came out today to bond the dish to the new service location but did not. I am not quite understanding what this tech is wanting and neither is the home owner. It seems to me that the tech wants me to run his ground wire for him? Or sink another ground rod closer to the dish and tie it into the main rod?

Is there a reason why the tech would not just run a new ground from the dish to the new service location?

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys ElectricianRick!

The installer could have been lazy, in a hurry, didn't have the proper wire (6 ga), or didn't know any better about grounding. Many dishes go ungrounded.

 

[ElectricianRick]

to Satelliteguys ElectricianRick!

The installer could have been lazy, in a hurry, didn't have the proper wire (6 ga), or didn't know any better about grounding. Many dishes go ungrounded.

So the tech would need to run #6 instead of #10 due to the distance? Wire size aside, the tech should be able to do this? And I think something was stated about having to run the coax all the way to the service and then back to the splitter. Then again, I had a hard time understanding what the tech wanted.

I informed the customer I could run the wire if he wanted to pay my rates rather than Direct TV's rates. Customer does not want to have to pay me to run the wire for Direct.

 

[raoul5788]

They shouldn't have to pay you for something the tech should have done. I'm not an electrician, but it's my understanding that the NEC requires 6 ga wire for grounding a dish.

 

[ElectricianRick]

They shouldn't have to pay you for something the tech should have done. I'm not an electrician, but it's my understanding that the NEC requires 6 ga wire for grounding a dish.

We are required to have a #6 to the intersystem bonding bridge for use by communication systems such as CATV, Phone and Satellite. What is run from it to these services I believe is at the discretion of said services.

250.94 Bonding for Other Systems. An intersystem bonding
termination for connecting intersystem bonding conductors
required for other systems shall be provided external
to enclosures at the service equipment or metering
equipment enclosure and at the disconnecting means for
any additional buildings or structures. The intersystem
bonding termination shall comply with the following:
(1) Be accessible for connection and inspection.
(2) Consist of a set of terminals with the capacity for connection
of not less than three intersystem bonding conductors.
(3) Not interfere with opening the enclosure for a service,
building or structure disconnecting means, or metering
equipment.
(4) At the service equipment, be securely mounted and
electrically connected to an enclosure for the service
equipment, to the meter enclosure, or to an exposed
nonflexible metallic service raceway, or be mounted at
one of these enclosures and be connected to the enclosure
or to the grounding electrode conductor with a
minimum 6 AWG copper conductor
(5) At the disconnecting means for a building or structure,
be securely mounted and electrically connected to the
metallic enclosure for the building or structure disconnecting
means, or be mounted at the disconnecting
means and be connected to the metallic enclosure or to
the grounding electrode conductor with a minimum 6
AWG copper conductor.
(6) The terminals shall be listed as grounding and bonding
equipment.

 

[Broe67]

See my post in http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/332589-Installer-Refused-Install-Due-To-No-Ground-Available All that is needed for incoming telephone, antenna, catv, Internet, Satellite, is a way to bond to the Earth ground from the Meter Pan or Main panel, to the ground rod or Ufer Ground for the building. The Ieee Emerald book gets into more detail on this. Same for the Ieee Green book.

Whether the installer uses a clamp that goes on the Meter pan, or Main panel if it is outside, or a split clamp to the ground wire from the meter pan or main panel to the ground rod, is what is really needed.

It is when they clamp on the outside faucet, or to a panel, not knowing if it is actually grounded to Earth Ground is where you get into trouble. They do make ground bond bars, that have a split clamp to attach to the ground wire from the outdoor Main panel, or Meter pan, so you can connect individual grounds to that bus bar.

 

[Jimbo]

They shouldn't have to pay you for something the tech should have done. I'm not an electrician, but it's my understanding that the NEC requires 6 ga wire for grounding a dish.

I doubt it ...

I'm not in that same field, but we use #10 for all our grounds.

 

[ElectricianRick]

Bottom line is that the tech should get out there and ground the dish all the way back to the service. Correct?

 

[Hutch1814]

Bottom line is that the tech should get out there and ground the dish all the way back to the service. Correct?

Yes. Along with the other thread going. It's either the house ground or no ground, period.

 

[TheTechGuru]

Not another grounding thread! *Screams Running Away Pulling Hair Out*

 

[waylew]

Not another grounding thread! *Screams Running Away Pulling Hair Out*

Everything returns to ground,eventually .

 

[Bassplayer 1964]

I have grounded the dish to the neutral of the AC Condenser unit disconnect a few times. In fact mine is grounded that way.. By running the amount of wire I would have to run to get to the neutral or other sufficient ground the voltage drop and or resistance would have probably made that route a useless ground anyway. I believe in grounding however the most efficient way possible.

 

[ElectricianRick]

One last question (I hope)
Can the ground wire be ran through the structure or does it need to be exposed all the way to the service?

 

[TheTechGuru]

One last question (I hope)
Can the ground wire be ran through the structure or does it need to be exposed all the way to the service?

The pickysh!t$ will say it needs to all be exposed and outside. Theory is it will "guide" lightning to the ground thus the lightning will be fluxing all over and around it.

 

[skyviewmark]

Had Dish and DirecTV for 17 years. Funny how it has never had a ground and not once has it ever had an issue. Funny, huh. But then, what would I know..

 

[Joe Diamond]

The pickysh!t$ will say it needs to all be exposed and outside. Theory is it will "guide" lightning to the ground thus the lightning will be fluxing all over and around it.

To add to what TheTechGuru said............sometimes it is expedient to drill a crawl space wall rather than wrap the foundation. At this point you still have exceeded the magic 10 ft. from ground block to electric bond in most cases. IF you do the same thing running cable in and out of a basement ....and something happens...it is your ass!

As TheTechGuru says.....a lightning hit will burn open whatever is there............look elsewhere for lightning protection.

joe

 

[ElectricianRick]

Well another tech came by over the weekend to clean up the cable.
The dish did not get grounded. Tech told the GC that it is grounded at the box.
The splitters will be concealed after the finish goes up. GC brought this up with the tech and the tech said he did not care.
Oh well, I am just the electrician.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Well another tech came by over the weekend to clean up the cable.
The dish did not get grounded. Tech told the GC that it is grounded at the box.
The splitters will be concealed after the finish goes up. GC brought this up with the tech and the tech said he did not care.
Oh well, I am just the electrician.

That is more significant than the grounding thing. Hiding a component like that is just asking for a big rip out! The tech is not paid to think or care........someone should spec out relocating that splitter.....nearer to a power source and rerun the cables...inside the wall while possible. Not a big job now.

joe