Grounding in the country: system elements and installation technology
Equipping a country house with the maximum level of comfort, we try to conduct electricity in it or, at least, install a generator. And in this case, the question of how to make grounding in the country becomes extremely relevant, because our safety largely depends on it. Below we will consider the main aspects of this problem, and give practical recommendations for the independent arrangement of current-carrying circuits.
General issues
Why is grounding necessary?
Before proceeding with the description of the process, you need to understand why it is necessary to ground a country house at all?
- The basic rule that you need to know when analyzing the movement of electric current through wires is the following: current flows where there is less resistance.
- When the wiring is in a normal state, this does not play a special role, but as soon as the integrity of the insulation is violated, sparking begins in the affected place, and at best, the residual current device (RCD or automatic device) will work.
- But with a small current, the automation may not work, because there is a risk of electrical injury in case of accidental contact with the wire. The consequences depend on the voltage parameters in the network, but in any case, there is little pleasant.
- To avoid this, a separate contact is created, which closes to the ground - an area with minimal resistance. This contact is called ground.
Primary requirements
The grounding device in the country usually does not present any particular difficulties even for beginners ().
Here it is enough to understand the general installation scheme and observe fairly simple requirements for the current-carrying circuit:
- For the system to work effectively, it is important that its resistance is significantly less than the resistance of the human body. Most often, in the instructions for labor protection, a figure of 4 ohms is given, and it is on it that one should be guided when selecting parts for the device.
Note! In some situations (working with high voltage currents, etc.), a ground loop of 0.5 ohms or less may be needed. However, here it is best to consult with a specialist: only a professional electrician with the appropriate level of clearance will be able to determine the necessary circuit parameters with sufficient accuracy.
- Also, when designing, it is worth paying attention to the depth of immersion of the electrodes and the properties of the soil. In most cases, the elements are buried by 1.5 - 3 m, however, if groundwater comes close to the surface, then it is enough to make the lower boundary at a distance of 0.5 m from the top of the watered horizon.
- In most cases, the system is assembled from three rods. However, sometimes, especially if we equip a large building with many sources of power consumption, it is necessary to increase the number of conductors by connecting them into several circuits.
- To ensure maximum safety, we place the electrodes from each other at a distance of 1.2 to 3 m. At the same time, the grounding kit in the country house is usually located 3–5 meters from the wall of the country house itself.
Advice! In order not to guess and not to perform unnecessary calculations, contact the Energy Supervision Department. They probably have a grounding scheme in the country that is optimal for local conditions: you can do the main work with your own hands, and for control and acceptance, it’s worth inviting specialists.
As you can see, there are few basic requirements, and with due care, it is quite possible to comply with them. If everything is more or less clear with this, then below we will tell you how to make a current discharge circuit yourself. In practice, everything will be even easier!
Self-arrangement
System elements
So, if we decide to ground the country house on our own, then we need to prepare all the details for its arrangement.
- As a rule, the simplest system is a triangle, which is located below the freezing level of the soil.
- At the vertices of the triangle, we place electrodes that we drive into the soil to a certain depth (as we indicated above, from 1.5 to 3 meters).
- We connect the electrodes to each other with a steel strip or reinforcing bars. The instruction allows only a welded connection: in no case should you tie parts with wire or clamp with clamps.
- We draw a steel strip from the electrodes to the switchboard. If the shield is placed at a considerable distance from the contour, then the strip can be replaced with a piece of high-quality cable, which is fixed to the fittings using a contact clamp with a fixing bolt.
The following parts can be used as conductors for deepening into the soil:
Other requirements include:
- The material must be strong enough so that the part can be driven into the ground to the required depth. In this case, to facilitate penetration, the lower edge of the conductor can be cut obliquely to form a point.
- The electrode profile can be practically any (I-beam, channel, profile pipe, etc.). The main thing is that its cross-sectional area is at least 1.5 cm 2.
- When using reinforcing bars, preference should be given to smooth products of round and multifaceted cross-section. The use of corrugated reinforcement is undesirable: this shape of the rod provides the formation of a large number of voids along the contour, which adversely affects the contact with the ground, and, as a result, the quality of current dissipation.
In principle, if you are not embarrassed by a rather high price, you can buy a ready-made set of soil conductors made of copper-plated steel. For assembly, threaded connections are provided in the design, which facilitate the formation of a contour of the required dimensions and provide high-quality contact.
Mounting technology
In this subsection, we will tell you how to properly make a current-carrying system in your area.
The algorithm includes the following operations:
- Installation of grounding in the country begins with the choice of location. The site should be relatively free (you will have to dig a lot) and located close to the shield.
- At the chosen place, we dig a trench in the shape of a triangle with a side of about 1 m. The depth of the trench depends on your climatic conditions: most often, the freezing level does not fall below 1.2 m, therefore it is this value that you should focus on.
- Approximately the same trench connects our site with the shield.
- In areas where the density of the soil allows it, we drive the electrodes directly into the ground. Dense substrates may require well drilling.
Advice! If the conductors were installed in pre-drilled nests, then we fill up all the free space with a mixture of excavated soil and salt. Of course, this way the metal will rust much faster, but the resistance will decrease several times.
If the device showed 4 ohms or less, and the representative of Energonadzor has no complaints, we fill the trench with homogeneous soil. Advice! In order not to reduce the efficiency of the system, we try not to lay large stones and construction debris in the first layer of soil.
In a severe drought, the soil at the place where the electrodes are laid can be additionally moistened - so the current dissipation will be even more efficient.
Conclusion
Grounding in a summer cottage, made in accordance with all the rules, will seriously increase the level of security of your country house. And although this process is rather laborious, even beginners who have never taken on electrical work () can cope with it.
The main thing is to follow the instructions given in the text and on the video in this article, as well as invite specialists to control and perform especially critical stages of work.