How to make a ground outline

The time has long passed when the presence of protective grounding was the prerogative of exclusively industrial enterprises. With the growth of the amount of household appliances in our home, the protective grounding has become an indispensable attribute of any private house.   And this is not surprising.  Any violation in the isolation of electrical appliances can lead to very serious consequences for the inhabitants of the house. 

The best way to protect yourself is to equip ground.  There is no need to involve the circuit of the house of professionals to the device.  Anyone will be able to cope with this task. The main thing is patience and attentiveness during work.

Purpose and arrangement of the grounding circuit

Protective grounding is a compound between the current -pissing parts of electrical installations and land, made deliberately.

With normal operation of electrical appliances, their body is not energized. It is safe to work with such devices. Unfortunately, the more devices, the higher the likelihood of any of them. The slightest damage to the insulating layer - and the body of the device will be energized. Touching such a device is deadly.

It is such situations that prevents protective grounding.  Everyone knows that electric current flows aside with the least resistance. The presence of a grounding circuit in a private house with a low resistance value is the key that the current will go to the ground.

The most common option for the grounding circuit is electrodes buried in the ground. They are interconnected in the form of a closed contour of a certain shape. The triangular shape of the contour is often used. It is possible to perform a ground circuit along the perimeter of the building.  Among the main criteria for choosing the shape of the circuit, the convenience of its installation and the size of the territory used for its device is distinguished. The ground circuit is attached to electrical panel using a special grounding cable.

The optimal distance between the house and the grounding circuit is considered 5 m. At the same time, the distance is closer than 1 m and then 10 m is considered unacceptable.

Tip: The minimum depth of the ground circuit is 0.8 m. The circuit placed within the freezing boundaries of the soil does not work in winter.

The electrodes are buried in the soil by 1.5 - 3 m. The choice of depth for each individual case depends on the structure of the soil and its humidity. The more the soil is saturated with water, the less the electrodes are buried.

Materials necessary for the installation of the ground circuit

As a rule, the grounding circuit is made from improvised materials. Any rod made of ferrous metal is able to serve as a grounding electrode.  The choice is very wide. The main criterion is convenience when clogging into the ground. Basically, steel corners are used. It is possible to use the reinforcement of a smooth structure, pipes, an I -beam. The only requirement is the metal section from 1.5 cm ².

To determine the number of necessary electrodes, calculations are extremely rare. Basically use an experimental path. The most common number of electrodes is three. Thus, a triangular ground circuit is obtained. The tops of the triangle are electrodes. The distance between neighboring electrodes is less than 1.2 m is unacceptable. It is calculated based on the resistance of the soil. The electrodes are connected to each other using metal bands. A similar strip serves to connect the contour with the distribution.

Before installing the grounding circuit, be sure to consult a qualified electrician living in the same area. A similar specialist from experience knows how to make a ground circuit that is perfect for a given area:

• what should be the distance from the building to the circuit;
• what should be the distance between neighboring electrodes;
• the number of necessary electrodes;
• the depth to which the electrodes should be scored;
• the depth on which the contour should be placed.

An indisputable advantage of a home -made grounding system is its low price.

It is not necessary to make a ground circuit only from improvised materials. Special finished grounding systems appeared on sale.

The set of modular grounding systems consists of the following:

• the rods made of high -quality steel and coated with copper.  The length of the rods is about 1.5 m, the diameter is 0.14 m. Each rod is equipped with a cut of a core thread;
• brass couplings for connecting the elements of the ground circuit;
• tips. Contribute to the alleviation of clogging the rod into the ground. They are attached to the rod with a thread. There are tips of several types. Designed for various types of soil;
• clamps for connecting horizontal elements to vertical;
• anti -corrosion paste for processing all elements of the grounding system.

Advantages of modular grounding systems:

1. The rods made of stainless steel and coated with copper are less prone to corrosion.
2. There is no need for welding.
3. There is no need for special equipment for installation.
4. Saving the area. For equipment of the entire system, 1 m is enough ².
5. Durability.

Ground calculation

No matter what version of the grounding system is selected, the preliminary calculation of grounding parameters is a mandatory step. Typically, grounding is performed experimentally. This method will help to avoid many complex calculations.

The algorithm for installing the ground circuit in this case is as follows:

• Build at a distance of 5 m from the house of the grounding circuit of a triangular shape. The length of the electrodes we take 3 m, the distance between them is 2 m. We use the rods made of metal.
• We connect the electrodes to each other.
• We measure the resistance of the ground circuit. To measure the resistance, we use a special device - ohmmeter. The maximum allowable resistance of the ground circuit is 10 Ohms. The optimal value is 4 Ohms. We compare the result with the optimal value.

• In case of non -compliance with the obtained resistance value to the optimal, add another electrode to the circuit.
• We connect all the electrodes to a new circuit.
• We again measure the contour resistance.
• We repeat the above procedures until we achieve the value of the contour 4 Ohms.

There is an opportunity to determine the number of necessary electrodes and the length of the horizontal ground electrode using calculations:

• If there is a homogeneous soil on the area, we determine the resistance of one electrode using formula 1:

To determine the value of the specific resistance of the soil, use table 1.

In the presence of heterogeneous soil in the area, we determine the resistance of one electrode according to formula 2:

At the same time, the values \u200b\u200bof the seasonal climatic coefficient are given in table 2:

By formula 3, we determine the required number of electrodes excluding the resistance of the horizontal grounding ground:

To determine the normalized ground resistance, we use table 3:

Determine the resistance of the horizontal grounding ground by formula 4:

At the same time, to determine the length of the ground electrode, we use formula 5:

We calculate the resistance of the electrodes taking into account the resistance of the horizontal grounding ground according to Formula 6:

We determine the final number of electrodes necessary for the installation of the grounding circuit:

To determine the requirements of the vertical grounding warrior demand, we will use table 4:

The final value of the number of electrodes obtained as a result of the above calculations is rounded to a greater whole. What method to use - experienced or calculated - a personal business of everyone. Choose anyone based on your own preferences.

How to make a ground circuit with your own hands

After all preliminary calculations and the preparation of the necessary materials, we proceed directly to the installation of the ground circuit.

Tip: The best time to install the ground circuit is summer. And not only because in the warm season it is easier to carry out excavation work.  The fact is that in dry soil there is more resistance. Having achieved the optimal value of the resistance in dry weather, do not worry about the deterioration of this indicator in the future. On the contrary, with an increase in soil humidity, the resistance will decrease.

Consider the main stages of installation of a triangular circuit circuit, the scheme of which is presented in the figure.

• At a distance of about 5 m from the house in a convenient place, dig a trench in the form of an equilateral triangle. The depth of the trench is about 1 m, the width is 0.5 m. The length of the side of the triangle must correspond to the previously performed calculations. From any corner to the distribution shield of the house, dug a trench.

• Pull the electrodes into each of the tops of the triangle. The ends of the electrodes are pre -pointed with a grinder.
• With very hard soil, pre -drill wells under the electrodes. By inserting the electrode into the well, fill it with a mixture of soil and salt.
• Do not immerse the electrode in the ground completely, leave the top above the ground.
• Combine the electrodes with a steel strip with a width of at least 40 and at least 5 mm thick. Use welding to mount electrodes and strips.
• Combine one of the electrodes with a distribution shield, laying an identical steel strip in a previously prepared trench.
• Connect the strip and distribution shield using a 10 mm bolt. Be sure to weld the bolt to the shield.
• The next step is to measure the ground circuit. For measurement, use an ohmmeter.

• If the measurement result corresponds to the optimal resistance value, the ground circuit is mounted correctly. You can start instillation of trenches.
• If, when measuring the grounding circuit, it turns out that the resistance exceeds the normative value - add another electrode.
• To instill a trench, use exclusively homogeneous soil. The presence of impurities of crushed stone and construction waste is unacceptable.
• The ground circuit is ready.