sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information grounding the system

Just wondering what you guys use to ground your systems how many dont ground i use a peice of 4 pair cable twisted togther and try to go to cold water pipe or building steel

I use I think it is 14 gauge wire for grounding. Mostly to cold water pipe, but have also done it to the rafters.

------------------
Voice and Data Cabling in DFW, [email protected]
DnR Communications

I'm old school and grounding is one of the most important things you do to a piece of electronic equipment. I use 10, even if 12 is recogmmended, bond to water pipe and make sure the power ground is bonded to the same source. I also check to see if the water meter is strapped out. If no metalic water pipe I ground to power ground. On large systems I use number 6.

Ditto, Bill. Plus always have the power gnd extended by the EC when he puts in the dedicated power outlet. That way you have it all covered.

KLD

Right, always make sure that you ground the system to the same ground point as the ground pin on the line cord. I've had equipment destroyed when I ran the ground to building steel (as in the instructions) and a voltage differential somehow appeared between the steel and the receptacle ground years later.

-Hal

We use Ditek surge protectors pretty consistently. I think most of us carry a reel of #12 on our trucks.

------------------

| Signal Communication Systems - Fresno, CA |

| Telephone Systems, Voicemail Syste... & Data Cabling - Central Valley, CA

We have a company policy that all systems must be grounded to the local telco ground. One would assume that this bonding connection is connected somewhere to the building frame, the water main, the electrical services' grounding electrode, etc.

EVERY ONE of these systems connected this way have sustained lightning-related damage.

The ones that were in violoaiton of company policy have breezed through storms where other "legal" ones were blown off the wall.

I personally think that the systems that just rely upon the 120 VAC electrical cord's grounding connection fear better as is demonstrated through our history.

We find that simply plugging the system into a properly-grounded AC outlet do better than those where we have created another grounding path through the system.

We have stopped the mandate that systems be bonded to pipes or building steel since it appears that these connections actually attract lightning surges through our equipment. 100% of our systems installed over the past five years where the KSU grounding lug has been left unattached have survived storms, while most of those that were bonded failed.

I just don't think that it is wise to create another electrode path. Keeping the system isolated rather than creating another path to ground it and lightning will inevitably find it's way through your system.

By the way.....In order to keep our local licenses active, we must attend courses that discuss grounding/bonding issues. Never are KSU's mentioned....It's just the ouside plant issues, concerning off-premises stations and incoming CO lines. HMMM.... Maybe it's not such a good idea to bond the KSU after all; rely upon the electrical system's grounding system and avoid creating yet another path for surges.

It's been working for us for us for years. We are the vendor that doesn't get ambushed with service calls after a storm.

Some of you might say "Why wouldn't you want the business after a storm where everyone else lost their system?". We just reply with: "Our customers are the ones who have working systems that their neighbors have to use to make calls to their vendors!"

Maybe we have just been lucky, but having been an electrician for years before entering the telepone business, I think that grouding after the main electric service is just asking for trouble.

Just my opinion based upon experience.

------------------
Ed
---------
How come there's always enough time to go back and fix it a second time?

[This message has been edited by ev607797 (edited July 10, 2005).]

I agree that from an equipment standpoint, grounding will cause more damage to the equipment, experience has proven this.

HOWEVER---

One important reason for grounding the system is user safety. With a good size strike, it can travel through the ungrounded system and kill a user. If the system is grounded, the voltage will take the path of least resistance through the wire to ground.

Telco ground is ALWAYS the worse path to utilize, it's the path that the outside cables take to and the cable thats out there hanging like an antenna is always being hit. Todays digital systems require a isolated earth ground and even though some may argue using the electrical groung of your power is not isolated, everything else that is plugged in has the same path. I've lived in Georgia for 12 years before coming back to Ohio and I'm convinced that a isolated, dedicate earth groung of #6- #10 is the safest way to go.
If lightning wants you it'll get you on the CO side or the ground side or the electrical side. I suggest using Oneac products for AC, CO, OPX or any outside cabling. Why? Cause it has worked.

Isolated ground goes against everything I've ever been taught or read about grounding. Ev says he hasn't had problems since isolating his ground, or not using them, I have only seen problems when ground WERE isolated. The whole theory behind grounding is to make sure all grounds are common so the power surge can't jump between one source to another and only has a path to ground. All the trouble I've seen with power surge or lightning have been with grounds of different potential to earth. I respect you experiences, but I'm going to stick with the "no difference in potential" method until I see something to disprove it.