Outside water hose connection

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bep

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Would an outdoor water hose bib be a sufficient ground for my ST2? If so does anyone know if there is a device that connects to the hose bib.

Seems like it would be adequate, but you guys know the score.

Thanks
 

902

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Would an outdoor water hose bib be a sufficient ground for my ST2? If so does anyone know if there is a device that connects to the hose bib.

Seems like it would be adequate, but you guys know the score.

Thanks

Depends. In my house, the water is piped mostly through PVC, so that wouldn't work there. Your best bet would be to follow the National Electric Code, NFPA-70 Article 810.

As far as connecting to a hose bib, sure, there are things that look like pipe straps with a screw-down compression - if you look at everything and decide that's how you want to go.
 

Weaksignal

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I agree with 902, bep... While my home is all copper piped, it eventually connects to PVC at the entrance point. A ground rod(s) is the proper way to go.
 

prcguy

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NEC article 810 is the way to go, which wants you to connect any antenna ground to your main house ground for the breaker box. In some cases the main house AC ground includes a connection to a nearby water pipe as part of the ground system depending on local code.
prcguy

I agree with 902, bep... While my home is all copper piped, it eventually connects to PVC at the entrance point. A ground rod(s) is the proper way to go.
 

SteveC0625

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Check the electrical or plumbing aisle of any home improvement or hardware store. There are fittings made for grounding to copper pipe.

However, as prcguy points out, antenna ground should be made at the electric box, not the plumbing,

And, there are specs for grounding towers as well. If you've got just pipe on the side or roof of the house, grounding that to the electric box might be OK. If it's a real tower, there should be ground rods and bonding straps.
 

mmckenna

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All the above is correct, but you need to consider a few other things:

You do need to have all your grounds bonded per NEC.
You also need to consider lightning grounds. A lightning strike won't take a wandering path to ground. Some of the current will follow this path, but the majority of it will look for a more direct path. That could still cause issues if you take a direct hit.
Ideally, you'd want a ground lead coming straight down from the antenna mount to at least one ground rod. Ideally no bends in the down lead. You'd want your coax shield grounded, also. Installing a PolyPhaser type lightning protection device on the coax before it enters the house would be common practice. If the path from antenna to PolyPhaser is short, the PolyPhaser will ground the shield. If it's a long run, common industry practice to to ground the coax shield near the antenna and again near the bottom of the support structure. If it's a -really- long run, as in tall tower, you'll often see the coax shield grounded a several places along the length of the tower.

Being able to give a lightning strike a direct path to ground is important. Bonding all your grounds is important (and required). You also need to consider the nearby strikes that can induce a lot of energy into your antenna system. The PolyPhaser type products will help address that.
 

902

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All the above is correct, but you need to consider a few other things:

You do need to have all your grounds bonded per NEC.
You also need to consider lightning grounds. A lightning strike won't take a wandering path to ground. Some of the current will follow this path, but the majority of it will look for a more direct path. That could still cause issues if you take a direct hit.
Ideally, you'd want a ground lead coming straight down from the antenna mount to at least one ground rod. Ideally no bends in the down lead. You'd want your coax shield grounded, also. Installing a PolyPhaser type lightning protection device on the coax before it enters the house would be common practice. If the path from antenna to PolyPhaser is short, the PolyPhaser will ground the shield. If it's a long run, common industry practice to to ground the coax shield near the antenna and again near the bottom of the support structure. If it's a -really- long run, as in tall tower, you'll often see the coax shield grounded a several places along the length of the tower.

Being able to give a lightning strike a direct path to ground is important. Bonding all your grounds is important (and required). You also need to consider the nearby strikes that can induce a lot of energy into your antenna system. The PolyPhaser type products will help address that.

Glad you brought that up! In addition to a PolyPhaser, I would add a service entrance protector, a/k/a a "whole house suppressor." I had lost several consumer items that I'd left plugged in during lightning storms. While it might be anecdotal, I haven't lost anything in the last few years I've had the suppressor installed in my electrical service entrance.
 
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