How to connect the ground in the shield. Proper grounding in a private house How to connect grounding

Modern household appliances and equipment require grounding. Only in this case, manufacturers will maintain their warranties. The inhabitants of the apartments have to wait for the overhaul of networks, and the owners of houses can do everything with their own hands. How to make grounding in a private house, what is the procedure and connection diagrams - read about all this here.

In general, ground loops can be in the form of a triangle, rectangle, oval, line or arc. The best option for a private house is a triangle, but others are quite suitable.

Grounding in a private house - types of ground loops

Triangle

Grounding in a private house or in the country is most often done with a contour in the form of an isosceles triangle. Why is that? Because with such a structure on a minimum area, we obtain the maximum area of dissipation of currents. The costs for the installation of a ground loop are minimal, and the parameters correspond to the ratings.

The minimum distance between the pins in the ground loop triangle is their length, the maximum is twice the length. For example, if you drive the pins to a depth of 2.5 meters, then the distance between them should be 2.5-5.0 m. In this case, when measuring the resistance of the ground loop, you will get normal readings.

During work, it is not always possible to make the triangle strictly isosceles - stones come across in the right place or other difficult areas of soil. In this case, you can move the pins.

Linear ground loop

In some cases, it is easier to make a ground loop in the form of a semicircle or a chain of pins lined up (if there is no free area of suitable size). In this case, the distance between the pins is also equal to or greater than the length of the electrodes themselves.

With a linear circuit, a larger number of vertical electrodes is needed - so that the scattering area is sufficient

The disadvantage of this method is that a larger number of vertical electrodes is needed to obtain the desired parameters. Since scoring them is still a pleasure, in the presence of meta they try to make a triangular outline.

Materials for the ground loop

In order for the grounding of a private house to be effective, its resistance should not exceed 4 ohms. To do this, it is necessary to ensure good contact of the ground electrodes with the ground. The problem is that it is possible to measure the grounding resistance only with a special device. This procedure is carried out when the system is put into operation. If the parameters are worse, the act is not signed. Therefore, when making the grounding of a private house or cottage with your own hands, try to strictly adhere to the technology.

Parameters and materials of pins

Ground pins are usually made of ferrous metal. Most often, a bar with a cross section of 16 mm or more or a corner with parameters of 50 * 50 * 5 mm (shelf 5 cm, metal thickness - 5 mm) is used. Please note that fittings cannot be used - its surface is hardened, which changes the distribution of currents, besides, it quickly rusts and collapses in the ground. You need a bar, not reinforcement.

Another option for dry regions is thick-walled metal pipes. Their lower part is flattened in the form of a cone, holes are drilled in the lower third. Holes of the required length are drilled for their installation, since they cannot be hammered. When the soil dries up and the grounding parameters deteriorate, a saline solution is poured into the pipes to restore the scattering ability of the soils.

The length of the ground rods is 2.5-3 meters. This is sufficient for most regions. More specifically, there are two requirements:

Specific grounding parameters can be calculated, but the results of a geological study are required. If you have any, you can order a calculation in a specialized organization.

What to make a metal bond and how to connect with pins

All pins of the circuit are interconnected by a metal bond. It can be made from:

copper wire with a cross section of less than 10 mm 2;
aluminum wire with a cross section of at least 16 mm 2
steel conductor with a cross section of at least 100 mm 2 (usually a strip of 25 * 5 mm).

Most often, the pins are interconnected using a steel strip. It is welded to the corners or heads of the bar. It is very important that the quality of the weld be high - it depends on whether your grounding passes the test or not (whether it meets the requirements - the resistance is less than 4 ohms).

When using aluminum or copper wire, a large cross-section bolt is welded to the pins, wires are already attached to it. The wire can be screwed onto the bolt and pressed with a washer and nut, the wire can be terminated with a connector of a suitable size. The main task is the same - to ensure good contact. Therefore, do not forget to strip the bolt and wire to bare metal (can be sanded) and tighten it well - for good contact.

How to make grounding with your own hands

After all the materials have been purchased, you can proceed to the actual manufacture of the ground loop. First, cut the metal into pieces. Their length should be approximately 20-30 cm longer than the calculated one - when driving in the tops, the pins bend, so they have to be cut off.

Sharpen clogged edges of vertical electrodes - things will go faster

There is a way to reduce the resistance when clogging the electrodes - sharpen one end of the corner or pin at an angle of 30 °. This angle is optimal when driving into the ground. The second moment is to weld a metal platform to the upper edge of the electrode, from above. Firstly, it is easier to hit it, and secondly, the metal is less deformed.

Work order

Regardless of the shape of the contour, everything begins with earthworks. A ditch needs to be dug. It is better to make it with beveled edges - so it is less sprinkled. The order of work is as follows:

Actually, that's all. Do-it-yourself grounding in a private house. It remains to connect it. To do this, you need to understand the grounding organization schemes.

Entering the ground loop into the house

The ground loop must somehow be brought to the ground bus. This can be done using a steel strip 24 * 4 mm, copper wire with a cross section of 10 mm2, aluminum wire with a cross section of 16 mm2.

In the case of using wires, it is better to look for them in insulation. Then a bolt is welded to the circuit, a sleeve with a contact pad (round) is put on the end of the conductor. A nut is screwed onto the bolt, a washer is screwed onto it, then a wire, another washer on top, and all this is tightened with a nut (picture on the right).

How to bring "land" into the house

When using a steel strip, there are two ways out - to bring a bus or wire into the house. I really don’t want to pull a steel tire with a size of 24 * 4 mm - the view is unaesthetic. If there is, you can use the same bolted connection to conduct a copper bus. It needs a much smaller size, it looks better (photo on the left).

You can also make a transition from a metal bus to a copper wire (section 10 mm2). In this case, two bolts are welded to the tire at a distance of several centimeters from each other (5-10 cm). Copper wire is twisted around both bolts, pressing them with a washer and nut to the metal (tighten as best as possible). This is the most economical and convenient way. It does not require as much money as when using only copper / aluminum wire, it is easier to pass it through the wall than a bus (even copper).

Grounding schemes: which one is better to do

Currently, only two ground connection schemes are used in the private sector - TN-C-S and TT. For the most part, a two-core (220 V) or four-core (380 V) cable (TN-C system) is suitable for the house. With such wiring, in addition to the phase (phase) wires, a PEN protective conductor comes, in which zero and earth are combined. At the moment, this method does not provide adequate protection against electric shock, therefore it is recommended to replace the old two-wire wiring with three-wire (220 V) or five-wire (380 V).

In order to obtain a normal three- or five-wire wiring, it is necessary to separate this conductor to ground PE and neutral N (in this case, an individual ground loop is required). They do this in the introductory cabinet on the facade of the house or in the accounting and distribution cabinet inside the house, but always before the counter. Depending on the separation method, either the TN-C-S or TT system is obtained.

Device in a private house of the TN-C-S grounding system

When using this circuit, it is very important to make a good individual ground loop. Please note that with the TN-C-S system, the installation of RCDs and difavtomatov is necessary to protect against electric shock. Without them, there is no protection.

Also, to ensure protection, it is required to connect all systems that are made of conductive materials to the earth bus with separate wires (inseparable) - heating, water supply, reinforcement cage of the foundation, sewerage, gas pipeline (if they are made of metal pipes). Therefore, the ground bus must be taken "with a margin."

To separate the PEN conductor and create a ground in a TN-C-S private house, three tires are needed: on a metal base - this will be a PE (ground) bus, and on a dielectric base - it will be an N (neutral) bus, and a small splitter bus into four " seating" places.

The metal "earth" bus must be attached to the metal case of the cabinet so that there is a good electrical contact. To do this, at the attachment points, under the bolts, the paint is peeled off the body to bare metal. Zero bus - on a dielectric base - it is better to mount it on a DIN rail. This installation method fulfills the main requirement - after the bus separation, PE and N should not intersect anywhere (they should not have contact).

Grounding in a private house - transition from the TN-C system to TN-C-S

The PEN conductor that came from the line is wound up on the splitter bus.
We connect the wire from the ground loop to the same bus.
From one socket with a copper wire with a cross section of 10 mm 2 we put a jumper on the earth bus;
From the last free slot, we put a jumper on the neutral bus or neutral bus (also a copper wire 10 mm 2).

Now everything is done - grounding in a private house is done according to the TN-C-S scheme. Further, to connect consumers, we take the phase from the input cable, zero - from the N bus, ground - from the PE bus. Be sure to make sure that the earth and zero do not intersect anywhere.

TT grounding

Converting a TN-C circuit to TT is generally simple. Two wires come from the pole. The phase conductor is still used as a phase, and the protective PEN conductor is attached to the “zero” bus and is then considered zero. The conductor from the made circuit is directly fed to the ground bus.

Do-it-yourself grounding in a private house - TT scheme

The disadvantage of this system is that it provides protection only for equipment that provides for the use of a "ground" wire. If there is still household appliances made according to a two-wire circuit, it may be energized. Even if their cases are grounded with separate conductors, in case of problems, the voltage may remain at “zero” (the phase will be broken by the machine). Therefore, of these two schemes, TN-C-S is preferred as more reliable.

Grounding is an indispensable element in organizing the wiring of a private house. Indeed, in case of an unexpected breakdown of electricity, it is the grounding that protects against electric shock. Yes, and those who have tried to take on the washing machine plugged into the network from the back know how its open metal parts “pinch” perceptibly.

In addition to the washing machine directly, and not through the euro socket, it is advisable to ground:

microwave ovens - in case of poor contact with the outlet, it can quite noticeably beat with current, so almost all models have a separate ground screw terminal on the back;
electric stoves (ovens and hobs) - due to the high power, a breakdown is very likely, so grounding through a socket is not enough;
personal computers - are grounded for any mounting screw on the back of the case, which allows you to remove floating potentials and improve the speed of wireless Internet.

In addition, electrical appliances and lightning protection (if SPDs are available) can be connected to one ground loop, which will save time and effort during construction.

What you need to know about grounding

Before you start assembling a ground loop with your own hands, you need to understand the terminology. The circuit itself consists of ground electrodes and metal ties. Grounding conductors - metal pins 2-3 m long, completely immersed in the ground. And the metal connection connects these pins and the switchboard in the house.

It is strictly forbidden to use fittings for the ground loop - insufficient cross-sectional diameter and a ribbed surface quickly lead to corrosion of the structure and loss of grounding properties.

Therefore, when choosing a metal connection, you need to decide in advance on the circuit diagram and the method of entering the grounding conductor into the house.

Ground Loop Schemes - Their Advantages and Disadvantages

The reliability and durability of the entire structure will depend on the chosen scheme. So, conditionally, the contours are divided into:

linear - when grounding conductors are laid in a row and connected to each other in series;
with a closed loop (triangular, square, oval) - when all ground electrodes are connected in a closed circle.

The line circuit is a little easier to implement - one less connection is needed and does not require a lot of space. Installation of ground electrodes laid in a row can be carried out even along the foundation blind area (but not closer than 1.2 m from the edge). But a closed circuit is more reliable - even if one connection fails, the circuit will work, because the circuit will not open.

Types of ground connection to the switchboard

Connection to the power line, for the most part, occurs overhead lines. The grounding of the lines in this case is carried out according to the TN-C system, when two wires are brought into the house - phase (L) and zero (combined protective and working wire PEN), and the neutral of the power source itself is grounded.

In order to connect the ground loop of the house or cottage to the electrical panel in this case, you must independently redo the grounding system:

In the first option, the PEN wire is divided and connected to two separate N and PE buses, which are necessarily marked. Zero - with blue electrical tape, ground - with a yellow ground sign. The N busbar must be fastened in the shield with special insulators so as not to contact the corrus. And the PE grounding bar is attached directly to the case. Both tires are connected to each other by a conductive jumper.

When separating the PEN conductor, in no case should the N and PE conductors be connected in the future - this will lead to a short circuit!

In the second variant, the PEN wire is not split, but is attached to the N bus and is further considered to be zero. Only earth wires for electrical appliances will be attached to the PE busbar. This method is preferable, since when the PEN conductor burns out, all users of the power line will be connected to the ground buses in the houses. And if not all residents have grounding, then this can lead to a breakdown of equipment for those users who are still preoccupied with its device.

The only drawback of the TT system is the need to install an RCD or voltage relay, which leads to an increase in the cost of organizing electrical wiring.

How to make grounding - detailed instructions with photos

The grounding device is divided into two stages - the installation of ground electrodes and the connection of the circuit to the shield. Given the complexity of the process, all work can be divided into two days. The main thing is to wait for dry weather.

Ground loop device

The only requirement for the worker is physical strength, as you will have to wave the sledgehammer well.

It is very important to choose a place for the circuit - in the event of a breakdown of electricity, people and animals should not be above it. The ideal option is to hide the grounding under a fenced flower bed or paved path.
The place under the contour is marked. The most popular circuit is a triangle, since to improve the conductive properties, the minimum number of ground electrodes in the circuit is three. The optimal distance between them is 1.2 m, but it can vary from 1 m to 1.5 m. It is important to observe the same step between the ground electrodes.

Although the loop should be placed no closer than 1 m from the house, the maximum distance should not exceed 10 m.
A trench 50-70 cm deep is dug along the marking of the isosceles triangle and towards the house. Metal corners or pipes are driven in at the peaks with powerful blows of a sledgehammer to a depth below the freezing of the soil (an average of 2-3 m). The heavier the sledgehammer, the faster the work goes. And it is very convenient to hammer earth electrodes made of copper pipes with an ordinary puncher.

The upper ends of the ground electrodes are not clogged to the end, but in such a way that after filling the trench there is another 50 cm of earth above them.
The vertices of the triangle are connected with metal strips or rods. It is very important to weld the joints - this will avoid regular tightening of the bolts when using fasteners. If there is no contact between the grounding conductor and the metal connection, then all work on the arrangement of the circuit is meaningless. (13)

The ground conductor going to the house is also welded to the circuit. At the end, located on the wall of the house, a bolt is welded, to which the ground wire from the bus in the shield will go.

All welding joints after cooling are smeared with bituminous mastic in several layers. This will prevent corrosion and consequent loss of contact.
The trench is covered with earth, and part of the grounding conductor located on the surface (“earth” bus) is painted to protect the metal from moisture. The traditional paint for the ground conductor is red. But in no case should you paint the entire conductor - it must be in contact with the ground to dissipate voltage.

Work on connecting the ground to the shield can be postponed to any other day - if everything is done correctly, the circuit will last 50-70 years without repair, so you need to rush to connect only if you have electrical appliances already connected to the network.

Proper grounding connection is a guarantee of safety and long service life of equipment

It is very important to correctly connect the "earth" bus to the shield. For this, copper, aluminum or steel conductors are used. For copper products, the cross section should not be less than 10 sq. mm, for aluminum - 16 sq. mm, and for steel - 75 sq. mm. Both metal strips and twisted wires can be used.

For fastening metal strips, a hole is made along the diameter of the bolt and fixed with a nut and washer. The wires to the bolts must be fastened with special terminals, and in no case should they be wound on them.

The joint must be cleaned to a shine and covered with grease - it protects the metal from oxidation and electrocorrosion.
To the shield, the grounding conductor is also attached to the housing with a screw connection. If the switchboard door is not grounded, it must be grounded with another conductor. It is important to pre-select grounding buses in a shield with a sufficient number of holes for different devices - it is strictly forbidden to attach two wires to one point.

There is a common misconception that it is better to ground electrical appliances “purely” and not through a common ground loop. But in this case, a large number of "individual" grounding conductors create their own circuit, while in the event of a breakdown of electricity on one device, it is likely that voltage will appear on another.

Grounding check

It is very important not to neglect the grounding check. Ideally, it should be carried out every few years to make sure that the contacts at the welding site have not moved away. The check is carried out with special measuring instruments, which are not advisable to buy for one-time use. Without a special ohmmeter, checking the resistance of the circuit is useless and even dangerous.

So, when an ordinary light bulb is connected to a phase and a circuit, it will burn, even if a crowbar is stuck into the ground instead of a circuit - due to low power consumption. If you use a powerful device, such as a heater, it can be dangerous to your health. In addition, it is necessary to accurately measure the resistance of the circuit - it should not exceed 4 ohms.

You can use the three-electrode method with an ammeter and a voltmeter, and take a 12-16 volt step-down transformer as a current source, but not everyone has these devices either. Therefore, it is better to invite an electrician once and be sure of the quality of the work done!

Operation of modern household and computer equipment without grounding is fraught with its failure. In a significant part of our country, especially in rural areas, there are old-style power transmission systems. They do not provide for the presence of protective grounding or they are in such a state that they simply do not meet the requirements of electrical safety. Therefore, the owners have to do the grounding of a private house or cottage themselves.

What does it give

Protective grounding is necessary to ensure electrical safety in the house. Properly performed, the appearance of a leakage current leads to the immediate operation of the RCD (damage to the electrical insulation or when touching live parts). This is the main and main task of this system.

The second function of grounding is to ensure the normal operation of electrical equipment. For some electrical appliances, the presence of a protective wire in the socket (if any) is not enough. A direct connection to the ground bus is required. For this, there are usually special clips on the case. If we talk about household appliances, then this is a microwave oven, oven and washing machine.

The main task of grounding is to ensure the electrical safety of a frequent home.

Few people know, but a microwave oven without a direct connection to the "ground" during operation can emit significant background radiation, receiving a radiation level can be life-threatening. In some models, a special terminal can be seen on the back wall, although the instructions usually contain only one phrase: “grounding is required” without specifying exactly how it is desirable to do it.

When touching the body of the washing machine with wet hands, a tingling sensation is often felt. It's harmless, but annoying. You can get rid of it by connecting the "ground" directly to the case. In the case of the oven, the situation is similar. Even if it doesn't 'sting', a direct connection is safer, as the wiring inside the unit is subject to very harsh conditions.

With computers, the situation is even more interesting. By directly connecting the "ground" wire to the case, you can increase the speed of the Internet several times and minimize the number of "freezes". It's so simple because of the presence of a direct connection to the ground bus.

Do I need grounding in the country or in a wooden house

In holiday villages, it is necessary to make grounding. Especially if the house is built of combustible material - wood or frame. It's about thunderstorms. There are a lot of elements that attract lightning in summer cottages. These are wells, wells, pipelines lying on the surface or buried to a minimum depth. All these objects attract lightning.

If there is no lightning rod and grounding, a lightning strike is almost tantamount to a fire. There is no fire station nearby, so the fire will spread very quickly. Therefore, together with grounding, also make a lightning rod - at least a couple of meter-long rods attached to the ridge and connected with a steel wire to grounding.

Grounding systems of a private house

There are six systems in total, but in individual developments, mainly only two are used: TN-S-C and TT. In recent years, the TN-S-C system has been recommended. In this scheme, the neutral at the substation is solidly grounded, and the equipment has direct contact with the ground. To the consumer, earth (PE) and neutral / zero (N) are conducted by one conductor (PEN), and at the entrance to the house it is again divided into two separate ones.

With such a system, a sufficient degree of protection is provided by automatic devices (RCDs are not required). The disadvantage is that if the PEN wire burns out or is damaged in the area between the house and the substation, a phase voltage appears on the earth bus in the house, which is not turned off by anything. Therefore, the PUE imposes strict requirements on such a line: there must be mandatory mechanical protection of the PEN wire, as well as periodic backup grounding on poles every 200 m or 100 m.

However, many transmission lines in rural areas do not meet these conditions. In this case, the TT system is recommended. Also, this scheme should be used in free-standing open outbuildings with an earthen floor. They have a risk of touching the ground and the ground at the same time, which can be dangerous in a TN-S-C system.

The difference is that the "ground" wire to the shield comes from an individual ground loop, and not from a transformer substation, as in the previous diagram. Such a system is resistant to damage to the protective wire, but requires the mandatory installation of an RCD. Without them, there is no protection against electric shock. Therefore, the PUE defines it only as a backup if the existing line does not meet the requirements of the TN-S-C system.

Grounding device of a private house

Some older transmission lines do not have a protective earth at all. All of them should change, but when this will happen is an open question. If you have just such a case, you need to make a separate circuit. There are two options - to make grounding in a private house or in the country on your own, with your own hands, or to entrust the execution of the campaign. Campaign services are expensive, but there is an important plus: if during operation there are problems caused by improper functioning of the grounding system, the company that performed the installation will compensate for the damage (should be written in the contract, read carefully). In the case of self-execution, everything is on you.

The grounding system of a private house consists of:

grounding pins,
metal strips that combine them into one system;
lines from the ground loop to .

What to make ground electrodes

As pins, you can use a metal rod with a diameter of 16 mm or more. Moreover, it is impossible to take reinforcement: its surface is hardened, which changes the current distribution. Also, the red-hot layer in the ground is destroyed faster. The second option is a metal corner with 50 mm shelves. These materials are good because they can be hammered into soft ground with a sledgehammer. To make this easier to do, one end is pointed, and a platform is welded to the second, which is easier to hit.

Sometimes metal pipes are used, one edge of which is flattened (welded) into a cone. Holes are drilled in their lower part (about half a meter from the edge). When the soil dries out, the distribution of the leakage current deteriorates significantly, and such rods can be filled with saline, restoring the operation of the ground. The disadvantage of this method is that you have to dig / drill wells under each rod - you won’t be able to hammer them with a sledgehammer to the desired depth.

Depth of driving pins

Ground rods should go into the ground at least 60-100 cm below the freezing depth. In regions with dry summers, it is desirable that the rods be at least partially in moist soil. Therefore, mainly corners or a rod 2-3 m long are used. Such dimensions provide a sufficient area of \u200b\u200bcontact with the ground, which creates normal conditions for dissipating leakage currents.

What Not to Do

The job of a protective earth is to dissipate leakage currents over a large area. This happens due to the tight contact of metal ground electrodes - pins and strips - with the ground. That's why grounding elements are never painted. This greatly reduces the conductance between the metal and the ground, the protection becomes ineffective. Corrosion at welding points can be prevented with anti-corrosion compounds, but not with paint.

The second important point: grounding should have low resistance, and good contact is very important for this. It is provided by welding. All joints are welded, and the quality of the seam must be high, without cracks, cavities and other defects. Once again, pay attention: grounding in a private house cannot be done on threaded connections. Over time, the metal oxidizes, breaks down, the resistance increases many times, the protection deteriorates or does not work at all.

It is very unreasonable to use pipelines or other metal structures that are in the ground as a ground electrode. For some time, such grounding in a private house works. But over time, the pipe joints, due to electrochemical corrosion activated by leakage currents, oxidize and collapse, the grounding turns out to be inoperative, as well as the pipeline. Therefore, it is better not to use such types of ground electrodes.

How to do it right

First, let's deal with the shape of the ground electrode. The most popular is in the form of an equilateral triangle, at the tops of which pins are clogged. There is also a linear arrangement (the same three pieces, only in a line) and in the form of a contour - the pins are hammered around the house in increments of about 1 meter (for houses with an area of more than 100 sq. M). The pins are interconnected by metal strips - a metal bond.

Procedure

From the edge of the house to the installation site, the pin should be at least 1.5 meters. In the selected area, they dig a trench in the form of an equilateral triangle with a side of 3 m. The depth of the trench is 70 cm, the width is 50-60 cm - so that it is convenient to cook. One of the peaks, usually located closer to the house, is connected to the house by a trench having a depth of at least 50 cm.

At the vertices of the triangle, pins are hammered (a round bar or a corner 3 m long). About 10 cm are left above the bottom of the pit. Please note that the ground electrode is not brought to the surface of the earth. It is located below the ground level by 50-60 cm.

A metal bond is welded to the protruding parts of the rods / corners - a strip of 40 * 4 mm. The created grounding conductor with the house is connected with a metal strip (40 * 4 mm) or a round conductor (section 10-16 mm 2). A strip with a metal triangle created is also welded. When everything is ready, the welding spots are cleaned of slag, coated with an anti-corrosion compound (not paint).

After checking the ground resistance (in the general case, it should not exceed 4 ohms), the trenches are covered with earth. There should be no large stones or construction debris in the soil, the earth is compacted in layers.

At the entrance to the house, a bolt is welded to the metal strip from the ground electrode, to which a copper conductor in insulation is attached (traditionally, the color of the ground wires is yellow with a green stripe) with a core cross section of at least 4 mm 2.

Ground outlet at the wall of the house with a bolt welded on the end

In the electrical panel, grounding is connected to a special bus. Moreover, only on a special platform, polished to a shine and lubricated with grease. From this bus, the "ground" is connected to each line that is bred around the house. Moreover, the wiring of the "ground" with a separate conductor according to the PUE is unacceptable - only as part of a common cable. This means that if your wiring is wired with two-wire wires, you will have to completely change it.

Why you can not make separate grounding

Redoing the wiring throughout the house, of course, is long and expensive, but if you want to operate modern electrical appliances and household appliances without any problems, this is necessary. Separate grounding of certain outlets is inefficient and even dangerous. And that's why. The presence of two or more such devices sooner or later leads to the output of the equipment included in these sockets. The thing is that the resistance of the contours depends on the condition of the soil in each particular place. In some situation, a potential difference occurs between two grounding devices, which leads to equipment failure or electrical injury.

Modular pin system

All devices described earlier - from hammered corners, pipes and rods - are called traditional. Their disadvantage is a large amount of land work and a large area that is required when installing a ground electrode system. This is because a certain area of contact of the pins with the ground is necessary, sufficient to ensure the normal "spreading" of the current. The need for welding can also cause complexity - it is impossible to connect the grounding elements in another way. But the advantage of this system is relatively low costs. If you do traditional grounding in a private house with your own hands, it will cost a maximum of $ 100. This is if you buy all the metal and pay for welding, and carry out the rest of the work yourself

A few years ago, modular pin (pin) systems appeared. This is a set of pins that are hammered to a depth of up to 40 m. That is, a very long ground electrode is obtained, which goes to a depth. Fragments of the pin are connected to each other using special clamps, which not only fix them, but also provide a high-quality electrical connection.

The advantage of modular grounding is a small area and less work that is required. A small pit is required with sides of 60 * 60 cm and a depth of 70 cm, a trench connecting the ground electrode with the house. The pins are long and thin, it is not difficult to drive them into suitable soil. This is where we came to the main disadvantage: the depth is large, and if you meet, for example, a stone on the way, you will have to start over. And removing the rods is a problem. They are not welded, but whether the clamp will withstand or not is a question.

The second disadvantage is the high price. Together with the installation, such grounding will cost you $ 300-500. Self-installation is problematic, since it will not work to hammer these rods with a sledgehammer. We need a special pneumatic tool, which we learned to replace with a percussion hammer. It is also necessary to check the resistance after each clogged rod. But if you don't want to mess with welding and earthworks, a modular grounding pin is a good option.

My bitter experience as an electrician allows me to assert: If your "grounding" is done properly - that is, there is a place for connecting "grounding" conductors in the shield, and all plugs and sockets have "grounding" contacts - I envy you, and you have nothing worry.

Ground connection rules

What is the problem, why can not you connect the ground wire to the pipes of heating or water supply?

In reality, in urban conditions, stray currents and other interfering factors are so great that anything can turn out to be on the radiator. However, the main problem is that the tripping current of the circuit breakers is quite large. Accordingly, one of the options for a possible accident is a short-circuit breakdown of the phase to the case with a leakage current just somewhere on the border of the machine's operation, that is, at best 16 amperes. In total, we divide 220v by 16A - we get 15 ohms. Just some thirty meters of pipes, and you get 15 ohms. And the current flowed somewhere, towards the unsawn forest. But it doesn't matter anymore. The important thing is that in the neighboring apartment (up to which it is 3 meters, not 30, the voltage on the tap is almost the same 220.), But on, say, a sewer pipe - a real zero, or something like that.

And now the question is - what will happen to the neighbor if he, sitting in the bathroom (connecting to the sewer by opening the plug) touches the tap? Guessed?

The prize is prison. Under the article on violation of electrical safety rules resulting in casualties.

We must not forget that it is impossible to imitate the "grounding" circuit by connecting the "zero working" and "zero protective" conductors in the euro socket, as some "craftsmen" sometimes practice. Such a substitution is extremely dangerous. Cases of "working zero" burning out in the shield are not rare. After that, on the body of your refrigerator, computer, etc. very firmly placed 220V.

The consequences will be approximately the same as with a neighbor, with the difference that no one will be held responsible for this, except for the one who made such a connection. And as practice shows, this is done by the owners themselves, because. consider themselves sufficient specialists not to call electricians.

"Grounding" and "grounding"

One of the options for "grounding" is. But not as in the case described above. The fact is that there is zero potential on the switchboard housing, on your floor, or more precisely, the neutral wire passing through this very shield simply has contact with the shield housing by means of a bolted connection. Zero conductors from apartments located on this floor are also connected to the shield body. Let's look at this point in more detail. What we see is that each of these ends is wound under its own bolt (in practice, the truth is often found in pairs of these ends). This is exactly where our newly made conductor should be connected, which will later be called "grounding".

This situation also has its own nuances. What prevents "zero" from burning out at the entrance to the house. As a matter of fact, nothing. One can only hope that there are fewer houses in the city than apartments, which means that the percentage of such a problem is much less. But again, this is a Russian "maybe", which does not solve the problem.

The only correct solution in this situation. Take a metal corner 40x40 or 50x50, 3 meters long, hammer it into the ground so that they don’t stumble over it, namely, we dig a hole two bayonets of a shovel deep and hammer our corner there as much as possible, and from it to conduct a PV-3 wire (flexible , stranded), with a cross section of at least 6 mm. sq. to, your switchboard.

Ideally, it should consist of 3-4 corners, which are welded with a metal strip of the same width. The distance between the corners should be 2 m.

Just do not drill a hole in the ground with a meter drill and lower the pin there. It is not right. And the efficiency of such grounding is close to zero.

But, like any method, it has its downsides. Of course, you are lucky if you live in a private house, or at least on the first floor. And what about those who live on the 7-8 floor? Stock up on 30-meter wire?

So how do you find a way out of this situation? I am afraid that even the most experienced electricians will not give you an answer to this question.

What is required for house wiring

For wiring around the house, you will need a copper ground wire of the appropriate length, and with a cross section of at least 1.5 mm. sq. and, of course, a socket with a "grounding" contact. Box, plinth, bracket - a matter of aesthetics. The ideal option is when you are doing repairs. In this case, I recommend choosing a cable with three cores in double insulation, preferably VVG. One end of the wire is wound under the free bolt of the switchboard busbar connected to the shield body, and the other end - to the "grounding" contact of the socket. If there is an RCD in the shield, the grounding conductor should not have contact with the N conductor anywhere on the line (otherwise the RCD will work).

We must also not forget that the "earth" does not have the right to be torn apart by means of any switches.

If in your old house the electrical network consists of 2 wires (there is only a working zero and a phase), it is imperative to organize a grounding system. Don't know what it's for? The main purpose of the system is to divert dangerous potential to the ground in case of insulation failure (read more in the article:). In other words, if the wiring is damaged, you will not be shocked by the body of a powerful electrical appliance (for example, a connected washing machine). How to make grounding in a private house with your own hands, read on!

Importance of the issue

If you are wondering whether it is necessary to do grounding in your country house or cottage, then we immediately say that you cannot do without a protective circuit. Even according to the standards of PUE, SNiP and GOST, it is required to make a special tap that will protect you from electric shock. The organization of the system (its correct name) in a 220 and 380 Volt network should be carried out even during construction, because. then it is more expensive to do it (it will be necessary to change the two-core cable to a three- or five-core cable throughout the house).

If you purchased a house in which there is no grounding, then you need to mount and connect it. Installation of the grounding system is quite simple. In addition to grounding, it is necessary to create lightning protection. We talked about that in a separate article.

Ground loop device

Requirements for grounding and grounding are defined in. We also recommend that you study before organizing a protective circuit.

The contour of the grounding device consists of electrodes dug into the ground and interconnected by an electrode - a metal rod or a metal strip. Usually the ground loop is made in the shape of a triangle or square. The photo shows how to install earthing switches in a trench.

When grounding, vertical ground electrodes must be laid to a depth of 0.5-0.6 m from the level of the planning mark of the earth and protrude from the bottom of the trench by 0.1-0.2 m. The distance between the electrodes is 2.5-3 m. Horizontal ground electrodes and connecting strips between vertical grounding conductors are laid in trenches with a depth of 0.6-0.7 m from the level of the planning ground mark.

The ground loop is connected in two places with the help of grounding conductors to the internal grounding network of the house. It can be done as shown in this photo:

The photo shows that the ground strip is rigidly attached to the wall. Ground strips can be attached with dowels or a nail gun directly to the wall or using intermediate pieces. The gun shoots strips of sheet or strip steel up to 6 mm thick. The base must be concrete or brick.

We develop a scheme

First of all, you need to decide on the grounding scheme in a private house, according to which you will need to make the entire system.

To date, two schemes are popular:

We recommend that you make grounding in a private house according to the triangle scheme, because. in fact, the installation work will not change (you still have to dig three holes and drive in three pins), but at the same time, the efficiency will be several times higher than with the in-line scheme. We talked about it in more detail in a separate article!

In addition to the above provided grounding schemes in a private house, you can make your own version. For example, hammer the corners with a rectangle or an oval. For example, we recommend that you print the four most popular options:

Another important point is the distance between the electrodes. The figure above shows a distance of 1.2 meters between the electrodes, which are 2-3 meters long. This is not entirely correct. It is better to make the distance between the electrodes equal to their length, or at least 3 meters.

The thing is that with a small distance between the ground electrodes, the spreading zones of the electric current will overlap each other, which means that if the current leaks, the system will not be effective. That is why it is better to separate the ground electrodes a little from each other, and most importantly, to connect them securely by welding or special clamps.

We prepare tools and materials

As for the tools for installing grounding in a country house (for example, in a country house), you will need:

a welding machine (its presence is mandatory, because the connection of plates and fittings without welding will not create high-quality contact, especially under the soil);
grinder (cut metal into suitable pieces);
bayonet shovel;
perforator;
sledgehammer (the heavier, the better, because you have to drive the pins 2 meters deep);
a set of wrenches (tighten the bolt).

If you have at least some electrical skills, we recommend! There is nothing difficult in this!

Materials to be used:

A metal corner made of stainless steel with dimensions of 50*50 mm, at least 2 meters long. An alternative option is a steel water pipe with a diameter of 32 mm, a wall thickness of at least 3.5 mm, or fittings. You can also use a rectangular profile, the main thing is that its cross-sectional area does not exceed 150 mm 2.
Three strips of metal 120 cm long, 4 cm wide and at least 4 mm thick.
Stainless steel metal strip 40 * 4 mm, having a length from the location of the system to the porch of the house.
Bolt M8 or M10.
Copper wire, for example, with a thickness of at least 6 mm 2 (depending on which section is adopted for the phase conductor).

Important! Do not skimp on the thickness of the ground electrodes, because the durability and reliability of your grounding will depend on this!

Having prepared everything you need, you can proceed to the manufacture of grounding in a private house.

Installation work

Step 1 - Choose a location

First you need to decide where to make the ground loop. The importance of this stage is very high, because the safety of using the system depends on the choice of grounding location in the summer cottage. If a breakdown of the electrical wiring occurs, as a result of which the protection will work, then there should be no one in the place where the pins are located. The presence of a person or animal at the site of the discharge of electricity into the soil can cause death. That is why the location of the electrodes is chosen taking into account the fact that no one will be here. It is best to place the outlet along the fence behind the house, at a distance of no more than 1 meter from the foundation of the building. Additionally, it is recommended to make a low fence or a border to enclose an unsafe area.

If you do not want to spoil the landscape design of the site, we recommend organizing a grounding system for a residential building under boulders or some kind of voluminous garden sculpture. In this case, no one will be able to be in the danger zone and nothing will harm the beauty of the backyard territory!

Step 2 - Earthworks

For example, consider how to properly make grounding in a private house a triangle according to the scheme that we considered above. At this stage, it is necessary to dig a triangle with sides of 2-3 meters with a shovel (the most optimal distance between the corners). The depth of the trench should be from 50 to 70 cm. The same trench must be dug to the porch of the house.

Step 3 - Assembling the Structure

Now the main part of the process begins. According to the scheme, it is necessary to hammer the electrodes 2 meters into the ground (so that only the tops remain, to which it will be necessary to cling to by welding).

When all the pins are driven in, it is necessary to weld the plates to the tops to get a metal triangular frame (as shown in the photo).

Another plate is laid in a long trench leading to the house, and is stuck at one end to the nearest vertex of the triangle.

After that, you can proceed to connecting the cable to the plate using a bolt and, in the end, fill all the holes with soil back.

One important nuance - if the site is represented by a sand cushion, the conductivity of the soil will need to be increased with a salt solution. Liquid must be poured under the base of all electrodes. The disadvantage of such an event is that the metal will begin to corrode faster, which will make grounding in a private house not as powerful as it should be.

Step 4 - Control Check

The last thing left for you to do is to measure the resistance of the finished grounding in a private house. In a good way, for measurement it is necessary to use a special electrical device, the cost of which is quite high.

At home, you can go a different way to solve the problem, a simpler one is to check the performance with a lamp with a power of at least 100 watts. All that is needed is to connect the light source with one contact to the ground loop, and the other to the phase. If the light bulb burns brightly - the grounding installation in your own house was done correctly, dimly - the contact between the structural elements is weak and the joints need to be redone. If the light did not appear at all, you made a mistake somewhere and you will need to completely revise the entire system, perhaps starting with the circuit itself! We talked about it in more detail in a separate article.

This completes the instruction. We hope that now you know how to make grounding in a private house with your own hands! We draw your attention to the fact that this technology and all sizes are suitable for giving too.

We offer grounding of houses, buildings and structures at affordable prices.