If static had any relevance, then a 34 AWG wire is more than sufficient protection. A wire the thickness of human hair is complete protection from "static" and completely useless for what destroys panels.
It is routine for the telco CO to suffer 100 surges during every thunderstorm - and no damage. "Static" is completely irrelevant to that protection. Central to their "no damage" is what provides that protection - single point earth ground.
Consulting a professional is one solution. Any professional that discusses "static" (or devices that eliminate lightning), well, run for the hills. The real professional will start with what provides protection - single point earth ground - where surge energy gets harmlessly dissipated.. Then addresses how everything makes that low impedance (short, no sharp bends, wire not inside metallic conduit, no splices, etc) connection to earth.
Most of what is necessary is required by post 1990 National Electrical Code. Posted were how that code is meet by simply routing the wires with care.
For example, the breaker box earth ground is often routed above the foundation and down to earth. That means a ground wire is bundled with other wires, has numerous sharp bends, and too long. Simply route that same earth ground wire shorter through foundation and down. A potentially massive increase in panel protection if earth ground is upgraded to meet post 1990 electrical code.
As noted by others, earths beneath a home may be so conductive that one earth ground rod with that short earthing connection can provide a massive improvement. A ground wire that crosses the basement to be earthed by a water pipe (although also required by code) does not earth as well as the eight foot ground rod at (ie 'less than 10 foot' connection to) the breaker box and telephone NID.
Many believe earth ground was installed. But if connected to earth via forty feet of water pipe, that is all but no ground. Where surge damage is routinely averted, all incoming utilities make that short connection to the same single point earth ground.
Some homes are so poorly constructed that utilities enter at different location. One electric company demonstrates how to 'kludge' a solution:
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Who pays to meet post 1990 electrical codes is another question. This is a discussion about averting damage. Damage from lightning is routinely averted when simple earthing techniques are implemented. Is that earth ground from NID and from breaker box properly routed? Or did the installer foolishly tywrap that ground wire to other wires to make it look good - and therefore make surge damage more likely? Did someone assume a cold water pipe located across the basement is a superior earth ground?
Installing an earth ground properly is so inexpensive. Sometimes fixing a defective installation can be expensive. Many electricians know how to earth to only meet code; don't understand how to make that earthing sufficient for its other functions. Electricians understand the need for wire diameter but don't understand why wire length and sharp bends can subvert a good earth ground.
Dude...you've never seen lightning damage in real life have you? You think that earthing or grounding whichever you choose will keep a panel from being lightning damaged eh?
And you've probably never tried to pound a 10' copper ground rod into calieche either.
Due to filters I'm not certain to whom this question was posed. When I was doing installations we charged a flat fee for the panel. A Napco Gemini P3200 was $275 installed. That included the panel itself, the transformer, grounding, telco connection, etc. If the premises did not have a bonded ground and correcting it would not involve more than an hours' work we through it in. Most of the time the only things that needed correction were the telco and CATV grounds which were either incorrect or (especially with CATV) nonexistent.
Wholeheartedly agree, Tom. The real issue isn't what it costs to do it right but what it will cost down the road if it's done wrong.
I don't speak for Tom, but I've seen plenty of lightning damaged panels. The major portion of these were hit through telco lines. The next most common problems involved ground strikes which passed through unbonded building grounds. All of these could have been averted by properly bonded ground systems.
A couple of clients suffered direct hits to the home or to attached devices such as wells. There's almost nothing you can do as an alarm installer to prevent that kind of damage but a lightning arrestor system may help.
I had to look that one up. The closest I came up with is "caliche, a hardened deposit of calcium carbonate," according to
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If that's what you mean, no. But I worked in New England for 24 years where the soil around most homes is heavy clay mixed with shale, granite and construction debris. It's tough going but a decent 4-pound sledge and a bit of work gets it done. In most cases, however, there's already a perfectly serviceable ground rod below the electric meter. I usually could just ground to that and, when needed, connect water, CATV and telco to it as well.
If there was an improperly grounded gas line I would explain the needed work to the client and refer him to his provider. Although I can do my own plumbing (I've installed commercial kitchens and bathrooms and replaced the entire plumbing systems in a few homes), I won't touch gas lines and I don't recommend it to DIYers.
There is always some 'expert' who knows better only because lightning created so much noise. Classic example of an expert who knows only because he observed damage. A perfect example of how junk science conclusions are created. Crash, how many generations ago did you design lightning protection? How often have your designs suffered direct lightning strikes without damage? Oh. Crash tells us that protection cannot exist only because he *observed* damage. 'Dude' - even that word says you are not old enough to have sufficient knowledge and experience.
Telco switching centers can suffer 100 surges during a lightning storm without any damage. How often was your phone system down for five days while they replaced the destroyed computer? Never? Because concepts of single point ground and low impedance (ie short) connections mean direct lightning strikes without damage.
Routine is to have lightning strikes without damage. Well over 95% of all trees struck by lightning have no discernable damage. But those who saw damage to a tree - the exception - know otherwise? More junk science reasoning. The naive only know by what they see; fail to first learn facts and the technology. The technology is 100 years old
- that well proven - and Crash Gordon knows it cannot work? After all, he saw damage. Therefore he knows the numbers.
Essential to protecting the panel (and everything inside the structure) is single point earth ground. Those who *know* only from observation are the definition of junk scientists. One did not properly install protection, so one knows protection is not possible? Crash, learn some facts and get some experience. Then get back to us. ... dude.
Crash, how many amps in a surge? How much current can an 18 AWG (lamp cord wire) carry? Crash can provide those numbers because he saw damage - therefore is an expert? Protection from lightning is so routine that damage is considered a human failure.
Due to mistakes often seen during building construction, sometimes a sufficient protection system is difficult to implement. Effective protection is best planned before footings are poured. Still, protection means building earthing meets and exceeds post 1990 National Electrical Code. If building earthing does not meet 1990 code, then effective protection is unlikely.
Crash, you really should learn this stuff before posting.
Just a reality check...you can spend untold hours pounding a 10' copper rod into the ground, routing the perfectly radiused ground cables...whatever...and the chances are still good lightning will destroy that 100 buck alarm panel anyway.
Of course you see damage. You learned nothing. Those who learned this stuff suffer direct lightning strikes often - and never suffer damage.
With knowledge, then you answered some simple questions:
Those who *know* without first learning the underlying concepts cannot answer those questions; then proclaim that nothing can protect from lightning. Protection from direct lightning strikes was routine even 70 years ago.
Once lightning would strike munitions storage lockers causing explosions. Then someone who learned the science changed how those lockers are constructed (see Ufer grounds). Routine is to have direct lightning strikes even to munitions lockers with no damage and no explosion. Just another example of why lightning strikes need not cause damage when the human learns some basic concepts ... such as how many amps in a surge and how much current an 18 AWG wire can carry.
Essential to panel protection is the single point earth ground. Not a complete solution but always necessary for effective protection. Each protection layer is defined by what provides that protection - the earthing electrode. Above discusses secondary protection. Installers should also verify that the primary protection system is intact. What defines each protection layer? An earthing electrode. What to look for when inspecting the primary protection system:
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Surge damage means the human has made a mistake or the human did not learn technology that was understood even 100 years ago.
Coincidentally, I've sold high security locks to the US Army, several National Guard posts and to the US Coast Guard for use on munitions lockers. These locks go for well over $1K apiece. They use them up like water, especially the USCG. :^)
oh, some old dude back in the 40's (so they named it after him Ufer) that figured out that if you connect the grounds to rebar in the slab that you'd in theory have better ground bond...sometimes it works...except when 4 foot hole gets blown in your clients roof and follows the ground down to the meter on the side of the house then jumps across to the neighbors and blows out all his electrics as well (true life story). my panel was grounded too...took it out with everything else in both houses. That was a fun remodel...only in theory though because this could never really happen.
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