Satellite Coax and grounding

Status
Not open for further replies.

mrh335

New member
I am trying to gain a better understanding of NEC 810 and 820 for the proper installation of the satellite dish.

It was installed in a way which I now see being questionable.

My installation has a TV antenna on the roof and a DirecTV satellite dish mounted about 10 feet up on the side of my house. A 10 AWG insulated copper wire runs from the antenna down to a grounding block. A 10 AWG insulated copper wire also runs from the dish to the grounding block. The grounding block was then connected to a cold water line inside the house about 5 ft away. I have reconfigured the plumbing and no longer have that water line and therefore need to ground everything better and I am now seeing the way it was done may have been incorrect from the beginning. I want to fix this correctly.

In addition, my main electrical service and ground rod are on the opposite end of the house about 50 feet away.

From what I have read in NEC there is no length requirement to the wire coming from the dish or antenna to the grounding rod. I am guessing I should then extend these wires around the house to the ground rod directly and use a home run for the dish and a home run for the antenna.
  1. In this setup, do I have to run a whole new wire from the antenna or can I splice a wire from the ground rod to the wire from the antenna in a terminal block in the COAX POE to the house and continue the ground wire around the house to the rod?
  2. Is my interpretation correct that I need a home run for both items or can I combine the dish and antenna to a single wire which runs back to the ground rod?
  3. The NEC states the COAX should be grounded as close to the POE as possible. Would I be able to run a 10 AWG insulated wire from the COAX grounding block 50 feet around the house to the ground rod or is this too far?
I am trying to avoid having to install a separate grounding rod and then bonding that to the primary rod with #6 wire. If I need a separate ground rod, does it need to be 8 feet long and how close is it normally installed to the house in order to avoid being only in the gravel around the foundation?

Please advise the correct and easiest method to safely ground my equipment.
 

augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
With all due respect to your profession, this appears to be a Do-It-Yourself project, and as such is not allowed per Forum rules:

I am closing this thread, in accordance with the Forum rules. This Forum is intended to assist professional electricians, inspectors, engineers, and other members of the electrical industry in the performance of their job-related tasks. However, if you are not an electrician or an electrical contractor, then we are not permitted to help you perform your own electrical installation work.


If I have misjudged the situation, if for example this project is related to your work, then send me a Private Message. If you can show me that I am wrong, and that you are a licensed electrician (or at least a licensed apprentice), then I will reopen your post, and offer an apology for the delay and inconvenience.

A reminder to all members, if you see a questionable post, feel free to report it by clicking the
report.gif
button at the top right corner of the post.

Proper grounding can indeed be "tricky" and. sight unseen, I would think, from a liability standpoint, most Forum members would hesitate to give advice. I would recommend you contact the satellite provider and advise them of your concerns with their equipment not being grounded to a proper electrode system.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top