Bonding

[RobertCHowell]

I am currently in Africa with the U.S. Navy where I am connecting 3 buildings to a 230/400 V, 50Hz system. I want to bond the neutral to the ground but my concern is that I will have the only bonded panel on this installation. Any thoughts on doing this with this type of system? I don't know how many ground rods I would have to drive for my 25 ohm reading as the ground here is very dry. Would a ground counter-poise be a better option?

 

[ron]

Thanks for your service!

If you are creating the service entrance for the three buildings, then bond the N-G at the service disconnects.

Without a grounding electrode type meter, you will not be able to tell if 25 ohms is achievable. If you have it, drive a few 10' rods and be done with it.

 

[GoldDigger]

The code does not require that you get below 25 ohms. It just requires two rods if the first one does not meet the 25 ohm requirement.

If your contract specifies 25 ohms or some smaller value, you will have to use a suitable meter.

If possible, a CEE would give better performance. But it would not necessarily be a safety issue in any case.