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Grounding Low Voltage DC power coming out of building for network equipment.

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lvspark

Member
Location
Midwest
Occupation
Low Voltage / IT Tech
I am very familiar with grounding shielded CAT 5/6 coming into a building etc for wireless radios, cameras, etc but am struggling with the following -

The install we are doing now has an outdoor rated switch that powers via DC 48V (not power over ethernet) and fiber for communication coming from in the building and the other outdoor devices go to it.

Question is when then power cable going to the building providing the DC power, does it need to be bonded to ground like a satellite/antenna/sheilded cat? If now how or what is the procedure. I am not seeing any spec on what to do for it including NEC.
 

lvspark

Member
Location
Midwest
Occupation
Low Voltage / IT Tech
Makes no difference if it is coming or going. Use a SPD greater than 48V.

-Hal
So would a an SPD go outside like a ground block for coax (in a outdoor nid box) and grounded to a bonded building ground (like by the meter panel) or could it go inside.... guessing outside near the entrance of the cable to the building.

What's cruddy about this install is that the ideal entrance to the building, is not near the meter / power entrance to the building. If it's sufficient to put the SPD inside next to the other network equipment and ground to a metal sprinkler pipe (which this doesn't seem right) would be great, but would rather do it right than a hack.

Do you have any recommendations for reasonably price SPDs. I have ethernet ones, surge suppressors for coax, just no SPDs for plain DC power.
 

tom baker

First Chief Moderator & NEC Expert
Staff member
Location
Bremerton, Washington
Occupation
Master Electrician
Find the rules in Art 810 and 820. The titles are misleading, but you have an antenna. The articles will tell you how to ground and bond.
For an SPD look at polyphaser or leviton
 
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