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Triad Grounding

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Noppe

Member
Location
Jackson, Missouri
The ground rods need to be 10 foot apart in a triangle does it matter if the wire between the ground rods are longer then 10 foot and not the same length could two be 10 foot and the third pice of wire be 20 foot?
 
luckylerado

luckylerado

Senior Member
Location
Lake of the Ozarks
The distance apart should be equal to or greater than the length of the rods. That said I am not aware of any code or regulations that require triad grounding. May be some telco or cell tower entities. What are you working on?
 
N

Noppe

Member
Location
Jackson, Missouri
luckylerado said:
The distance apart should be equal to or greater than the length of the rods. That said I am not aware of any code or regulations that require triad grounding. May be some telco or cell tower entities. What are you working on?
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I am working on a natural gas metering station. yes the ground rods need to be 10 foot or greater but is it necessary for the trench to be dug in a triangle. i don't think so but don't really know. to me the wire is insulated so the only true ground would be the ground rods and the resistance in the wire is so small i don't believe it will mater. any opinions.
 
ActionDave

ActionDave

Chief Moderator
Staff member
Location
Durango, CO, 10 h 20 min from the winged horses.
Occupation
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Noppe said:
I am working on a natural gas metering station. yes the ground rods need to be 10 foot or greater but is it necessary for the trench to be dug in a triangle. i don't think so but don't really know. to me the wire is insulated so the only true ground would be the ground rods and the resistance in the wire is so small i don't believe it will mater. any opinions.
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The triangle thing is pure voodoo but there are certain Dirt Worshippers who put a lot of faith in the power of the triangle.
 
luckylerado

luckylerado

Senior Member
Location
Lake of the Ozarks
Noppe said:
I am working on a natural gas metering station. yes the ground rods need to be 10 foot or greater but is it necessary for the trench to be dug in a triangle. i don't think so but don't really know. to me the wire is insulated so the only true ground would be the ground rods and the resistance in the wire is so small i don't believe it will mater. any opinions.
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So if a Triad is what you are doing then yes, a triangle shape is pretty much guaranteed if you are spacing the rods roughly equal distance apart from each other rod. What other shape do three points make right. It might be a wonky looking triangle when you are done but essentially three sided. The key to a triad is making a loop. If the conductor does not loop back and tie to the first rod then you just have three rods, not a triad.

Capture.jpg
 
infinity

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
Noppe said:
I am working on a natural gas metering station. yes the ground rods need to be 10 foot or greater but is it necessary for the trench to be dug in a triangle. i don't think so but don't really know. to me the wire is insulated so the only true ground would be the ground rods and the resistance in the wire is so small i don't believe it will mater. any opinions.
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There are many here who think that this triad is a waste of time and money but if they're paying for it then it's money in the pocket.
 
R

RumRunner

Senior Member
Location
SCV Ca, USA
Occupation
Retired EE
Since when can we come up with a triangle with two equal sides and the third side equal to the sum of the two?

The config would be three rods aligned in a street line.
 
LarryFine

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
The long side must be less than twice that of either of the others, otherwise it's just a straight line. ~ Captain Obvious
 
G

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
LarryFine said:
The long side must be less than twice that of either of the others, otherwise it's just a straight line. ~ Captain Obvious
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IMHO it really gets interesting when the third side is *more* than the sum of the other two. :)
Definitely not just a straight line!

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