How to ground a house electrical system?
The best thing you can do to create a safe electrical system is to ensure the whole system is grounded and the ground circuit is electrically continuous.
Grounding your electrical system is a smart and easy way to make it a whole lot safer, as well as to protect against the very real possibility of having to deal with fluctuations in power supply. If you want to safeguard all of your important assets, whether at house or at the office, as well as look out for the health and safety of everyone around you, find out if your electrical system is grounded — and if it is not, get it done.
How does grounding work?
It’s clear that grounding electrical work is a smart move, but how does it work?
Basically grounding provides a physical connection between the ground and your home’s electrical components. Since electricity is always looking for the shortest path back to the earth, if there is a problem where the neutral wire is broken or interrupted, the grounding wire provides a direct path to the ground. By grounding your electrical system, you are giving it somewhere to go other than into you – possibly saving your life.
How is grounding installed?
In most houses, the wiring system is permanently grounded to a metal rod driven into the ground or a metal pipe extending into the house from an underground water-supply system. A copper conductor connects the pipe or rod to a set of terminals for ground connections in the service panel. For wiring systems that use electrical cable covered in metal, the metal usually serves as the ground conductor between wall outlets and the service panel.
Household electrical systems are required by the National Electrical Code to have a grounded system connected to earth ground via a ground rod. These rods are eight feet long, driven into the ground. They are usually copper plated steel with a connector called an acorn at the top to hold the ground wire to the rod. Other services, such as: telephone and cable television are supposed to have their services grounded at the point where it enters the dwelling. There should also be a ground wire running to the cold water service.
What’s the importance of grounding electricity?
Helps direct electricity
Having your electrical system grounded means you will be making it easy for power to be directed straight to wherever you need it, allowing electrical currents to safely and efficiently travel throughout your electrical system.
Stabilizes voltage levels
A grounded electrical system also makes it easier for the right amount of power to be distributed to all the right places, which can play a huge role in helping to ensure circuits aren’t overloaded and blown.
Prevents damage, injury and death
Without a properly grounded electrical system, you are risking any appliances you have connected to your system being fried beyond repair. In the worst-case scenario, an overload of power can even cause a fire to start.
How can you tell if your current is grounded?
You can usually tell whether your electrical system is grounded by checking your power outlets. If they accept plugs with three prongs, your system should have three wires, one of which is a grounding wire. However, it’s important to call licensed electricians to confirm that is grounded. A handyman or do-it-yourself er may have installed these outlets without making sure that your wiring has a grounding device The only way to know for sure is to have a licensed electrician check your electrical system with a receptacle analyzer tester.
Proper grounding is an important and valuable safety feature that should not be overlooked or deprecated.
