Ground connection to the shield in a private house. Grounding systems in a private house: varieties, differences and design features

Modern household and computer equipment cannot function normally without protective grounding. In its absence, under certain conditions, the electronics will simply fail. This is especially true for suburban areas and rural areas, where old equipment and power lines are still in use. Many of them are in poor condition and do not provide the required level of electrical safety. Therefore, the owners living in such places are forced to make their own protective earth in a private house or in a country house, since it is not always possible to attract qualified specialists for these works.

If everything is done correctly, including, then in the event of current leaks, the residual current device is triggered instantly - the RCD and the dangerous area is de-energized. Exactly the same events are held in a wooden house.

The need for grounding in private homes

Among the measures to ensure the electrical safety of suburban households, the most important component is protective grounding in a private house, filled with a large number of modern household appliances. In addition, the scheme of the home electrical network will not be agreed and approved if it does not have a protective earthing system.

Proper grounding allows you to effectively solve the following tasks:

Protection against electric shock to people living in the house, in case of contact with devices that have broken insulation. If necessary, even grounding of the electrical panel is performed.
Ensuring the correct and safe operation of modern equipment and household electrical appliances.
Gas equipment () will be operated in a safe environment.
Significantly increased efficiency, grounded and connected into a single whole with the entire system.

The organization of grounding and its necessity are based on physical laws that determine the movement of electric current to the side with minimal resistance. When the insulation of the device is damaged, it goes outside and closes on the case. The equipment ceases to function normally, and a person risks being electrocuted if he accidentally touches such a surface.

If grounding in a private house is installed and mounted in accordance with all the rules, the distribution of electric current will occur taking into account the resistance of the human body and the ground loop. Since the grounding resistance is significantly lower compared to the body, the current will begin to flow along this particular circuit and go into the ground without causing any harm to a person. This is the simplest answer to the question.

The principle of operation of grounding systems

The main function of any grounding system is to connect electrically conductive parts of appliances and equipment with a special metal structure in close contact with the ground. In electrical engineering, this design is known as a ground electrode, or grounding device. It consists of metal parts made of corners, pipes, and other profile materials, connected to each other by welding.

Protective grounding devices reduce the potential at the point of contact of a person with the body of the device and bring it to a safe level. This is the principle of operation of these systems, based on the movement of electric current in the direction of minimum resistance. The whole process takes a very short time, during which the protective automatic device is triggered - the RCD, which completely cuts off the voltage supply.

Modern standards provide for the use of a three-core wire in the internal electrical network. Among the three cores there is a conductor, with the help of which the socket is grounded in a private house and the subsequent connection of devices and devices with a pinching circuit located in the ground. When used together with lightning rods, protective systems are additionally equipped with arresters capable of withstanding high currents and voltages.

The main requirement for the grounding structure of the cottage is the introduction of metal parts into the ground. The improvement of such contact is facilitated by an increase in the electrical conductivity of the soil near the ground electrode, carried out different ways. One of them is the direct chemical impact on the soil with various reagents, including salt. This factor must be taken into account when grounding a private house with your own hands. If the design is done correctly, the current will flow freely into the soil.

Types of grounding for a private house

When erecting a new building or replacing old wiring, the owners have to solve the problem of which grounding in a private house to choose in a particular case. For modern facilities, TT and TN-C-S systems are most suitable. Each of them has its own characteristics, as well as positive and negative sides. Considering them will help you figure out which grounding to choose.

It should be taken into account the factor that transformer substations and power lines with four wires are used to supply power. This is especially important when doing grounding in a private house with your own hands at 380 volts using three phase and one PEN conductor that combines ground and zero.

If the TN-C-S private house grounding scheme is used, then the input is equipped with a re-grounding of the PEN conductor. If the TN system is used, in this case this combined conductor is divided into PE and N. In this case, three- or five-core wiring is already used. The interconnection of PE and PEN conductors is strictly prohibited. In this regard, the point of their separation must be in front of the switching devices.

A serious disadvantage of such systems is the occurrence of dangerous voltage on the housings of electrical appliances in the event of a break in the PEN conductor. Therefore, this scheme is used only on modern power lines equipped with a low probability of breakage.

In TT systems, there is no connection between the building ground and the PEN conductor. This is what distinguishes this ground loop in a private house from the previous scheme. The main disadvantage of such a system is the appearance of a dangerous potential on the device case in the event of a phase-to-ground short circuit. To operate the machine, the short circuit current is not enough, therefore, RCDs are additionally connected to ensure a guaranteed power outage. Such a scheme is suitable not only for a private house, but also for a summer cottage.

Grounding in private houses with old wiring

Many owners of cottages and private houses are faced with the problem of connecting individual grounding in the presence of old wiring diagrams, often in a dilapidated and even out of order condition. In such cases, the most acceptable option is to completely replace the home network, when the entire wire and cable is changed.

This option is considered expensive and not everyone has the financial means to implement it. Therefore, it is necessary to use existing resources and solve the problem by improving and improving them.

It is recommended to start repairs with the installation of new junction boxes, sockets and switches. The places of their installation and the input itself can be left the same, paying only attention to the presence or absence of ground wires. Before connecting the ground, they are connected through the junction box to the ground bus installed in the shield.

Otherwise, you can completely turn off the old network and leave it inside the wall. Instead, external wiring is laid in plastic cable channels. To install new sockets and switches, you can use old holes or drill new ones in more convenient places. Distribution boxes must also be freed from old wiring.

If desired, the old wire can not be disconnected, but used to connect low-power household appliances. A new line equipped with grounding will require the installation of a more modern switchboard. If there is no desire to change all the wiring, the ground connection can be made only by laying a ground wire laid in a plastic cable channel.

The main components of grounding for a private house

Before proceeding with the grounding device, you need to study all the details and elements that are required for grounding in a private house and determine the places for their installation and installation.

First of all, a ground loop is equipped, which is a prefabricated structure. For its manufacture, smooth rods are used, steel pipes, corners and other typical profile materials, as well as a ground wire. After being placed in the ground, the individual parts are welded together, providing high-quality contact with the ground and rapid flow of electric current into it. In conjunction with the ground loop, an RCD is usually installed, which instantly turns off the network in case of contact with live parts.

In addition, with the grounding device, you will need to do the following:

On the main grounding bus - GZSH, installed inside the shield, a separate PE terminal is created, which will be used to connect the re-grounding.
From the same terminal copper wire designed to be connected to the earth conductor.
Next, the manufacture of the grounding structure itself, which is installed in close proximity to the house, is carried out.

Grounding conductors are artificial, created on purpose, in the absence of existing conditions, and natural, when existing building structures, parts and elements suitable for these purposes are used.

If you plan to do-it-yourself grounding in the country, the scheme in this case is recommended using natural elements. Metal or reinforced concrete elements of the building itself are best suited. You can use steel pipelines, lead protection of the power cable and other metal structures in the form of supports and poles.

Ground loop design

Since the ground loop is the main element of the system, its design should be considered in more detail.

As a configuration, a triangle, rectangle, straight line, arc or oval is used. Most often, a grounding device in a private house is made with a triangle-shaped circuit, since this is the most optimal option, which is best suited. Its isosceles configuration contributes to the creation of the largest current dissipation area. The design parameters meet all standards, and the cost of arrangement is minimal.

The distance between the individual pins can be from one to twice the length of such a pin. That is, when driving an element 3 meters into the ground, the distance between them will be from 3 to 6 meters. Such indicators provide normal ground loop resistance. The sides of a triangle are not always straight. It is allowed to shift the pins in the presence of stones and other obstacles inside the ground.

Often, natural conditions allow you to use only a semicircular or in-line circuit for connecting, when the pins line up. Such a scheme involves the use of a larger number of electrodes that provide a sufficient current dissipation area. This is a serious disadvantage due to the increase in the material consumption of the structure and problems when driving into the ground. Therefore, if possible, the owners of any country house trying to make a contour in the form of a triangle.

For maximum grounding efficiency, loop resistance should not exceed 4 ohms. This condition ensures the quality and reliable connection and ground contact with the ground. Much also depends on the materials used as a connecting agent for the pins. Usually, a steel strip or a corner is used for these purposes, connected to the electrodes by welding.

Pay special attention to the quality of the welds. For a bundle, as a conductor, you can also use a copper wire with a cross section of at least 10 mm 2, or aluminum - with a cross section of at least 16 mm 2. Large bolts welded to the pins are used as fasteners. The wire is wound onto the bolt, pressed with a washer and fixed with a nut.

Installation of a ground loop in a private house

After studying theoretical issues, including why grounding is needed in the house, you can proceed to the direct installation of the circuit.

The procedure for grounding a residential building begins with the choice of installation site. This site must be free from any communications, therefore, all necessary approvals with the relevant services must first be completed. Next, one of the ground loop configurations discussed earlier is selected. After that, you can begin to install the electrodes yourself without helpers.

To facilitate this procedure, it is recommended to use a hand drill. With the help of a drill, the first hole is made in the ground to a depth of about 2 meters, after which the first pin is driven in. If it easily enters the ground, then all subsequent electrodes can be driven deeper, but not more than 3 meters. In this case, the pin will simply get stuck and will not go any further.

Upon completion of driving, all ground electrodes are cut off in the upper part 15-20 cm down from the ground level. Between them, a groove is dug to the same depth for laying the connecting elements. Then all parts are connected by bolts or welding. A special ground wire is connected to the closest part of the house. The disadvantage of bolted connections is the need to periodically check them, tighten the contacts and clean them from rust.

When solving the problem of how to properly make grounding, it should be borne in mind that its work is based on elementary physical laws. Their exact observance at all stages of the system design guarantees its further stable and efficient operation. Its effect will be the higher, the larger the area of contact between the contour and the ground.

In this regard, the owners of such objects are advised to observe the following rules:

The grounding system in a private house cannot do with a single metal pin. Even if you drive it too deep, it will not create a full-fledged contour. In some cases, the solution of the problem of how to make grounding in a private house becomes possible only with several ground electrodes using at least two triangular circuits located at a depth of up to 3 meters.
It is impossible to ground the house using parts with a high surface density for the contour. These include profile fittings, rails, channels, etc. A circuit made of these materials has very poor contact with the ground, and sometimes there is no contact at all.
When choosing the number of contours and calculating them total area, should be based on the total power of the appliances installed in the house. The more such devices, the larger the entire grounding of a private house should be.
To protect the metal parts of the circuit from corrosion, they must be coated with a special protective coating that conducts electric current before being placed in the ground. It is forbidden to use ordinary paints and varnishes for this purpose.

The article talks about how to independently make grounding in a private cottage. We will understand the principles of grounding, learn how to calculate the configuration of this device, and decide what materials will be needed.

Some 20-25 years ago we built private and public buildings, without even thinking about the effective protection of a person from electric shock. Recently, everything has become different - our input distribution panels are becoming larger, they now house dozens of circuit breakers, several RCDs, and there is almost always a separate bus for grounding. What changed? Electricity is now literally around us, a huge number of electrical installation products have appeared in houses, a mass of household appliances and power units, which are potential sources of danger, in addition, we probably began to value human life more.

Modern building codes (in particular, PUE) require that at least one of the following measures be applied to protect a person in residential premises:

voltage drop;
potential equalization;
use of double insulation of wires;
application of isolating transformers;
installation of protective shutdown devices;
arrangement of zeroing, grounding.

Of course, the issue of security should be approached comprehensively and used in all possible ways, but grounding in the house should be mandatory.

Grounding electrical installations is the most reliable and effective method of protection, which, together with other measures, makes household electricity absolutely safe. In fact, grounding is a deliberate connection of electrical installations (elements that are not energized) with the ground. For many homeowners, the organization of grounding seems to be either too expensive and technologically advanced, or too simple, which is also not entirely true.

In a private house, it is technically not at all difficult to make reliable grounding, since the distance to the ground is very small, and free areas in the yard can always be found. Much less fortunate were the inhabitants of the old apartment buildings, where ground loops no longer work, and then some compatriots manage to ground themselves individually from the upper floors, laying a conductor from their apartment along the walls of the building to the very ground. Meanwhile, it would be a mistake to believe that any iron pin driven into the soil, or any water pipe becomes a normal working ground loop. Grounding is a system consisting of several important elements with specific normalized parameters, which operates according to certain principles, closely interacts with other systems.

Fundamentals of protective earthing

In a faulty electrical appliance(for example, if the insulation of the supply wire is damaged), voltage may appear on its case. When a person touches the device, the current rushes into the ground, passing through his body and often causing irreparable harm, not all protective devices can react or have time to break the circuit quickly enough. Why does current go to ground? Because it easily accepts a discharge, as it has a very large electrical capacity. If the leakage current (through conduction current flowing between two or more electrodes) is offered another, simpler path, for example, a conductor with less resistance - for grounding it should not exceed 4 ohms, then it will go to the ground through it, and not through a person with body resistance 1 kOhm. A current leakage occurs in the circuit, and the residual current device (RCD) disconnects the damaged section in a fraction of a second.

That is why all modern electrical actuators and units are designed in such a way that a grounding conductor can be connected to them, and three-core wires are used for wiring. This also applies to all modern household appliances, where the body and one of the contacts of the power plug are connected - sockets with a PE contact (antennae) are used to power them. All lamps, chandeliers, sconces have terminals for connecting "yellow" wiring, metal boxes of switchboards and metal structures on which power equipment is located are also grounded. It is mandatory to ground all consumers of networks with voltage alternating current over 42 V, for direct current - over 110 V. Note that grounding provides not only the electrical safety of people, but also:

stabilizes the operation of electrical installations;
protects devices from overvoltages;
reduces the amount of network interference and the intensity of high frequency electromagnetic radiation.

The grounding device consists of the following elements:

ground electrode
grounding conductors

The grounding conductor will be any part of the grounding device that connects the electrical installations to the ground electrode, these are individual cores of wires (generally - in yellow insulation), elements of external and internal circuits, a special bus located in the shield.

A grounding conductor is an electrode, a part of the grounding circuit that is in direct contact with the ground. This element ensures the flow of currents into the ground and their dissipation. Depending on whether recessed elements are used for this building structures or a specially created conductor, natural and artificial ground electrodes stand out. According to the PUE, preference should always be given to the use of natural grounding conductors (clause 1.7.35), in a private house this can be:

well metal casing pipe;
any steel pipelines, including pipes for laying electrical wires;
lead armor of the power cable;
various metal racks and supports on the street, for example, fence elements;
buried reinforced concrete and metal elements buildings (columns, farms, mines, foundations).

Artificial electrodes can be used if the resistance of natural grounding conductors does not correspond to the norm, then we will consider them in more detail.

Grounding device calculation

The main parameter to be calculated is the conductivity of the ground electrode. In other words, we need to choose an electrode of such a configuration that the resistance of the grounding device does not exceed the standard. The provisions of the PUE indicate the following numbers, which are the maximum allowable:

2 ohms - for a linear voltage of a single-phase current of 380 volts;
4 ohms - for 220 volts;
8 ohms - for 127 volts.

With a three-phase current, the maximum resistances will be the same 2, 4 and 8 ohms, but only for voltages of 660, 380 and 127 volts, respectively.

What does the conductivity of the ground electrode depend on (read, the resistance of the grounding device)? Simplified - from the area of contact of the electrode with the ground and the resistivity of the soil. The larger the ground electrode, the lower the resistance, the more current the ground accepts. All calculation formulas suggest taking into account the surface area of the electrode and the depth of its immersion. For example, to calculate a single round ground electrode, we have the following formula:

where: d- pin diameter, L is the length of the electrode, T- distance from the surface to the middle of the ground electrode, ln- logarithm, π is a constant (3.14), ρ — soil resistivity (Ohm m).

Please note that soil resistivity is the main calculation parameter. The lower this resistance, the more conductive our grounding will be and the more effective protection. The main basic figures for a certain type of soil can be found in publicly available tables and graphs, but much depends on its actual state - density, water balance, temperature, seasonal freezing depth, the presence and concentration of “electroactive” chemicals in it - alkalis, acids, salts . Moreover, at different depths the situation can change significantly, physical properties the mainland base, aquifers appear that reduce resistance, the temperature increases ... As a rule, with increasing depth, the soil becomes more current-receptive.

At temperatures below zero, soil resistance increases sharply due to freezing of water. Therefore, there are certain difficulties with grounding in areas with permafrost soils. For the same reason, the length of ground electrodes should be an order of magnitude greater than the seasonal freezing depth in normal latitudes.

Ideally, the resistance of the soil and the grounding device as a whole should be investigated practically, while the formulas will help us to make basic calculations. Often the analysis takes place directly at the stage of installation of the circuits - the electrodes are immersed and grounding conductivity is measured in real time: if the resistance is too high, then the number of ground electrodes or the degree of their penetration are increased.

Note that grounding should work at any time of the year, so it is recommended to check it in the most unfavorable conditions (drought, frost). If this is not possible, special coefficients are applied to the results, taking into account seasonal changes in soil resistance in a particular area.

If several electrodes are used to equip the ground electrode system, then the calculation procedure will be somewhat different:

The resistance is calculated for each of them (the formula above can be applied).
The indicators are summarized.
The "utilization factor" must be taken into account.
The formula looks like this:

where: N- the number of grounding conductors, TO and - utilization factor, R 1 resistance of each electrode separately.

As you can see, the conductivity of the horizontal elements connecting the electrodes into a single circuit is not taken into account.

The utilization factor can cause some difficulty - it reflects the phenomenon in which adjacent electrodes in the circuit influence each other, since the zones of current dissipation in the soil begin to intersect when too close. The closer the individual ground electrodes are to each other, the greater the total resistance of the grounding device. Around each electrode in the ground, a working sphere is formed with a radius equal to its length, which means that the ideal distance between the ground electrodes will be their length in the ground (L) multiplied by 2.

where: R- design resistance of the grounding device, R 1 - resistance of one electrode, TO and is the utilization factor.

As for the layout of the ground electrodes, they do not have to form a triangle, although this is the most common circuit configuration. The electrodes can be arranged in one row with a serial connection. This option is convenient if a narrow strip of land is allocated for arranging grounding.

Grounding installation

In principle, two types of grounding devices can be distinguished, which differ from each other in the installation technique and material characteristics. The first is a pin modular design (factory-made) with one or more electrodes, the second is a self-made version with several ground electrodes made of rolled metal. Their main differences are only in the organization of the recessed part - the conductive, “upper”, part of them is identical.

Factory grounding kits are technologically advanced and have a number of advantages:

are supplied as a set, the elements are specially designed for the arrangement of protection and are produced on industrial equipment;
almost do not require excavation, welding work is not needed;
allow you to go deep for several tens of meters and get a very low, stable resistance of the entire device.

The only disadvantage of such systems is their high cost.

Materials and tools for grounding device

Artificial ground electrodes must be made of rolled steel. Suitable for these purposes:

corner;
the pipe is round or rectangular;
rod.

To protect the metal from corrosion, galvanized electrodes are used. It is also allowed to use electrically conductive concrete as a ground electrode.

In the factory sets, these are one and a half meter seamless copper-plated pins with threads at the ends. A sharp conical tip is installed on the first element, individual pins are connected by means of brass threaded couplings. The electrodes are immersed into the ground using hand-held percussion instruments (SDS-Max cartridge, impact power is about 20 J). An adapter and a guide head are used to transfer energy from the puncher. The ground conductor is connected to the electrode through a stainless steel clamp. To protect joints from corrosion and reduce resistance at the joints, a special paste is used.

Attention! Grounding conductors must not be painted, lubricated or preserved in any other way that reduces their conductivity.

The impact of corrosion (the steel part gradually becomes thinner) should be taken into account when choosing the electrode cross section, it is selected with a certain margin, which ensures sufficient durability of the circuit. The minimum allowable cross-sections of grounding conductors located in soils are limited by regulatory documents:

galvanized rod - 6 mm;
ferrous metal rod - 10 mm;
rolled rectangular section - 48 mm 2.

Attention! The thickness of the rectangular steel shelves or the wall thickness of the pipes must be at least 4 mm.

As a conductor connecting several electrodes in the ground, a strip is most often used, but you can use a wire, a corner, a pipe. With these materials, grounding can be brought up to the electrical panel itself (the cross section of materials has fewer restrictions: a rod - 5 mm, rectangular steel - 24 mm 2, wall and shelf thickness - 2.5 mm).

The grounding conductor inside the building must have a cross section equal to the cross section of the phase conductor used in the wiring around the house.

There are also minimum requirements:

aluminum uninsulated - 6 mm;
copper uninsulated - 4 mm;
aluminum in isolation - 2.5 mm;
copper in isolation - 1.5 mm.

For switching all grounding conductors, it is necessary to use grounding bars made of electrotechnical bronze. In the TT earthing system, these switchboard elements are mounted directly on the wall of the metal box.

The deepening of a home-made ground electrode system is carried out using a sledgehammer, factory kits are clogged with jackhammers. In both cases, we recommend preparing a scaffold or ladder. To work with black rolled products, it will be necessary to use manual arc welding.

We collect the grounding device

Let's consider the procedure. In the starting points, we will indicate the operations typical for the installation of both types of ground electrodes.

Marking and earthworks. Grounding conductors are recommended to be mounted in the ground at a distance of about a meter from the foundation. In accordance with the project, the contour is marked - as we have already said, it can be an equilateral triangle, a line, a circle, several rows ... The distance between the electrodes is taken from 1.2 meters, making it more than twice the length of the ground electrode is pointless. As a basic option, suitable for most of our conditions, we can take a triangle with a side of 1.5-3 meters and an electrode length of 2-3 meters.

Next, you need to dig a trench with a depth of about 70-80 cm, the minimum depth that is allowed is 50 cm. The width of the trench at the points of penetration should provide convenience for welding conductors, they usually dig with slopes about 0.5-0.7 meters wide.

To hammer in a modular single-electrode grounding, only one pit measuring 50x50x50 cm is required.

Electrode preparation. To facilitate the immersion of the ground electrode into the ground, rolled metal is sharpened with the help of a grinder, for example, shelves are cut off at an angle, the pipe is cut obliquely, the rod is sharpened. If used metal is used, then, if necessary, it should be completely cleaned of protective coatings.

A pointed head is screwed onto the factory modular grounding pin, the connection is smeared with paste.

With sledgehammer blows, the corners (most often these are corners 50x50x5 mm) are hammered into the ground. It is most convenient to start work from a scaffold. If the metal is soft, it is better to hit the blanks through wooden spacers. The head of the earth electrode should rise 150-200 mm above the bottom of the trench so that we can connect the electrodes into a circuit.

The factory pins are driven in with a jackhammer with an SDS-Max shank chuck and an impact power of 20-25 joules. After each pin (1.5 meters) is immersed, a coupling and the next earthing element are screwed onto it, this cycle is repeated until the electrode reaches the design depth, or a failure occurs (impossibility of further penetration). In case of failure, additional ground pins are clogged, the system becomes multi-electrode.

Grounding conductors are connected by a horizontal conductor, as a rule, it is most convenient to work with a strip of 40x4 mm. For ferrous metal, it is necessary to use welding here, since the bolted joints will quickly oxidize and the resistance of the device will increase. The tack will not work - you need a high-quality long weld.

From the resulting contour we take the strip towards the house, bend it and fix it on the base. We weld an M8 bolt at the end of the strip, through which a protective grounding conductor coming from the shield will be connected.

A clamp-clamp is installed on the last modular pin and the conductor is fixed. The clamp is wrapped with a special waterproofing tape.

Factory sets with one electrode can be completed with a plastic revision well.

The ground conductor is led to the switchboard. It can be attached directly to building structures, with the exception of areas with high humidity- it is better to use insulators there. The conductor is passed through the walls by means of metal or plastic sleeve pipes, in fact, the laying rules apply the same as for the “main” wiring (one of the following articles will discuss this).

In the switchboard, the conductor, after being crimped by a bolted connection, is connected to the ground bus, which is installed on the box body (TT system).

The resistance of the grounding device is checked with a multimeter, if, taking into account seasonal coefficients (determined by the State Energy Supervision Service for different latitudes, there are ready-made tables), it exceeds 4 ohms, then it is necessary to increase the number of electrodes.

During the switching of the input-distribution device, the strands of wires in yellow insulation (they come from current consumers) are also clamped in the bus connectors.

When connecting sockets, appliances, lamps, we switch the yellow grounding conductors at the appropriate places (usually they are marked with a special sign - three horizontal stripes different sizes), for example, in sockets, this is the central screw.

A system in which the ground loop is not connected in any way with the zero working conductor N is called a CT. It is recommended for use when the TN options (there is a connection between the neutral and the ground conductor) cannot be used, for example, if the condition of the overhead power lines is unsatisfactory. Of course, for this common reason, it became very popular. But, it should be noted that the TT system with an independent dead-earthed neutral of consumers must be insured with the help of an RCD. We will talk about residual current devices in the next article.

Content:

Many people live and spend time in dachas and in private country houses. They try to create for themselves maximum comfort and comfort, surrounded by all modern conveniences. The vast majority of such objects are fully electrified, so the question often arises of how to make grounding in a private house with your own hands.

Do-it-yourself grounding scheme in a private house 220 and 380v

In each private house, grounding is arranged depending on what voltage is connected to it - 220 or 380 volts. Both grounding schemes practically do not differ from each other. In both cases, the ground loop device will be exactly the same. The existing differences relate to the connection method, depending on the type of electrical network.

When connected to a single-phase network, with a voltage of 220 volts, three wires are used - phase, zero and ground. The sockets also have three corresponding pins. If a three-phase voltage of 380 volts is connected, five wires are already used, of which three are phase, and the other two perform the functions of zero and ground. The sockets also have five pins.

It is strictly forbidden to use a neutral wire instead of a grounding conductor, regardless of the voltage in the electrical network. In this case, the failure of expensive household appliances and equipment is quite possible. In addition, a real threat to the health and life of people in the house is created.

When installing grounding in a private house, the difference in resistance should be taken into account. If the installation is carried out in accordance with all the rules, then the grounding resistance with a voltage of 220 volts will be about 30 ohms. At a voltage of 380 volts, this figure will be equal to 10 ohms. An important role is played by the resistivity of the soil in which the ground loop is laid. For example, rocky soil has very low rates.

Grounding schemes

First of all, you need to decide on the most suitable option grounding schemes for a private house. Depending on this, the entire system will be mounted in the future.

The most popular grounding schemes are:

A closed circuit in the form of a triangle. Its main advantage is more reliable operation. In case of damage to the jumper between the pins, the operation of the system will continue from any whole side.
The linear circuit consists of several pins dug in on the same line, connected in series with each other. The disadvantage of such a system is its complete failure if the jumper installed at the very beginning is damaged.

For private houses, a triangle is best suited. In terms of the amount of work, this scheme is no different from other systems, but its efficiency is much higher. Based on specific conditions, you can use your own option and perform a grounding configuration in the form of a rectangle or other shapes.

Necessary tools and materials

For the manufacture of artificial ground electrodes, rolled steel is used. Round bars, pipes of different sections and corners are best suited for these purposes.

It is strictly forbidden to use profile fittings as grounding conductors and grounding conductors. This is due to the hardened outer layer found in all products of this type. As a result, the current distribution over the cross section is disturbed, and the oxidation process occurs much faster.

In order to protect the metal from corrosion, the use of galvanized electrodes is practiced. In some cases, electrically conductive concrete can perform the functions of a grounding conductor.

There are prefabricated kits consisting of seamless copper-plated pins. Their length is 1.5 meters, and there is a thread at the end. To connect the pins to each other, special brass threaded couplings are provided. Immersion in the ground of the electrodes is carried out by high-power hand impact tools with the help of an adapter and a guide head. The electrodes are connected to the ground conductor with clamps made of stainless steel. Corrosion protection at the joints is carried out by coating with a special paste.

Ground electrodes must not be painted or coated with other coatings that reduce conductivity. However, under the action of corrosion, the thickness of steel parts gradually decreases. This factor must be taken into account, so the electrode cross section is selected with a certain margin. Thus, a sufficiently long operation of the circuit is ensured.

The regulatory documents define the minimum allowable cross-section of ground electrodes, which should be taken into account when choosing materials. So, for a galvanized rod, this parameter is 6 mm2, for a rod made of ordinary ferrous metal - 10 mm2, and for rectangular rolled products - 48 mm2. Pipe walls or rolled steel flanges are selected with a minimum thickness of 4 mm.

Of great importance right choice material used to connect the electrodes. In most cases, a strip is used, however, in certain conditions, the use of a pipe, angle or wire is allowed. With these materials, grounding can be brought directly to the electrical panel. The cross section of the grounding conductor located inside the building must match the cross section of the phase wire used in the wiring.

All ground conductors are connected to a single ground bus used for switching. The tire itself is made of special electrotechnical bronze. It is one of the elements of the switchboard and is fixed directly on its wall. A sledgehammer and a ladder may be required to complete the work. The connection of parts from rolled ferrous metal is carried out by welding.

Installation of the grounding system

In private houses, use is practiced in the form of a triangle with equal sides. In order to make a ground loop in a private house with your own hands, the markings for the future design are performed in exactly the same configuration. The grounding distance from the foundation of the building should not exceed 1 meter.

After marking, a trench is cut off along the entire perimeter of the triangle to a depth of 0.8 to 1 meter. Its width is from 50 to 70 cm, which ensures the convenience of welding and other work. The trench itself is necessary for laying horizontal connecting ground electrodes.

At each vertex of the triangle, vertical ground electrodes are driven from a corner 2-3 meters long. They are buried almost completely with sledgehammer blows. To better enter the corners into the ground, their ends are pointed. The device of small wells opposite each vertex of the triangle, about 1.5 m deep, will help facilitate the work. In this case, the corners are hammered into the ground at a shorter distance.

After completing all preparatory work, you can start direct installation of the ground loop:

At the very beginning of work, the corners are driven into the ground so that their upper edge protrudes above the bottom of the trench by about 20-25 cm.
Upon completion of the installation of vertical grounding, horizontal piping is performed in order to create a closed loop. All connections are made by welding - a steel strip is welded to the ends of the corners. The use of bolted connections is not allowed, since after a while oxidation of these places occurs. As a result, the contact is lost and the ground loop starts to work inefficiently.
After complete assembly of the ground loop, it must be connected to the electrical panel. This is done using a grounding conductor, for which a steel wire section 8-10 mm. It is welded to the contour and then laid in a trench to the junction with the shield. A bolt with a diameter of 6 or 8 mm is also welded in this place, to which the ground wire will be attached.
If there is no steel wire, then a steel strip, the same as in a horizontal ground electrode, may well become a grounding conductor. The strip will be even more efficient because it has a larger area of contact with the ground. However, it is harder to work with, especially when laying on the bends of the trench.
Upon completion of all welding work, the welding points are treated with special anti-corrosion compounds. Paint cannot be used for these purposes, since it completely breaks the connection between the metal and the ground and the grounding system simply will not work.

After checking all connections, the excavated trench is covered with earth. Next, grounding must be connected to the equipment installed in the house. Many private houses use the TN-C grounding system, where it is grounded. After installing your own ground loop, such a circuit will no longer work and will require alteration to a TN-C-S or TT system.

Earth connection system TN-C-S

The TN-C circuit does not have a separate ground conductor, so it needs to be converted to a TN-C-S circuit. To do this, it is necessary to divide the combined PEN wire in the electrical panel, which is both a zero working and protective conductor. After separation, two separate wires should be obtained: N - working and PE - protective.

Since only two supply wires are connected to the house, in order to obtain a three-core internal wiring, it is necessary to use a special PE ground bus connected to the shield through a metal surface. The PEN wire connected from the outside network is connected to it.

Then the PE bus is connected by a jumper to the same bus connected to the zero working conductor N. The zero bus is necessarily isolated from the shield. After that, the shield itself is connected to the ground loop. For this purpose, a stranded copper wire is used, one end of which is connected to the shield, and the other is attached to the ground conductor using a bolt welded on the end.

Grounding connection according to the TT scheme

This system does not require PEN conductor separations. The scheme provides for the connection of a phase conductor to a bus isolated from the electrical panel. Further, it will serve as a neutral wire. After that, the shield body is connected to the ground loop.

Thus, do-it-yourself grounding in a private house according to the TT scheme does not provide for any electrical connection of the circuit with the PEN conductor. This connection has significant advantages over the TN-C-S scheme. When the PEN wire burns out, the zero potential on the instrument cases will remain. Therefore, the CT circuit is considered more reliable and safer. Its high cost is considered a serious drawback, since the presence of protective devices is mandatory in the circuit.

How to make the grounding of your home yourself

Grounding is a mandatory element of electrical wiring in a private house. It is grounding that guarantees the safety of using electrical appliances and protects you from the risk of electric shock.

In a significant part of our country (especially in rural areas) there is an old-style power transmission system. The presence of protective grounding is not provided for in them or they are in such a state that they simply do not meet the requirements of electrical safety. Therefore, the owners of private houses have to do the grounding themselves.

Do I need grounding in a private house

When the insulation of the supply wire breaks down, a potential appears on the metal case of an ungrounded device. If you touch such a device, you can get an electric shock. At best, you will be “pinched” a little, and at worst, you will get serious injuries that are incompatible with life.

Why does a person get stressed? Current follows the path of least resistance. And he tends to the ground, because it has a large electrical capacity. Therefore, when in contact with a faulty device, your body (having a resistance of the order of 1 kOhm) becomes the only conductor.

But what if we “offer” the current an easier path by connecting the equipment case to the ground with a metal conductor of less resistance? In this case, most of the charge will go through it.

stabilize the operation of electrical installations;
protect devices from power surges;
reduce network interference, as well as the intensity of electromagnetic radiation of increased frequency.

Important: It is necessary to ground all consumers operating from networks with a voltage of more than 42 V AC and 110 V DC.

How is grounding different from lightning rod

Many mistakenly confuse grounding in a private house with their own hands 220V and 380V with a lightning rod or, more correctly, a lightning rod. Actually, there is a difference. Grounding is done so that the excess electricity that has arisen in the electrical network goes into the ground without overloading the electrical circuits. The lightning rod also diverts the atmospheric electric charge to the ground. But the ground loop always works, but the lightning rod - only when it is struck by lightning.

If you need to install a lightning rod in a private house with your own hands, then you should not load it with the functions of a conventional ground loop. Why? Because the lightning rod must lead the charge of atmospheric electricity to the ground in such a way that it does not pass through the house. Otherwise, the conductor or its fittings may become very hot. high temperature which in turn could lead to a fire.

When installing a ground loop, it should be borne in mind that the current in it is much less than from lightning. In addition, the installation of the circuit provides for a two-way process: the current goes not only to the zero core, but also from it.

That is, if you mount grounding in a private house with your own hands 220V and 380V and combine it with the functions of a lightning rod, then the lightning charge may not completely go into the ground, but return to the internal network. Because of this, an overload of the network, failure of electrical appliances or a fire may occur.

So is it possible to combine the ground loop and the lightning rod? Yes, if you use specialized factory circuits for this. They will allow you to combine two functions, but the cost of such a circuit will be higher than two independent devices.

Grounding device in a private house

The ground loop is a device of two subsystems: internal and external. The two lines are connected in a switchboard. The second part is placed on the street and consists of electrodes, which are connected by metal plates and dug into the ground.

A metal bus is drawn from such a device, which is connected to the main shield. The principle of operation of the structure is such that when a person contacts electrical equipment, the current rushes into the soil not through the body, but through a special conductor.

At the same time, you can do different types grounding in a private house with their own hands. 380v requires a slightly different approach. In humans, the resistance index is 1 kOhm, and in the mechanism - 4 Ohms. Electric current takes the fastest and easiest path to ground, which has the lowest resistance.

A grounding conductor is an element that comes into contact with the ground and produces the descent and distribution of current. In private buildings, natural types of devices are used from a steel pipeline, a protective coating of a power cable and a reinforced concrete part of a foundation or column.
A grounding conductor is a part that connects electrical installation and grounding.

Three elements of the vertical type are used, as well as three horizontal stripes that connect the vertical elements. The steel strip is used as a conductor between the switchboard and the ground loop.

A closed circuit is made in the form of a triangle.
Linear is performed from series-connected jumpers.

The contour in the form of an isosceles triangle is popular. It is located at a distance of several meters from the foundation of the building. At the same time, a trench is dug into which steel elements are driven in. Then a strip of steel is mounted around the perimeter.

In general, ground loops can be in the form of a triangle, rectangle, oval, line or arc. The best option for a private house - a triangle, but others are quite suitable.

Triangle

Grounding in a private house or in the country is most often done with a contour in the form of an isosceles triangle. Why is that? Because with such a structure on a minimum area, we obtain the maximum area of dissipation of currents. The costs for the installation of a ground loop are minimal, and the parameters correspond to the ratings.

The minimum distance between the pins in the triangle of the ground loop is their length, the maximum is twice the length. For example, if you drive the pins to a depth of 2.5 meters, then the distance between them should be 2.5-5.0 m. In this case, when measuring the resistance of the ground loop, you will get normal readings.

During work, it is not always possible to make the triangle strictly isosceles - stones come across in the right place or other difficult areas of soil. In this case, you can move the pins.

Linear ground loop

In some cases, it is easier to make a ground loop in the form of a semicircle or a chain of pins lined up (if there is no free area of suitable size). In this case, the distance between the pins is also equal to or greater than the length of the electrodes themselves.

The disadvantage of this method is that more vertical electrodes are needed to obtain the desired parameters. Since scoring them is still a pleasure, in the presence of meta they try to make a triangular outline.

Elements of the ground loop

three ground electrodes of a vertical type, which are driven into the ground, they can be made in the form of a corner;
three horizontal steel strips that connect vertical ground electrodes;
a steel strip that acts as a conductor between the ground loop and the switchboard.

Reinforcement cannot be used for the ground loop, as its surface quickly oxidizes, and also does not allow for even distribution of electric current.

Usually, the ground loop is made in the form of an isosceles triangle, which is located at a distance of 1-3 m from the foundation of the house. It is at this distance that a trench is dug about a meter deep, into which the horizontal contour elements are laid. Vertical steel elements are driven in to a depth of about 3 m in such a way that approximately 20 cm remain on the surface.

Then a steel strip is welded along the perimeter of the contour, which connects the vertical pins. The steel conductor for grounding is bolted to the switchboard housing. How to make ground loops in a private house more efficient?

To do this, the junction of the core and the ground loop must be carefully cleaned. Also one of the options is to lay a steel strip with a cross-sectional area of at least 16 mm² from the switchboard to the circuit.

Another option to increase grounding efficiency is to replace the steel core with a flat steel strip. Due to the larger area of contact with the ground, its current conductivity is also higher. However, it is more difficult to lay a steel strip into the ground than a core, it has to be laid into the ground in pieces, and then welded together. In this case, only the welding method is used.

If you have read or heard how to make proper grounding in private homes, then you probably know that using bolts to connect structural elements can lead to very negative consequences. The fact is that the bolts oxidize quickly enough, because of which the circuit ceases to conduct electricity. For the same reasons, you can not paint the frame of the circuit, because because of the paint, the current stops flowing into the ground.

If the use of bolts cannot be dispensed with when constructing a ground loop, then they must be located above the ground surface, be securely tightened and thoroughly cleaned. From time to time, the bolts should be lubricated with a special conductive grease.

What is the difference between zeroing and grounding

Many mistakenly confuse these two terms, although there is a very big difference between them. Zeroing is intended for use in industrial enterprises, but most developers neglect this rule when installing zeroing contours in residential buildings. This is not entirely safe and is done either due to a lack of knowledge, or if you want to save money.

If a three-wire cable (zero, ground, phase) is installed in a single-phase electrical wiring system, and a five-wire cable (three phases instead of one) is installed in a three-phase wiring system, then this is absolutely grounding without zeroing.

It is important to remember that grounding is designed only for the probability of a short circuit and does not perform the function of grounding. Such a function is very useful when using industrial equipment, but it is completely useless in domestic conditions, on the contrary. For example, if a neutral wire is connected to an electrical appliance, then if it burns out or if you accidentally confuse zero with a phase, then the equipment can easily burn out.

If, nevertheless, you decide to mount, together with a grounding kit for a private house, and grounding, then it is highly recommended to additionally install protective equipment. For example, a voltage limiter and a protective shutdown device for equipment are very popular.

Ground Loop Material

The ground loop consists of vertical and horizontal ground electrodes.

corrugated fittings;
round steel with a diameter of less than 10mm.

What can be made from:

round steel 14mm or more (it is problematic to hammer the electrode into the ground with a smaller diameter);
steel corner with dimensions of at least 40 * 40 * 5.

The end of the corner or round steel is cut at an angle of 30 degrees. This is the most optimal angle for steel to enter the ground.

Tools

After completing the calculation and selecting the ground loop scheme, you can proceed to the purchase of materials.

black steel rods with a diameter of 16 millimeters or more - vertical electrodes;
steel strip (tire) with a section of 5 × 40 millimeters - a horizontal ground electrode;
copper wire with a cross section of at least 10 square millimeters - connecting the circuit to the switchboard;
bolts with a diameter of 10 mm;
black exterior paint or mastic.

Important: Structural rebar is not suitable for use as earth rods. The fact is that the outer layer of such rods is red-hot, so the electric current is distributed unevenly over the cross section. And this, in turn, leads to the destruction of the metal. In addition, the reinforcement is subject to corrosion.

The quantity and dimensions of materials are selected in accordance with the calculated data.

shovel (development);
welding machine (connection of circuit elements);
grinder (cutting materials);
pliers (bending a horizontal strip);
a sledgehammer and a puncher, preferably with a special nozzle for rods (driving vertical electrodes).

All pins of the circuit are interconnected by a metal bond.

copper wire with a cross section of less than 10 mm2;
aluminum wire with a cross section of at least 16 mm2;
steel conductor with a cross section of at least 100 mm2 (usually a strip of 25 * 5 mm).

Most often, the pins are interconnected using a steel strip. It is welded to the corners or heads of the bar. It is very important that the quality of the weld be high - it depends on whether your grounding passes the test or not (whether it meets the requirements - the resistance is less than 4 ohms).

When using aluminum or copper wire, a large cross-section bolt is welded to the pins, wires are already attached to it. The wire can be screwed onto the bolt and pressed with a washer and nut, the wire can be terminated with a connector right size. the main task the same - to ensure good contact. Therefore, do not forget to strip the bolt and wire to bare metal (you can sand it) and tighten it well - for good contact.

Do-it-yourself ground loop in a private house

First, let's deal with the shape of the ground electrode. The most popular is in the form of an equilateral triangle, at the tops of which pins are clogged. There is also a linear arrangement (the same three pieces, only in a line) and in the form of a contour - the pins are hammered around the house in increments of about 1 meter (for houses with an area of more than 100 sq. M). The pins are interconnected by metal strips - a metal bond.

From the edge of the blind area of the house to the installation site of the pin should be at least 1.5 meters. At the selected site, they dig a trench in the form of an equilateral triangle with a side of 3 m. The depth of the trench is 70 cm, the width is 50-60 cm - so that it is convenient to cook. One of the peaks, usually located closer to the house, is connected to the house by a trench having a depth of at least 50 cm.

At the vertices of the triangle, pins are hammered (a round bar or a corner 3 m long). About 10 cm are left above the bottom of the pit. Please note that the ground electrode is not brought to the surface of the earth. It is located below the ground level by 50-60 cm.

A metal bond is welded to the protruding parts of the rods / corners - a strip of 40 * 4 mm. The created grounding conductor with the house is connected with a metal strip (40 * 4 mm) or a round conductor (section 10-16 mm2). A strip with a metal triangle created is also welded. When everything is ready, the welding spots are cleaned of slag, coated with an anti-corrosion compound (not paint).

After checking the ground resistance (in the general case, it should not exceed 4 ohms), the trenches are covered with earth. There should be no large stones or construction debris in the soil, the earth is compacted in layers.

At the entrance to the house, a bolt is welded to the metal strip from the ground electrode, to which a copper conductor in insulation is attached (traditionally, the color of the ground wires is yellow with a green stripe) with a core cross section of at least 4 mm2.

Ground loop PUE norms

In the electrical panel, grounding is connected to a special bus. Moreover, only on a special platform, polished to a shine and lubricated with grease. From this bus, the "ground" is connected to each line that is bred around the house. Moreover, the "earth" by a separate conductor according to the rules of the PUE is unacceptable - only as part of a common cable. This means that if your wiring is wired with two-wire wires, you will have to completely change it.

Grounding installation

First, we prepare vertical ground electrodes. We cut them with a grinder in accordance with the calculated data. Then we grind the ends of the pins under the cone. This is done so that the electrode enters the ground more easily.
Then we cut the steel strip. The length of each segment should be slightly longer than the side of the triangle (about 20–30 centimeters). It is advisable to bend the ends of the strips in advance with pliers for tight contact with the pins during welding.
We take the prepared pins and hammer them into the vertices of the triangle. If the ground is sandy and the electrodes go in easily, then you can get by with a sledgehammer. But if the soil density is high or stones often come across, then you will have to use a powerful hammer drill or even drill wells. We hammer the rods so that they protrude above the base of the trench by about 20-30 centimeters.
Next, we take a metal strip 40 × 5 millimeters and grab it by welding to the pins. As a result, you will get a contour in the form of an equilateral triangle.
Now we make a contour approach to the building. For this we also use the strip. It must be taken out and fixed against the wall (if possible, near the switchboard).

Test work for performance

After execution, a mandatory check is performed. To do this, a light bulb is connected to one end of the circuit. The contour is made correctly if the lamp shines brightly. Also, the performance is checked using a factory device - a multimeter.

Why you can not make separate grounding

Redoing the wiring throughout the house, of course, is long and expensive, but if you want to operate modern electrical appliances without any problems and household appliances, it's necessary. Separate grounding of certain outlets is inefficient and even dangerous. And that's why. The presence of two or more such devices sooner or later leads to the output of the equipment included in these sockets.

The thing is that the resistance of the contours depends on the condition of the soil in each particular place. In some situation, a potential difference occurs between two grounding devices, which leads to equipment failure or electrical injury.

As a rule, power supply in private houses is carried out by overhead lines with a TN-C grounding system. In such a system, the neutral of the power source is grounded, and the phase wire L and the combined zero protective and working wire PEN are suitable for the house.

After the house has installed its own ground loop, it is necessary to connect it to the electrical installations of the house.

convert the TN-C system to the TN-C-S earthing system;
connect the house to the ground loop using the TT system.

Connecting a house to a ground loop using the TN-C-S system

As you know, the TN-C grounding system does not provide for a separate protective conductor, so in the house we are remaking the TN-C system to TN-C-S. This is done by dividing the combined zero working and protective PEN conductor into two separate, working N and protective PE.

And so, two supply wires are suitable for your house, phase L and combined PEN. In order to get a three-core electrical wiring in the house with a separate phase, neutral and protective wire, it is necessary to correctly separate the TN-C system into TN-C-S in the introductory electrical panel of the house.

To do this, install a bus in the shield that is metal connected to the shield, this will be the PE ground bus; the PEN conductor will be connected to it from the side of the power source. Further from the PE bus there is a jumper to the bus of the zero working conductor N, the bus of the zero working conductor must be isolated from the shield. Well, you connect the phase wire to a separate bus, which is also isolated from the shield.

After all this, it is necessary to connect the electrical panel to the ground loop of the house. This is done using a copper stranded wire, connect one end of the wire to the electrical panel, attach the other end to the ground conductor using a bolt at the end, which was specially welded for this purpose.

Connecting the house to the ground loop using the TT system

For such a connection, no separation of the PEN conductor is necessary. Connect the phase wire to a bus isolated from the shield. You connect the combined PEN conductor of the power source to the bus, which is isolated from the shield and further consider PEN as just a neutral wire. Then connect the shield housing to the ground loop of the house.

As can be seen from the diagram, the ground loop of the house has no electrical connection with the PEN conductor. Connecting to ground in this way has several advantages over connecting using the TN-C-S system.

If the PEN conductor on the power supply side burns out, all consumers will be connected to your ground. And this is fraught with many negative consequences. And since your grounding will not have a connection with the PEN conductor, this guarantees zero potential on the body of your electrical appliances.

It often happens that a voltage appears on the neutral conductor due to an uneven load in phases (phase imbalance), which can reach values from 5 to 40 V. And when there is a connection between the network zero and the protective conductor, on the cases of your equipment it can also there is little potential.
Of course, if such a situation arises, the RCD should work, but why rely on the RCD. It would be better and more correct not to tempt fate and not lead to such a situation.

From the considered methods of connecting the ground loop at home, we can conclude that the TT system in a private house is safer than the TN-C-S system. The disadvantage of using a TT earthing system is its high cost. That is, when using a TT system, protective devices such as a voltage relay must be installed.

I also wanted to note that it is not necessary to make a contour in the form of a triangle. Everything depends on external conditions. You can arrange horizontal earthing in any order, in a circle or in a single line. The main thing is that their number is sufficient to ensure a minimum ground resistance.

Ready-made grounding kits for a private house

Despite the fact that self-purchase and installation of a ground loop is cheaper, home craftsmen are increasingly purchasing ready-made grounding kits for a summer residence or a private house. Their installation is easier and therefore faster.

However, buying grounding for a private house, the price of which is higher than the material from which it is made, is not acceptable to everyone. Let's try to summarize the average prices for such kits in Russia as of January 2018:

Approximately so the prices for products in the Russian market are distributed. However, buying ready-made kits is half the battle. You also need to mount the circuit. Average cost installation work for grounding a private house varies from 10,000 to 20,000 rubles. depending on the region.

In general, it turns out not so high cost for the safety of relatives living in the house. Therefore, saving on grounding is not worth it. If you purchase only material (corner, tires), the price for grounding a private house can increase significantly and you should not forget about it.

10Ohm is a popular domestic manufacturer that offers grounding kits for mounting to various depths. The installation depth varies from 6 to 30 m, and prices - from 6,000 to 25,000 rubles;
ZandZ - universal ground electrodes in the form of one or more prefabricated stainless steel electrodes. Mounted to a depth of up to 10 m, the price depends on the number of electrodes, installation depth and other parameters. The average cost of a kit for mounting on 5 m is 23,000 rubles;
Galmar is another popular manufacturer of prefabricated earth electrodes. Installation is possible to a depth of up to 30 m, such a kit will cost 42,000 rubles;
Elmast - grounding kits from a domestic manufacturer. Made of stainless steel, delivered unassembled, can be mounted to different depths. They are characterized by a long service life. A distinctive feature of these ground electrodes is their high resistance to aggressive chemical environments and adverse natural influences. The average price for a kit for mounting to a 6-meter depth is 9,000 rubles;
Ezetek - relatively inexpensive kits with medium operational characteristics. An advantageous advantage of the kit for mounting to a depth of 6 m is the price of 6,000 rubles.

There are many other manufacturers offering both ready-made kits for grounding a private house, as well as individual components. Only trusted companies should be trusted in this matter.

Many owners of private houses are familiar with the problem of old and dilapidated wiring, which can be very difficult to ground. The only true option in this case is the complete replacement of the old wiring with a new one. However, not everyone can afford it, so sometimes you have to make do with what you have.

If it is not possible to replace all the wiring, then you need to at least install new ones, switches and junction boxes. In this case, it is not necessary to change the scheme of their location. When installing new sockets, very important point- this is the control of ground wires. They must be located in junction boxes and go to the ground bus through the switchboard. Its mount is mounted on the shield body.

Another relatively simple and cheap option how to properly make grounding in private homes - complete shutdown of the old wiring. In this case, it simply disconnects from the shield and remains in the wall, and new wiring is laid outside. Plastic casings will serve well for this purpose, and new switches and sockets can be installed in existing holes in the walls.

To update the junction boxes, it will be enough just to remove the old wires from them.

cable channels to protect external wiring;
wires;
sockets, switches and junction boxes.

If you need to run new wiring in an old house and ground to electrical equipment, you will also have to install a new switchboard. At the same time, the old wiring can be left, but only low-power electrical appliances should be connected to it.

Overhaul of electrical wiring in an old house is long and expensive, a more budgetary option to protect yourself from fire and the possibility of a short circuit is to supplement this electrical wiring with one ground wire. It can not even be laid inside the wall, but simply laid in a plastic cable channel.

The advantages of this option are obvious: the cable channel fits perfectly into any interior and is well attached to any material. The channel is usually drawn between junction boxes, as well as from the switchboard. In each, all ground wires must be interconnected and go to the ground bus.

How to make grounding in a private house

Metal elements can become corroded, which will increase the resistance of the material.
With high soil moisture, it is necessary to use devices and elements with a galvanized coating.
It is not recommended to mount the circuit near pipelines where the soil can warm up.
The electrodes are best connected by welding.
There must be a distance between the electrodes that exceeds their length.
Elements should be located below the freezing depth.
The resistance of the entire system must not exceed 4 ohms.

If you are reading this article, then you probably already know why grounding is done in a private house.

Important Reminder

And for those who still doubt the expediency of such work, we recall.

Grounding is designed to remove dangerous voltage from the housings of electrical appliances and other devices powered by the mains, and it also protects the latter from failure.

Dangerous voltage (potential) may appear on the body of the electrical appliance as a result of damage to one of the wires (phase) and it is removed from the body through special wires to the ground.

It is only about protective grounding. There is also a working ground, but it is used in industrial equipment.

If you ignore the grounding installation, then there will be a high probability of electric shock to a person.

For example, a washing machine poses a great danger in this regard, there were cases when, as a result of the lack of grounding, people were electrocuted by water draining after washing.

It is not difficult to guess that the water received a dangerous potential from an ungrounded case, the dangerous voltage simply had nowhere to go.

Why is grounding important?

Firstly, it is the safety of the residents of the house, we have already mentioned this above.

Second, if you are building new house, it doesn’t matter whether you do it yourself or the contractor does all the work, everyone must adhere to special standards: SNiP (building codes and rules, GOST and PUE (electrical installation rules).

According to these norms and rules, even during the construction of private houses, the so-called system TN-S(house electrical system with grounding).

If this system is organized after the construction of the house, then it will be necessary to dismantle, for example, all two-wire wiring, and change it to a three-wire one, and this is very expensive.

Of course, you can then make grounding to only one outlet, for example, to connect washing machine.

But it is better to do this immediately during construction and on all outlets. This is what the experts recommend.

If you purchased an old private house, then, taking into account the peculiarities of the operation of modern electrical appliances, you will most likely also have to make a grounding system.

Indeed, in old houses, starting from the Khrushchev era, the rate of electricity consumption per apartment did not exceed 1.3 kW, while there were safety plugs at 6A.

But in this case, it will be possible to deal with grounding yourself, and we will talk about this further.

Let's talk about contour

The contour is a complex, but quite understandable design.

It consists of external and internal devices, which in turn are divided into:

1. EXTERNAL DEVICES. Stakes-electrodes dug in at 2 meters, connected in the upper part to each other by plates. A grounding conductor departs from the electrodes, which is a round or flat steel. The ground conductor goes to the switchboard in the house and, as a rule, is connected to it through a copper wire.

2. INTERNAL DEVICES. Ground wires that come from sockets, and directly to the switchboard in which, using a special bus, the wires of the external and internal system.

Now let's look at how to mount such grounding yourself in your home.

Grounding schemes

First you need to decide on the grounding scheme. In our case, two of them are applicable, these are closed (triangular) and linear.

Closed Circuit.

It consists of three pins driven into the ground located at the corners of an equilateral triangle (when viewed from above).

The pins in the upper part are interconnected by horizontal ground electrodes, there are also three of them.

The advantage of this system is that if one of the horizontal grounding switches fails, the entire system will continue to work.

Linear scheme.

It consists of three grounding stakes that are driven into the ground on one line and connected to each other by two horizontal metal strips (ground electrodes).

Although this scheme is simpler than the first one, it works less reliably, since if at least one horizontal jumper fails, the entire system stops working.

Which scheme to use is up to you, but we recommend the triangle scheme, as it will last for decades.

But that's not all. Grounding schemes can be improved.

For example, it would not be a mistake to drive grounding stakes into the ground in the form of a rectangle or oval.

Or improve linear diagram by adding a pair of stakes and a pair of horizontal ground electrodes to it.

And also install a linear circuit with two or more groups of ground electrodes. Pictured in the center.

Also, a lot will depend on the capabilities of the area where the grounding will be mounted, but more on that later.

So which line should you choose?

Let's first look at the conditions under which certain types of contours are used.

Closed triangular contour:

The 220/380V network is brought into the house through a power water shield.
Continuous total power consumption of more than 3 kW.
Availability of electrical appliances industrial type with provided grounding connection ( lathe, circular, drilling machine etc.).

Two groups of linear grounding:

Consumed total power over 1kW for 20 minutes.
The electric wire is brought underground through an external shield.
The house has at least one of the communications (communications, gas, water, sewerage).

There are many other factors, so in this case it is best to consult a specialist, and do the work yourself.

We prepare material and tools

We will proceed from the fact that we are making a closed triangular grounding circuit, since it is the most popular.

First, let's deal with the material, and based on what it will be, we will prepare the tool.

So, from the material we will need:

1. For vertical ground stakes, you can use: a pipe with a wall thickness of at least 3.5 mm and a diameter of 30 mm, fittings with a diameter of 2-3 cm, a corner of 5x5 cm (preferably stainless steel). The length of any material must be at least 2 meters.

2. Metal strips with a section of 40x4 mm, at least 1.2 meters long.

3. The same as in item 2 metal strip, but preferably stainless steel. Its length will depend on the distance from the installation site of the grounding stakes to the place where it is brought into the house.

4. Copper wire for the phase conductor with a diameter of 6 mm.

Cooking tool.

We will definitely need:

Welder.
Electric drill with drills (drill holes for bolts).
Bulgarian (sharpen stakes, cut metal).
Perforator (to start grounding in the house and for other work).
Sharpened bayonet shovel.
Heavy sledgehammer.
Keys depending on what bolts you will have.

Where to drive stakes?

The place for driving the stakes should be not far from the blind area of the house, no more than one 1.2 meters.

First of all, it must be safe and not visited by people and animals.

If you do not have unvisited places around the house, then this area should be fenced off.

Work progress

Digging trenches.

The depth of the trenches should be 0.5 - 0.7 meters. Their top view should represent an isosceles triangle with sides 1.2 meters long.

To the place of the grounding plant in the house, if necessary, a trench with the same depth is also dug.

We hammer stakes.

We hammer stakes in the corners of the trench to a depth of 2 meters. We leave 20 - 30 cm for welding other structural elements.

Do not forget to sharpen the stakes, for example, if you have a corner, then this can be done with a grinder.

During the driving of stakes from above, they can be watered with water, which will play the role of a kind of lubricant. Thus, the work will go faster, and the sledgehammer can be used easier.

Welding.

We weld horizontal steel strips to the stakes. Separately, we weld a metal plate going to the place where the grounding enters the house.

Connecting to the ground bar.

Using a copper wire with a diameter of 6 mm and bolts, we connect one end of the wire to the metal plate and the other to the bus.

How to check grounding?

There are many ways to check correct operation grounding. Professionals and experienced electricians do such a check using special devices, for example, the old but proven PKP-3.

Or use a more modern megger.

Check the resistance of the metal bond and the resistance of current spreading (check with a megger).

Current spreading resistance should not exceed 4 ohms.

But what if you do not have such devices.

Exists folk way checking the correctness of the work on the installation of grounding, using a conventional lamp with a power of more than 100W.

We screw the lamp into the holder with carrying. We connect one end of the carrier to the 220V phase, and the other end to the ground loop, or rather to one of the horizontal plates.

If the lamp burns brightly, as if it is connected to an outlet, then the work has been done correctly.

If it is not bright enough, then the welding work was most likely of poor quality, it is necessary to better weld the joints of the structure.

If the lamp is off, then it is necessary to check the entire circuit for integrity, starting from the ground shield, somewhere a significant mistake was made.

Summing up

As we can see, it is not so difficult to make grounding in a private house with your own hands, it will be enough to choose the right type of circuit for the house and prepare necessary material and tool.

For welding work for 1 hour, you can hire a specialist or ask a friend. For earthworks, too, a lot of mind is not needed.

If you don’t understand how to bring all this into the house and connect it to the switchboard, then you can also hire an electrician.

At least it will be much cheaper than giving all the work to some company that will rip you off in full. At the same time, they still do not guarantee complete electrical safety.