Many people prefer to spend the summer in a summer house. This is a great option to take a break from the bustle of the city, grow your own vegetables and fruits. But the discussion in this article is not about gardening, but about safety. If the builder necessarily provides for grounding during the construction of high-rise buildings, then the private sector must take care of itself. Let's talk about how to make grounding in the country with your own hands. Scheme and connection process - this is what attention will be focused on.
What is grounding and why is it necessary?
Electric current can be compared with water in only one property. Both liquid and electricity flow along the path of least resistance. Today, we are almost completely dependent on the availability of electricity. It holds almost all household appliances, from the TV to the heating equipment.
Each of these devices has fuses and insulation, which is designed to protect the consumer from electric shock. Imagine what could happen if the layer of insulating material is broken. That's right, it can cause electric shock. It is good if an automatic machine is installed, which will turn off the equipment on time. If it is not there, then the consequences can be the most sad. To prevent this from happening, they install grounding at the cottage with their own hands, the scheme of which can be different, but the essence is the same.
What is perfect grounding?
This question can be answered unambiguously: one that has the least resistance. We have already figured out that the current will go where the resistance is less. In our case, it is necessary to achieve the smallest possible value. Note that the human body also has its own resistance. It varies depending on climatic conditions and human condition. For example, the resistance of a person when intoxicated is negligible, which is why it is always harder for a drinker to survive after a strong electric shock.
In our case, we will adhere to a value of 4 ohms. In this case, the grounding resistance should be slightly less than this figure. In any case, it is desirable to find out such information in the EMP. Well, now we go directly to the topic.
What does the soil matter?
Many can say that there is no difference where and at what depth to bury the ground, and will be absolutely wrong. Soil type , water depth and other factors are of primary importance. But in any case, there is a general rule. It lies in the fact that the more the earth is saturated with water, the less depth the electrodes need to be driven into. You also need to reduce their step.
And now about the type of soil. It also has its own meaning in terms of resistance. For example, peat - 20 Ohm * m, chernozem and clay - 25-30 Ohm * m, sandy loam - 150 Ohm * m. It is worth mentioning also sand, the resistance of which reaches from 500 to 1000 Ohm * m. This parameter increases depending on the depth of groundwater. As you can see, do-it-yourself grounding at the cottage, the circuit of which will be discussed a little below, is not so easy to do correctly.
All about electrodes
The first thing to decide is the depth of the electrodes. It is recommended not to bury them deeper than 3 meters, but also less than 1.5 meters from the surface is also impossible. Here a lot depends on how deep the water lies. If it is 2.5 meters, then it will be enough for you to drive the electrodes to a depth of no more than 2 meters.
The grounding circuit at the cottage (self-assembled) implies a certain step (distance) between the electrodes. It usually makes sense to keep a distance of 1.2-3 meters. As for the number of electrodes in the circuit, there must be at least three of them. The layout is in a row or triangle. The distance from the contour to the foundation of the building is at least 3 meters. In any case, it is advisable to seek help from electricians. Let the installation work you perform on your own, but it will not hurt to find out about the type of soil and the depth of water from professionals. In addition, a do-it-yourself grounding diagram can be drawn up at the dacha, since there are currently plenty of options for the sample. Well, now let's move on.
Doing grounding in the country with your own hands: diagram, photo
This section will discuss the circuits used for grounding. The most common pattern is a triangle with electrodes at the vertices. It should be understood that the entire circuit must be at the same depth (below freezing).
Another thing is the connection of the circuit. The electrodes themselves, buried in the ground, do not carry any load. Before the grounding is completely ready, they must be interconnected. A metal strip is suitable for this , in extreme cases - reinforcement.
As for the type of connection, this should be a priority in welding, moreover, it is necessary to use just such a method of connecting the electrodes to each other. A steel strip is drawn from one electrode to the power cabinet (electrical panel). As electrodes, you can use a steel corner with a section of 4 x 4 mm, reinforcement 12 x 12 mm, a steel pipe with a wall thickness of at least 3.5 mm or a steel strip of 12 x 4 mm. In general, this, as well as shovels and crowbars should be quite enough to arrange a full grounding.
About the material and cross-section of the electrodes
You can safely say that you need to build on the cross section of the material. But you need to understand that an important role is also played by whether you can hammer the selected electrode into the ground. For example, you can prefer a steel rod sharpened at the base and it does not matter if it is a profile pipe or an I-beam. If you took a corner, then it can be cut with a grinder. This will make a sharp wedge, which is very convenient to drive into the ground. But as for the reinforcement, then corrugation is unacceptable due to a decrease in soil resistance.
If you have the opportunity to purchase a ready-made kit for grounding, then do so. It is a set of copper-plated electrodes a meter long. The design is connected using threaded connections. This is very convenient, and installation is carried out as quickly as possible, however, the price of such a kit is rather big. By the way, it doesn’t matter at all, do-it-yourself grounding at the cottage for a gas boiler or microwave oven, since the steel strip is connected to the power cabinet. Consequently, all equipment will be grounded.
How to make grounding for a summer house with your own hands: step by step instructions
Now is the time to start excavation. We have already decided on the material of the electrodes and their depth. Now you need to choose a suitable place. The priority is to dig a trench no further than 10 meters from the shield. First of all, we dig a trench half a meter wide and one meter deep in the shape of an equilateral triangle. From it we make a trench to the power cabinet. If the density and type of soil allow, then we drive in the electrodes at the vertices of the triangle. Otherwise, you will have to drill small wells.
It is noteworthy that if we drilled wells, then the recess can be filled with soil, mixing it with salt. This will significantly reduce the resistance, but at the same time the corrosion process will proceed more actively. After installation, the electrodes should rise slightly above the ground so that they can be welded. Please note that do-it-yourself grounding at the cottage without welding is unacceptable. After the welding work is completed and we get a closed triangle, we lead the strip to the power cabinet. There we fasten it with a 10 mm bolt and weld it to the strip.
Verification work
After you have completed all the above steps, you need to check the loop resistance. For this we need an ohmmeter. In this case, it is advisable to attract a specialist from energy management. He will take the necessary measurements if the grounding at the cottage, the diagram of which was given somewhat above, was performed correctly, will compile the necessary documentation.
If we have achieved a resistance of less than 4 ohms, then fine, if not, we expand our circuit with the help of additional electrodes. If everything is in order, then we fall asleep trenches. In this case, the use of construction waste and any other waste is unacceptable. You need to fill up with homogeneous soil.
It is important
Please note that many experts recommend filling the circuit with water, thereby reducing its resistance. Often they do this before the employee comes from energy management, so that there are no problems with the documentation. But we tried not for the sake of printing on a piece of paper, but for our own safety, do not forget about it.
If you live on a rocky terrain, then the vertical arrangement of the electrodes is not suitable for you. In this case, it is advisable to use horizontal or beam types of electrodes. A step of 3 to 10 meters is required, and the electrodes should be in the form of diverging rays or a grid.
Conclusion
Another excellent solution is grounding in the country on a pile foundation. In this case, you do not need to dig a trench and clog the electrodes. It is enough to make a competent contour from piles. But you need to understand that in this case, the likelihood of electrochemical corrosion increases. Consequently, the piles will last an order of magnitude less than they could. But in terms of reliability, this is a great solution from any angle.
In general, we figured out how to do grounding with our own hands. There is nothing particularly complicated, the most important thing is to be careful at all stages, take into account the depth of freezing of the soil, the level of groundwater and other important parameters. In any case, if you do everything right, you will be satisfied. The risk of electric shock from household appliances will be minimized.