Posted: 10/11/2008 7:52:23 AM EDT
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How long should the ground wire be? Here is the problem. Planning on placing the "Shack" on the front left corner of the house. Same room all my pc gear is in. Was wanting to plant the ground rods in the back yard. Will this be too long of a run? Also, the house is brick. Should I run the ground up and exit the house through the wood from the attic? Or try to penetrate the brick at ground level and sink the ground rods in the front flower beds? If I should penetrate the brick, how would you recommend I do this without breaking the brick and costing me a fortune in repairs? Patrick 
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Your ground should be as short and direct as possible. Exit the house Drill through the brick mortar joints (not the brick itself) with a 3/8" masonry bit using an impact drill. It will be a piece of cake! Then run a minimum #6 Cu from your rig to the ground rod in the flowerbed, which is placed far enough from the house and in soil that stays moist. |
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Another problem I have noticed. I need to pay more attention to these things. The flower beds by this particular wall are on the other side of the sidewalk that runs from my driveway to my front door. So, should I 1) use a hammer drill to core through the sidewalk right next to the house using a 1/2 bit and drive the ground rod through the sidewalk. 2) use a concrete saw to cut a channel through the sidewalk, place the ground wire inside this channel and cross the sidewalk. Drive the ground rod in the flowerbed next to the sidewalk, then fill groove in sidewalk with concrete patcher. 3) penetrate the wall in a different location and go into the attic and over with the ground wire, making ground longer. or 4) relocate proposed location of radio equipment into spare bedroom, then core through wall directly into flower bed. |