Grounding is afundamental component that is required to protect your home’s electrical system. This is the reason why you need to install a ground baron your property that aligns with the local building code. Ground bars are cost-effective and straightforward, but they are necessary to protect your electric equipment as well as appliances. Therefore, they cannot be ignored.
What Is A Ground Bar?
A ground bar is typically located close to your main electrical panel is usually made of copper and copper coated steel. They are approximately half inches in diameter and 8-10 feet in length. For it to be able to provide an appropriate ground connection, the rod must be tied to the primary service panel electrically.
Inspecting Your Ground Bar
A ground bar and their connections to your home’s electrical system may get damaged over some time. Therefore, they must be appropriately maintained. Some of the main causes of damage include freezing, thawing, corrosion, improper installation of grounds for other devices such as security systems and generators.
It is possible to perform a visual check of grounding by inspecting the wire that connects the electrical panel near the ground bar. Usually, this is a copper wire that is about ¼” in diameter and can be spotted going into the soil.
Underneath the surface, the wire is connected to more than one ground bar. Since the tops of the ground rod are below the surface, they may be hard to inspect. However, sometimes ground bar can stretch beyond the surface, making it relatively easier to examine the connection.
In certain cases, problems with ground bars can be seen easily. Rods that are not fully installed may show at least a foot above the ground. As a result, this may diminish the effectiveness of the ground. Ground bars that are bent out of shape have disconnected wires, or suffering from severe corrosion must be replaced. The ones installed in dry soil or underneath a rocky surface must be checked to ensure that they still have low resistance.
Suppose the soil conditions change due to factors such as drainage or changes in the soil moisture. In that case, a ground bar will no longer be as effective as it was at the time of installation and might fail to meet the approved requirements.
Unfortunately, there is little you can do to control how your electrical panel is grounded/earthed. If you do not execute proper grounding according to the building code, you would not be able to mitigate the damage that may happen beyond your electrical panel.
You must only seek help from a licensed electrical contractor if you need assistance regarding your home or business grounding needs.
Here Is How It Protects Against Power Surges
Among many things that can happen on your electrical systems, the most common issue that you will face is high voltage surges. This can not only damage but also cause loss to one of the service conductors.
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High voltage surge may be caused due to lightning strikes near the power lines. Additionally, the voltage spikes may also happen when heavy appliances or large machinery is switched on or off. This is when proper grounding makes your home’s electrical systems stable and also reduce the impact of these surges.
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In case a pole is hit by a car or a tree branch falls, the power lines from the utility systems to your home may get disrupted. This is the reason you need proper grounding of your home to minimize or eliminate the potential damage. In absence of proper grounding, varying voltages may cause damage to your electronics dye to overvoltage.
This is why you need to install proper grounding and must perform the procedure in the right way to ensure that it offers your electronic devices with adequate protection. Moreover, even your most sophisticated surge protection devices will fail to do their job if your grounding systems are not appropriately maintained. Thus, you must hire a qualified electrical professional to get the best recommendations and expert guidance on installation!