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Improper Grounding of Satellite Dish

19K views 84 replies 26 participants last post by  houskamp 
#1 ·
Directv came to my home two weeks ago to install a Slimline 5 LNB satellite Dish. The technician, who was a sub-contractor from Directv called Mass Tech or Advanced Technologies, located here in South Florida, who are the only ones located in my area, came to my home to perform the install of the dish. To make a long story short, the technician ran the ground wire to a metal strip that is used to hold up my Hurricane Shutters and now I am learning that it was an improper ground technique since this metal strip does not touch the ground; it is attached to the side of my home.
My old Directv Dish used to be grounded to a metal water faucet. He put the new dish further away and choose not to run the ground wire to it. Now I find out that at 24 feet or so would've been too far to run the wire anyways. At the time I had a DISH dish located where the old Directv dish was and he didn't want to take it down like I asked him and he never informed me about the grounding procedures. I told him he can try to use the hurricane metal strip to ground it and he listened to me which apparently he should never have done. He was also in a rush and wanted to get to his next appointment.
Directv visited me yesterday, now 2 weeks later to perform an inspection of the installation who advised me of the improper grounding technique that was used. They will schedule someone to come to my home to perform a proper installation!! I hear that an improper ground can cause the receivers to fry as well as my tv's and can cause possible fires.
Can anyone out there relate to this?
Has anyone ever experienced an issue caused from an imporper ground?
It is pathetic that a professional installer would do this but luckily it was noticed when it was.
I welcome all comments about this thread and thank you for your time.
 
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#52 ·
Technically, you can't satisfy the letter of the code by grounding the mounting plate. The code actually says you have to ground the mast. The same inspector that wouldn't let me ground to the breaker box panel also wouldn't let me connect my 6 gauge grund wire to a bracket that supported a 20', 3" sechedule 40 mast. I instead had to drill and tap the mast to take a 1/4-20 bolt
 
#53 ·
AntAltMike said:
Technically, you can't satisfy the letter of the code by grounding the mounting plate. The code actually says you have to ground the mast. The same inspector that wouldn't let me ground to the breaker box panel also wouldn't let me connect my 6 gauge grund wire to a bracket that supported a 20', 3" sechedule 40 mast. I instead had to drill and tap the mast to take a 1/4-20 bolt
Absurd and Illogical!

... Btw Did You Get in the Tivo "Commune" ? ;)

I wonder If The Below reference to "grounding" will suffice ? :lol:

 
#55 ·
erict said:
I will second that! When I installed my last system 10 years ago, I used the crimp style connecters and I installed an o'ring in each connecter with no weather boots. The ground block was wide open to the elements with not one issue in 10 years.
The fittings I use ( I believe they are FCONN ) com with the o-ring in them. I use a CablePro crimper ( does a 360 degree compression crimp ) and does better at keeping moisture out than the approved fittings.
 
#56 ·
AntAltMike said:
- Cheech Marin

Nah, I gave up. If I ever have to get in, I'll create a new screen name with a Yahoo address and go from there, but it isn't important enough for me to spend any more time on it.
Ahhh.... BUT NOW You DO connect "some dots". :)

My install ground Pic,..... the tivo commune, and...... "the UNseen"..

Lol.. & BIG BIG SMILES !!

AND...Heres to Ya :icon_peac
 
#58 ·
Mertzen,

You are indeed correct about needing to have a seperate threaded bolt into the mast. I knew that, but I did take that one shortcut of using the dish mount bolt.

I will have to change that to a separate threaded bolt.

Thanks for your reply.

Not sure about the comment about the fittings not being correct? The box says that they pass through the proper range of wavelengths for DTV HD. They are what my installer used. Although he did not set good examples in other ways, did he?
 
#63 ·
AntAltMike said:
Technically, you can't satisfy the letter of the code by grounding the mounting plate. The code actually says you have to ground the mast. The same inspector that wouldn't let me ground to the breaker box panel also wouldn't let me connect my 6 gauge grund wire to a bracket that supported a 20', 3" sechedule 40 mast. I instead had to drill and tap the mast to take a 1/4-20 bolt
Which Edition and which section of the code states that? If you put a meter probe at the ground and another on the dish and the reading is zero ohms then it is grounded.
 
#66 ·
BNUMM said:
Which Edition and which section of the code states that? If you put a meter probe at the ground and another on the dish and the reading is zero ohms then it is grounded.
All editions say the mast must be grounded. No version says the bracket supporting the mast can be grounded in lieu of grounding the mast. Hey, I didn't write it. Like Faux News says, "We report. You decide"

You don't have to ground the dish either. And as far as your zero/near zero reasoning is concerned, in most systems, the resistance between the mast with no dedicated ground and the ground electrode is near zero because the coax outer conductor is mechanically and therefore electrically connected to the metal antenna structure and thus that resistance is near zero, as the coax outer conductor circuit path may have less resistance that does a conforming 17 gauge copper clad seel ground wire, but it doesn't satisfy the code.
 
#67 ·
Jeez.. Evertime someone brings up the grounding issue, it turns into a free for all.. Code Says do it.. And the only reason for grounding is liability issues.. Cause it won't matter how grounded or not grounded your system is.. If lightning hits it's going to be a big mess.. READ MY LIPS.. Grounding doesn't make any difference in how your system works.. NONE. NADA. In fact in some cases it causes more harm than good. That's 25 years of installing satellite dishes talking..
 
#68 ·
There is virtually no accident liability risk in not grounding. I have never heard of anyone being successfully sued for consequential damages attributable to grounding deficinecy.

There are really ony two reasons to ground:

1. If you are a contract installer, your inspector may otherwise flunk your installation and take your commission away and,

2. If you are a little wuss named Niles or something, you can be proud of having complied with the code.
 
#69 ·
skyviewmark1 said:
Grounding doesn't make any difference in how your system works.. NONE. NADA. In fact in some cases it causes more harm than good. That's 25 years of installing satellite dishes talking..
Sorry, but speaking as an electrical engineer with 45 years of experience in communications and satellite launch systems, you're just flat wrong...your 25 years of installing notwithstanding.
 
#72 ·
RobertE said:
Not really sure what to say here other than wow, just wow.

Yes the installer messed up by not properly grounding you system.

HOWEVER, it was done per your instructions. You told (suggested to) him where to ground.

Had he blown you off and put you into the "know-it-all" customer category, then we would have still have an installer bashing thread, only it would be titled "Stupid Installer Didn't Listen to Me" instead.

He should have just walked away and saved himself the headache.

I need to stop now before I get too personal.

:mad:
If the installer knew what he was doing, don't you think he should have told me that you cannot ground to a metal bar that is not touching the ground? He should've grounded it to where it used to be but he didn't and he, the professional installer should have known better period, end of story.
 
#75 ·
Tiger62 said:
Seriously though, is this even debatable?
Debatable until hell freezes over.

In the end, regardless of what self proclaimed internet forum experts state, there really is only one opinion that matters. That opinion belongs to the local building inspector/code enforcement officer.

Quoting the NEC is nice.

Being an EE is nice.

Having years of practical experience is nice.

The NEC has zero enforcement ability. None what so ever.

None of that means a darn thing depending on your local code. If your local code says to do X, you do X. If they, for whatever reason, specifically state not to ground an DSB sat dish, then thats what you do.

It is what it is.
 
#76 ·
RobertE said:
None of that means a darn thing depending on your local code. If your local code says to do X, you do X. If they, for whatever reason, specifically state not to ground an DSB sat dish, then thats what you do.
Chances are, your local code defers to the NEC. Also, chances are, your local code enforcement officer is a good ol' boy bureaucrat who's worked his way up from the traffic light maintenance dept. and it's his interpretation of the code that everyone has to live with.
 
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