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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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#77 ·
Just being a nitpicker....the ground from the antenna must take the shortest possible route to the ground block...bypassing the drip loop...according to NEC code... :)

Mertzen said:
Did this one today. Now I am sure someone will have some remark on it. But I know for a fact it is better then 95% of most installs out there. :rolleyes:
 
#78 ·
Tiger62 said:
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.
Yep.

Thats why these debates are always so much fun to watch. Folks come out of the woodwork to state, blah, blah, blah must be done. When in the real world, it all comes down to what Gomer Pyle your local code guy thinks. ;)
 
#80 ·
RobertE said:
The NEC has zero enforcement ability. None what so ever.
The NEC is a document. The NFPA is the agency behind it.
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.
Most jurisdiction's building codes related to things electrical make reference to the NEC. The NEC has been adopted by most agencies either directly in their own code or, more commonly, by adopting code from a larger jurisdiction (ie the state building code).

It is unlikely that a jurisdiction would adopt code that conflicts with the NEC.
 
#81 ·
RobertE said:
Yep. Folks come out of the woodwork to state, blah, blah, blah must be done. When in the real world, it all comes down to what Gomer Pyle your local code guy thinks.
This is exactly what has always frustrated me most. Some of these "woodwork" people actually know what they're talking about, having spent years in the industry protecting towers, etc., from lightning. Whereas the local code enforcement folks often know nothing about lightning protection.
 
#82 ·
Scott in FL said:
This is exactly what has always frustrated me most. Some of these "woodwork" people actually know what they're talking about, having spent years in the industry protecting towers, etc., from lightning. Whereas the local code enforcement folks often know nothing about lightning protection.
Well, your local building inspectors may be Gomers. But around the big city you'll find master electricians and plumbers, structural, civil, mechanical and electrical engineers working for the building inspectors office either directly or by contract.

Again, grounding of the dish/antenna is not about lightning. Google lightning rod and learn something about what Ben Franklin invented. Think tall buildings, national historic sites, radio towers, etc. as places to invest in lightning protection. You mention antennas and grounding and people assume it's just all about nothing but lightning.

Wonder how many pages this tread is good for? :rolleyes:
 
#83 ·
2dogz said:
Again, grounding of the dish/antenna is not about lightning.
You might want to start here: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/109481.pdf
And then go on to here: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/129445.pdf

Or if you don't have the time let me share just one quote from part 1: "Proper grounding is critical to lightning protection."

I know these articles very well, and much is based on NFPA Lightning Protection Code 780 (which was virtually my bible back in the 1980's).

A nearby lightning strike can induce a very damaging surge in your dish or tv antenna and coax run, and grounding has everything to do with getting that surge safely to ground (preferably not through your Direct TV receiver or new LCD High Definition tv set).

Among the many large (13 meter) satellite dishes and radio/tv broadcasting towers I was either in charge of installing or maintaining is a 1400 foot tower in Florida (the lightning capitol of the world). Believe me... grounding of that tower has everything to do with lightning!
 
#84 ·
Scott in FL said:
You might want to start here: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/109481.pdf
And then go on to here: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/129445.pdf

Or if you don't have the time let me share just one quote from part 1: "Proper grounding is critical to lightning protection."

I know these articles very well, and much is based on NFPA Lightning Protection Code 780 (which was virtually my bible back in the 1980's).

A nearby lightning strike can induce a very damaging surge in your dish or tv antenna and coax run, and grounding has everything to do with getting that surge safely to ground (preferably not through your Direct TV receiver or new LCD High Definition tv set).

Among the many large (13 meter) satellite dishes and radio/tv broadcasting towers I was either in charge of installing or maintaining is a 1400 foot tower in Florida (the lightning capitol of the world). Believe me... grounding of that tower has everything to do with lightning!
I'm not arguing your investment of time, material, and money in the protection of amateur/commercial transmission towers and 13 meter dishes (big mothers) from lightning. I'm just saying, that little 10 AWG ground wire would act more like a fusible link (vaporized!) than a shunt to ground upon a lightning hit. There simply isn't that investment in lightning protection in the requirements for a home dish/antenna install.
 
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