3 ms·

Can't you simply unplug this connection and install a proper earth at your place? That's what I did (literally: huge copper bar buried) and a lot of stuff (incl

by fb03 8y ago

Can't you simply unplug this connection and install a proper earth at your place? That's what I did (literally: huge copper bar buried) and a lot of stuff (including the shower, which in my country is electrically heated) stopped giving me tingles.

howard941 8y ago
There's an 8 foot long copper rod as the earth ground now. Replacing the existing connection would be nasty, the power company would have to come out to pull the meter (it's sealed) to get at the bonding strap inside the box and it's doubtful they'd reenergize the place without a visible bond.
mises 8y ago
That sounds smart, though I can't imagine a huge copper bar came cheap. You can get something for as little as $17 off Amazon, and maybe cheaper if you look harder: https://www.amazon.com/Skywalker-Signature-Ground-Rod-4ft/dp/B009OMMRMO/ https://www.amazon.com/Skywalker-Signature-Ground-Rod-4ft/dp...
- mindslight 8y ago
  Grounding rods are generally copper clad steel. In the US, proper ones are 8ft. $13 at Home Depot. An electrician can either measure the actual impedance or put in two rods with some spacing, so they're often just used in pairs. Back when Radio Shack was closing I put the damper on some guy who was going to buy all the grounding rods thinking he'd scrap the copper. I did him the favor of disappointing him before he spent his money.
- nielsbjerg 8y ago
  Does not have to be copper. I've done several of these using galvanized steel hammered into the ground. We'd hammer in rods of 2 meters length until the resistance was low enough (around 1600 ohms Iirc). This would ensure hpfi tripped below 50mA
sandworm101 8y ago
Be very careful about this. Grounding isn't always as easy as hammering in a spike. Some soils don't conduct properly, something that can change throughout the year as water tables move. A few US soldiers in Iraq were wounded in showers because while the electrical system was not properly ground, the shower drains were.
- balabaster 8y ago
  We used to frequently have problems with the electric fences on our farm for this same reason. Once every few weeks I pour a 5 gallon pail of water over the grounding rod to keep the fence at 7,000V. Works like a charm. This is particularly problematic where soil is a shale/gravel mix and drains quickly leaving little moisture. Grounding requires moisture for maximum conductivity. Good grounding is also required to complete the electrical circuit when you touch the fence.
  - Scoundreller 8y ago
    Salty water (or acidic, or basic water) would be even more conductive, no? And the salt would reduce evaporation (and remain until it rains) until next time. Would probably kill any crops, which will help retain even more moisture.
    - balabaster 8y ago
      I hadn't considered this, but yes, now that you mention it, given that salt water is more conductive, it would perhaps be more effective. My fences appear to provide maximum output (on a standard livestock electric fence tester) with our regular well water, so it hadn't occurred to me to give this any further thought.
    - coryrc 8y ago
      There are already sufficients ions in the soil to conduct well.
      - Scoundreller 8y ago

by fb03 8y ago

howard941 8y ago

There's an 8 foot long copper rod as the earth ground now. Replacing the existing connection would be nasty, the power company would have to come out to pull the meter (it's sealed) to get at the bonding strap inside the box and it's doubtful they'd reenergize the place without a visible bond.

mises 8y ago

That sounds smart, though I can't imagine a huge copper bar came cheap. You can get something for as little as $17 off Amazon, and maybe cheaper if you look harder: https://www.amazon.com/Skywalker-Signature-Ground-Rod-4ft/dp/B009OMMRMO/ https://www.amazon.com/Skywalker-Signature-Ground-Rod-4ft/dp...

mindslight 8y ago
Grounding rods are generally copper clad steel. In the US, proper ones are 8ft. $13 at Home Depot. An electrician can either measure the actual impedance or put in two rods with some spacing, so they're often just used in pairs. Back when Radio Shack was closing I put the damper on some guy who was going to buy all the grounding rods thinking he'd scrap the copper. I did him the favor of disappointing him before he spent his money.
nielsbjerg 8y ago
Does not have to be copper. I've done several of these using galvanized steel hammered into the ground. We'd hammer in rods of 2 meters length until the resistance was low enough (around 1600 ohms Iirc). This would ensure hpfi tripped below 50mA

sandworm101 8y ago

Be very careful about this. Grounding isn't always as easy as hammering in a spike. Some soils don't conduct properly, something that can change throughout the year as water tables move. A few US soldiers in Iraq were wounded in showers because while the electrical system was not properly ground, the shower drains were.

balabaster 8y ago
We used to frequently have problems with the electric fences on our farm for this same reason. Once every few weeks I pour a 5 gallon pail of water over the grounding rod to keep the fence at 7,000V. Works like a charm. This is particularly problematic where soil is a shale/gravel mix and drains quickly leaving little moisture. Grounding requires moisture for maximum conductivity. Good grounding is also required to complete the electrical circuit when you touch the fence.
- Scoundreller 8y ago
  Salty water (or acidic, or basic water) would be even more conductive, no? And the salt would reduce evaporation (and remain until it rains) until next time. Would probably kill any crops, which will help retain even more moisture.
  - balabaster 8y ago
    I hadn't considered this, but yes, now that you mention it, given that salt water is more conductive, it would perhaps be more effective. My fences appear to provide maximum output (on a standard livestock electric fence tester) with our regular well water, so it hadn't occurred to me to give this any further thought.
  - coryrc 8y ago
    There are already sufficients ions in the soil to conduct well.
    - Scoundreller 8y ago