"B. Otten" wrote in message
...
finalquest wrote:
w_tom - I do believe you make a very valid and important point. After
reading up on it a bit, one point grounding is one of the most important
things that need to be checked. As you mentioned the cheaper surge
protectors need that good ground to work properly. I'm still researching
this and have to agree at this point, the best protection is to
disconnect everything but there are times that's not practical. Once
again, THANKS to everybody that's helping out.
Indeed w_tom makes the best point about protection -- only a single point
ground for ALL points in a system in which all are tied together and
utilize a single point for a collective ground is effective. Damage is
(and will) be done if there is ANY means for a potential to vary in a
system. In other words, ALL points must rise and fall at the same time.
Current flows when there is a difference in two points in a system. My
radio tower is 65' high and located in west central Florida, aka Lightning
Capital of the US. After a strike to the foundation of my home 3 years
ago, which literally blew ceramic tiles off the concrete slab and turned
them to shattered glass shards, and blew a 3 inch deep, 2 inch wide chasm
some 5 feet long into the concrete, I undertook to make certain I was
safer. The strike did not hit my tower...it actually struck the telephone
equipment point 90 away in the front of my home. The measures I took are
on my web page: http://www.knology.net/~res0958z/
Bill
KC9CS
Awesome work, Bill. Minor quibble about the terminology - "single point
ground". Your diagram looks like a multi-point ground system in a star-star
and daisy chain. I agree with the objective of trying to minimise the
potential difference across the area being protected and that implies good
conductivity into the earth for enormous currents. That is accomplished by
providing lots of contact with the soil and the soil should be deep and wide
and conductive. Instead of ground rods, I recall seeing some Australian
research decades ago into the use of wire mesh and radials. Rocks, desert
and permafrost present special problems.
Tom