I will be puting a intenna mast up on the roof, and I plan on
running a wire from the mast to a grounding rod. My house is grounded
via just the water pipe, as far as I can tell, no grounding rod connects
to my electrial service. Do I need to run a wire from the grounding rod
to my water pipe to prevent a grounding loop?

What size wire should I use from the mast to the rod? and from the rod
to the water pipe, if it is required?

Thanks!



-Mike Ekholm
--
Mike Ekholm, UNIX Sys Admin -
web: http://www.ekholm.org ham: kc0mpu irc: Nalez
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNIX - The Swiss army knife of software.

Mike,
Putting the mast grounding aside for a minute, I think I'd
have a talk with whoever supplies your electrical power about
the ground that should be there and isn't.
'Doc

On 27 Nov 2003 17:02:33 GMT, Mike Ekholm wrote:

I will be puting a intenna mast up on the roof, and I plan on
running a wire from the mast to a grounding rod. My house is grounded
via just the water pipe, as far as I can tell, no grounding rod connects
to my electrial service. Do I need to run a wire from the grounding rod
to my water pipe to prevent a grounding loop?


Based on my personal experience:

I would verify that you don't have a electrical system ground. If you
don't, then add one post haste. The number, size, and spacing vary
according to soil conditions and the size of your electrical service.
It's for your own safety. The water pipes/system should be considered
as a safety backup.

" Check the electrical codes for your area", or get to know an
electrician. Here the code required I have two, 8' ground rods six
feet apart connected with #6 wire for the electrical service for
*both* the house and the shop. Although fed from the same transformer
they have their own meters and breakers. The TV mast and small
satellite dish required their own 8' ground rod and only a #10 wire
for grounding. BTW we are also required to tie the electrical service
ground to gas pipes and water pipes. Which in our case is strange as
the water system is all plastic except for the water meter.

What size wire should I use from the mast to the rod? and from the rod
to the water pipe, if it is required?

You didn't say what type of soil you have in your area, but most
would be using bare, solid (or stranded), #6 or #8. As I noted above,
the TV antenna mast and satellite dish use only a #10. I use #2 and
have everything tied together for the ham station, but I have a large
antenna system that gets struck by lightening fairly often.

You'll have to fix the return add due to dumb virus checkers, not spam
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair?)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Thanks!



-Mike Ekholm

On 27 Nov 2003 17:02:33 GMT, Mike Ekholm just had to say:
: I will be puting a intenna mast up on the roof, and I plan on
: running a wire from the mast to a grounding rod. My house is grounded
: via just the water pipe, as far as I can tell, no grounding rod connects
: to my electrial service. Do I need to run a wire from the grounding rod
: to my water pipe to prevent a grounding loop?

Thanks for the responses folks. I will run 10ga from the mast to the ground
rod, and I will also run a wire from my house ground system to the ground rod
to prevent a ground loop. I will need to do some code reading to find
what size wire I need to run from the house gound system to the rod.

Thanks!



-Mike Ekholm
--
Mike Ekholm, UNIX Sys Admin -
web: http://www.ekholm.org ham: kc0mpu irc: Nalez
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNIX - The Swiss army knife of software.

That is not a wise idea. If your mast takes a direct hit, or if there is one
nearby, there is a possibility that some of the energy will go into the house
via that ground rod. Antenna grounds should always be isolated from
housewiring grounds.

Antenna grounds should always be isolated from
housewiring grounds.

==============================

Unless your antenna is under another distant thundercloud you must have
suicidal tendencies. ;o)

On 29 Nov 2003 02:25:58 GMT, (K9SQG) wrote:

That is not a wise idea. If your mast takes a direct hit, or if there is one
nearby, there is a possibility that some of the energy will go into the house
via that ground rod. Antenna grounds should always be isolated from
housewiring grounds.

Here I have everything tied together, but it's not a normal
installation. There are 30 ground rods connected by over 600 feet of
bare #2 copper. All ground rods are bonded (CadWelded) together
forming a network which should keep any particular ground and
equipment at the same potential no mater where which tower would be
hit. Although the likely hood of anything other than the main tower
getting hit is unlikely. It's 130 feet, the top of the multi band
vertical on the shop is 60 feet and the mast at the other end of the
house is only 25 feet.

You'll have to fix the return add due to dumb virus checkers, not spam
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair?)
www.rogerhalstead.com

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 05:23:05 GMT, Roger Halstead
wrote:

On 29 Nov 2003 02:25:58 GMT, (K9SQG) wrote:

That is not a wise idea. If your mast takes a direct hit, or if there is one
nearby, there is a possibility that some of the energy will go into the house
via that ground rod. Antenna grounds should always be isolated from
housewiring grounds.

Here I have everything tied together, but it's not a normal
installation. There are 30 ground rods connected by over 600 feet of
bare #2 copper. All ground rods are bonded (CadWelded) together
forming a network which should keep any particular ground and
equipment at the same potential no mater where which tower would be
hit. Although the likely hood of anything other than the main tower
getting hit is unlikely. It's 130 feet, the top of the multi band
vertical on the shop is 60 feet and the mast at the other end of the
house is only 25 feet.


Nice work Roger, ever work for the telephone company?

Russ

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 15:05:07 GMT, Russ wrote:

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 05:23:05 GMT, Roger Halstead
wrote:

On 29 Nov 2003 02:25:58 GMT, (K9SQG) wrote:

That is not a wise idea. If your mast takes a direct hit, or if there is one
nearby, there is a possibility that some of the energy will go into the house
via that ground rod. Antenna grounds should always be isolated from
housewiring grounds.

Here I have everything tied together, but it's not a normal
installation. There are 30 ground rods connected by over 600 feet of
bare #2 copper. All ground rods are bonded (CadWelded) together
forming a network which should keep any particular ground and
equipment at the same potential no mater where which tower would be
hit. Although the likely hood of anything other than the main tower
getting hit is unlikely. It's 130 feet, the top of the multi band
vertical on the shop is 60 feet and the mast at the other end of the
house is only 25 feet.


Nice work Roger, ever work for the telephone company?

Nope! I had to purchase everything. Hence the reason for me doing all
the work:-))
Welll...come to think of it, way back in the early 50s my dad was a
lineman on one of the old privately owned rural lines. I got to do a
lot of pole climbing. I still have the old portable test set... and
memories of splinters.

You'll have to fix the return add due to dumb virus checkers, not spam
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair?)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Russ

(K9SQG) wrote in message ...
That is not a wise idea. If your mast takes a direct hit, or if there is one
nearby, there is a possibility that some of the energy will go into the house
via that ground rod. Antenna grounds should always be isolated from
housewiring grounds.


If all grounds are at the same potential, no current can flow between them.
Not to mention the NEC requires it in the U.S. MK