Grounding a tree mounted table lamp fixture? I want to mount a Metal Halide Flood Light above one of...
I want to mount a Metal Halide Flood Light above one of my horse shoe pits. The circuit is being wired into a GFCI (Single pole 110V AC) breaker in my house. I am concerned that the installation should be grounded as protection against lightning strikes.
I be planning on driving a 4' copper rod into the ground near the base of the tree for the lightening protection. My cross-examine: Should I run a separate ground wire to the copper rod, keeping the power line unbroken from the muted to the breaker? Or should I do it some other way? What is the correct way to provide lightning protection in need screwing up the GFCI?
Consult an electrician because if you do it wrong and the tree catch fire and falls on the house insurance will not cover it.
Mark my words if the tree catches fire and falls on the house the insurance is going to have a area day not paying you. A guy down the street did the same entry he did the wiring himself to a tree we had a dry spell and the tree caught fire and fell on the house when the Insurance investigated they found that a non licensed electrician did the work AKA him and refuse to pay. Thumbs down me all you want. Your the one who will be screwed not me.
You could run a separate gound wire from the fixture to the rod. Don't adaptation the wiring to the GFCI. Wire it as the instructions call for. The principal reason for the GFCI is to stop the flow of electricity as soon as it detects a difference between the current levels between the hot telecommunication and neutral wire (black and white). It's supposed to trip when it see the current difference, and hopefully protect you from electrical shock. The amperage of the breaker acts the same as a regular one, for over current protection situations (like pulling too oodles amps). You should also ground to your breaker box, like normal. You can't hold too many grounds, safety. Your panel is already grounded through a rod outside the home. And a gfci will trip if a strike occur because it will unbalance the neutral. accumulation another ground should only be done to the frame or gem box of the buoyant not the wiring powering the light as this would supply the ground 2 paths but it is not going to save the night light anyhow i would relyon the ground in the romex. the tree is still there isnt it?
Answers: You need to look out here to avoid something called a "ground loop". Your electrical panel is grounded via a grounding rod near your house, and if your tree feathery is far enough from the house the ground potential there could in truth be different, resulting in current flowing contained by your ground system!
I would do this: forget about your idea of a local ground rod. Rely on the grounding system surrounded by your home so that the GFCI will work properly. HOWEVER, in order for this to be important you need to be sure to use a large adequate wire so that voltage drops in the lines do not head to the possibility of a above-ground potential at the light.
Caveat emptor: consult a licensed electrician in your nouns if you want to be absolutely sure.
**Ground rods will do almost zilch in the event of a lightning strike and adding extra ground rods away for from your house will simply create a Shock hazard****
The make lightning rods along with heaps other types of surge protection for protection from a lightning strike
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Mathew C has enough university in electrical theory to follow trust his answer too
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Fishing6 is so far off he should be banned from answering question on electrical
"you can never have too many grounds"
to be exact some of the most confused uneducated info on electrical i have ever see