Totally Brilliant. 5 Stars. This video has viral potential from what I have seen on UA-cam and DYI channels. Should be mandatory in all high schools and electrical courses. Looking forward to grounding solar disconnect breaker box and inverter/battery for a off grid set up but the inverter is supplied with AC.🇨🇦
Thanks for this, i really improved my understanding from watching the video. A tip for anyone else watching who wants to take in the (huge amount of detailed) information more easily - change the video play speed to 75% ;-)
Grounding systems are a blessing and a curse. They are a blessing because if a piece of equipment in your house fails you are much less likely to have enough current flow through your heart. They are a curse in that they actually make your home a more susceptible to damage from a lightning strike NOT less. If a lightning bolt strikes the physical Earth in your neighbor's backyard there is a much higher chance of the voltage coming back up through the the grounding system than not. During a lightning event my home would be better served if I could implement an isolation switch temporarily isolating my system from the earth ground. The problem is I would probably forget to put it back to normal after the storm passed. Also, in the unlikely event that I would also have an equipment failure inside my house I would not be protected from electric shock. The truth is: MOST LIGHTNING DAMAGE ENTERS THROUGH THE GROUND SYSTEM. THE GROUNDING SYSTEM DOES NOT PREVENT DAMAGE FROM LIGHTNING IT OPENS A BACK DOOR ALLOWING IT TO HAPPEN.
Fine video, thoughtfully presented. I would suggest also showing Ground protection on a real world system, and also touching on conductor sizing for eg PV grounding. Thank you for this very helpful vid.
I think there is a missing detail. All (?) PV panel frames are isolated from the PV conductors. Thus grounding the frames does not directly mean one would have a ground loop issue. I think it would be wise to ground the frames with a remote rod (in the case arrays that are out in a field) and tie it back to the main "house" ground while keeping the PV lines isolate BUT putting lightning arrestors between one or both of the PV lines and ground.
I'm always so impressed with electricians' ability to quote and cite code off the top of their heads. Wish I could quote the Bible with that kind of alacrity.
Excellent. Now, why do the PV installers not run a ground from the ground mount, via the wiring trench, to the ground rod which is going to be near the entrance panel/meter base?
excellent video again! Do you do professional solar system installations or assist in inspecting the systems? or refer someone to install the system that I am buying? thanks a lot!
Yeah this is extremely helpful, but how about isolated 12v solar setups that are not tied into a homes main panel. Does having grounding rods around panels help in a lightning strike? Im just setting up a couple batteries with a couple 100watt panels, for a back up during power loss, but not hooked into the house in any way.
Thanks for the video. Are you saying that there should be a grounding system on the roof that covers the perimeter of the solar panel array, and that should be connected to its own copper rod in the ground? The frames of the panels themselves should then all be tied together and be presented to the earth terminal in the solar controllers or if using a solar inverter, to the inverter itself? I am completing a 40ft catamaran which has a 6kw solar panel array, two 10kw solar inverters, two 45kwh LiPO4 lithium battery banks and two 15kW electric outboard motors. I will be running the two hulls independent of each other, with 3kW of solar going to each solar inverter. I was thinking of doing four spike charge dissipators at the corners of the catamarans roof which would be linked together with 70mm2 cable. During weather that posed a risk of a lightening strike, I was going to then fit 4 removable large copper cables which would be attached to the spikes and draped into the water. None of this grounding would be attached to the frames of the solar panels, but would be to try to keep the charge of the localised sea area and the surrounding air above it, at an even voltage thereby reducing the risk of attracting a lightening strike. The cat is a solar cat so no mast to worry about. Does that solution sound likea good idea?
does an ac disconnect consider a main panel if installed before this main serice panel? my ac disconnect doesn't have any breaker its a manual switch for disconnecting the meter from the main service manually it has 2 200amp fuse inside. so my question is if do i need a ground neutral bond in ac-disconnect switch and isolated the ground neutral bond in main service panel. or is going to be ok just ground wire into my main service panel with breakers? the existing grounding system?
Grounding systems are a blessing and a curse. They are a blessing because if a piece of equipment in your house fails you are much less likely to have enough current flow through your heart. They are a curse in that they actually make your home a more susceptible to damage from a lightning strike NOT less. If a lightning bolt strikes the physical Earth in your neighbor's backyard there is a MUCH higher chance of that voltage coming back up through the the grounding system than not. During a lightning event my home would be better served if I could implement an isolation switch temporarily isolating my system from the earth ground. The problem is I would probably forget to put it back to normal after the storm passed. Also, in the unlikely event that I would also have an equipment failure inside my house I would not be protected from electric shock. The truth is: MOST LIGHTNING DAMAGE ENTERS THROUGH THE GROUND SYSTEM. THE GROUNDING SYSTEM DOES NOT PREVENT DAMAGE FROM LIGHTNING IT OPENS A BACK DOOR ALLOWING IT TO HAPPEN.
Ciao! E' un piacere trovarti qui, seguo con interesse il tuo canale e apprezzo la tua conoscenza tecnica. Potresti fare anche tu un video sull'argomento messa a terra dei pannelli? Vedo molta confusione in giro.. Anch'ìo come te non ho i pannelli sul tetto ma sul terreno, e di questo si parla ancora meno. Non sono neanche collegato alla rete! Ma quindi se metto il neutro a terra per avere la monofase, poi il filo di terra va normalmente a finire sulla palina interrata? Un caro saluto. Paolo
@@pablonerino la terra va sempre riferita a un singolo nodo equipotenziale...singolo paletto o piu paletti collegati assieme sempre equipotenziale...non ci deve essere differenza di resistenza o una minima tensione tra due terre...
@@mauroattilionosenzo Esatto, altrimenti si può creare una scarica che corre da un paletto all'altro entrando poi in casa, giusto? Però allora mi sorge la domanda: perchè e in quali casi servono due paletti? E perchè alcuni sconsigliano di mettere i pannelli a terra?
@@pablonerino I paletti vanno messi ad almeno 10 m uno rispetto all altro quindi piu paletti se le distanze sono oltre I 10 m ma vanno collegati tra loro con un cavo dì adeguata dimensione o una treccia meglio ancora
Why would you ground a DC system to earth as the neutral is floating. Wouldn't it be wise to make a lightening rod system to attract unwanted lightening strikes to safely carry it to earth? Cars, trucks, motorhomes all are powered by a DC systems and are not earth grounded as well as boats. We have DC as well as AC aboard our boat and no earth ground.
Ok on the wiring diagram starting at 14:40 there are 2 box's with red arrows in them , 1 on the dc side and 1 on the ac side of the inverter. Are we just supposed to guess how things are wired inside these box's , do you assume we know how things are wired inside these box's. would it not be prudent to show us how things are wired inside these box's. I think if you showed use how things are wired inside these box's it would help us "to ensure safe and effective solar grounding" ???????
PV grounding servers a totally different purpose compared to general house grounding. The 2 systems are isolated so any theoretical potential between them is irrelevant. Connecting them together can cause AC to be present on the panel rails, or DC to be present into the AC network which I find totally absurd.
Thanks for this. I did a video on PV grounding and bonding that is not nearly as clear or authoritative. I suggested the same solution for induced voltage between service and auxiliary grounding electrodes (binding them together) and got multiple comments disputing the solution, most of them simply didn't seem to understand the distinction between grounding and bonding to manage fault currents and grounding to mitigate voltage surges from nearby lightning strikes or static electricity. You might find this interesting, though clearly I have nothing to teach you. ua-cam.com/video/PEpsz9Jqnrs/v-deo.html
Excellent video! You even covered multiple ground scenarios which is something even a lot of electricians get wrong.
Totally Brilliant. 5 Stars. This video has viral potential from what I have seen on UA-cam and DYI channels.
Should be mandatory in all high schools and electrical courses. Looking forward to grounding solar disconnect breaker box and inverter/battery for a off grid set up but the inverter is supplied with AC.🇨🇦
Thanks for this, i really improved my understanding from watching the video.
A tip for anyone else watching who wants to take in the (huge amount of detailed) information more easily - change the video play speed to 75% ;-)
most informative video on grounding. watched few times to fully grasp everything. thanks
Grounding systems are a blessing and a curse. They are a blessing because if a piece of equipment in your house fails you are much less likely to have enough current flow through your heart.
They are a curse in that they actually make your home a more susceptible to damage from a lightning strike
NOT less.
If a lightning bolt strikes the physical Earth in your neighbor's backyard there is a much higher chance of the voltage coming back up through the the grounding system than not.
During a lightning event my home would be better served if I could implement an isolation switch temporarily isolating my system from the earth ground.
The problem is I would probably forget to put it back to normal after the storm passed. Also, in the unlikely event that I would also have an equipment failure inside my house I would not be protected from electric shock.
The truth is: MOST LIGHTNING DAMAGE ENTERS THROUGH THE GROUND SYSTEM. THE GROUNDING SYSTEM DOES NOT PREVENT DAMAGE FROM LIGHTNING IT OPENS A BACK DOOR ALLOWING IT TO HAPPEN.
Super explanation! Please also comment on transformerless vs transformer based solar inverters and the various types of PV panels.
could you make a video or describe what to do for an off-grid solar PV + battery (not-grid-tied, no-grid) situation?
Fine video, thoughtfully presented. I would suggest also showing Ground protection on a real world system, and also touching on conductor sizing for eg PV grounding. Thank you for this very helpful vid.
Good video, thank you. How would I ground a standalone system not connected to the main?
I think there is a missing detail. All (?) PV panel frames are isolated from the PV conductors. Thus grounding the frames does not directly mean one would have a ground loop issue. I think it would be wise to ground the frames with a remote rod (in the case arrays that are out in a field) and tie it back to the main "house" ground while keeping the PV lines isolate BUT putting lightning arrestors between one or both of the PV lines and ground.
I'm always so impressed with electricians' ability to quote and cite code off the top of their heads. Wish I could quote the Bible with that kind of alacrity.
Excellent. Now, why do the PV installers not run a ground from the ground mount, via the wiring trench, to the ground rod which is going to be near the entrance panel/meter base?
excellent video again! Do you do professional solar system installations or assist in inspecting the systems? or refer someone to install the system that I am buying? thanks a lot!
Yeah this is extremely helpful, but how about isolated 12v solar setups that are not tied into a homes main panel. Does having grounding rods around panels help in a lightning strike? Im just setting up a couple batteries with a couple 100watt panels, for a back up during power loss, but not hooked into the house in any way.
Yes that would help. Separate system needs a separate ground.
Thanks for the video. Are you saying that there should be a grounding system on the roof that covers the perimeter of the solar panel array, and that should be connected to its own copper rod in the ground? The frames of the panels themselves should then all be tied together and be presented to the earth terminal in the solar controllers or if using a solar inverter, to the inverter itself? I am completing a 40ft catamaran which has a 6kw solar panel array, two 10kw solar inverters, two 45kwh LiPO4 lithium battery banks and two 15kW electric outboard motors. I will be running the two hulls independent of each other, with 3kW of solar going to each solar inverter. I was thinking of doing four spike charge dissipators at the corners of the catamarans roof which would be linked together with 70mm2 cable. During weather that posed a risk of a lightening strike, I was going to then fit 4 removable large copper cables which would be attached to the spikes and draped into the water. None of this grounding would be attached to the frames of the solar panels, but would be to try to keep the charge of the localised sea area and the surrounding air above it, at an even voltage thereby reducing the risk of attracting a lightening strike. The cat is a solar cat so no mast to worry about. Does that solution sound likea good idea?
does an ac disconnect consider a main panel if installed before this main serice panel? my ac disconnect doesn't have any breaker its a manual switch for disconnecting the meter from the main service manually it has 2 200amp fuse inside. so my question is if do i need a ground neutral bond in ac-disconnect switch and isolated the ground neutral bond in main service panel. or is going to be ok just ground wire into my main service panel with breakers? the existing grounding system?
Nice job
I'm curious that if I ground my roof mounted solar array, doesn't that create the potential to attract lightning to the higher grounded point now?
Grounding systems are a blessing and a curse. They are a blessing because if a piece of equipment in your house fails you are much less likely to have enough current flow through your heart.
They are a curse in that they actually make your home a more susceptible to damage from a lightning strike
NOT less.
If a lightning bolt strikes the physical Earth in your neighbor's backyard there is a MUCH higher chance of that voltage coming back up through the the grounding system than not.
During a lightning event my home would be better served if I could implement an isolation switch temporarily isolating my system from the earth ground.
The problem is I would probably forget to put it back to normal after the storm passed. Also, in the unlikely event that I would also have an equipment failure inside my house I would not be protected from electric shock.
The truth is: MOST LIGHTNING DAMAGE ENTERS THROUGH THE GROUND SYSTEM. THE GROUNDING SYSTEM DOES NOT PREVENT DAMAGE FROM LIGHTNING IT OPENS A BACK DOOR ALLOWING IT TO HAPPEN.
Would be nice to see a battery in the system.
thank you for this video I have know clear view
Ciao! E' un piacere trovarti qui, seguo con interesse il tuo canale e apprezzo la tua conoscenza tecnica. Potresti fare anche tu un video sull'argomento messa a terra dei pannelli? Vedo molta confusione in giro.. Anch'ìo come te non ho i pannelli sul tetto ma sul terreno, e di questo si parla ancora meno. Non sono neanche collegato alla rete! Ma quindi se metto il neutro a terra per avere la monofase, poi il filo di terra va normalmente a finire sulla palina interrata? Un caro saluto. Paolo
@@pablonerino la terra va sempre riferita a un singolo nodo equipotenziale...singolo paletto o piu paletti collegati assieme sempre equipotenziale...non ci deve essere differenza di resistenza o una minima tensione tra due terre...
@@mauroattilionosenzo Esatto, altrimenti si può creare una scarica che corre da un paletto all'altro entrando poi in casa, giusto? Però allora mi sorge la domanda: perchè e in quali casi servono due paletti? E perchè alcuni sconsigliano di mettere i pannelli a terra?
@@pablonerino I paletti vanno messi ad almeno 10 m uno rispetto all altro quindi piu paletti se le distanze sono oltre I 10 m ma vanno collegati tra loro con un cavo dì adeguata dimensione o una treccia meglio ancora
Grazie, gentilissimo. Però aspetto un tuo bel video su questi temi, e credo che saremo in tantissimi a trarne beneficio! Grazie ancora
What about a pure DC battery bank system with no inverters?
Hello, DoI need separate earth rod for dc and ac in case of a solar system installation?
Just 1 ground rod common point
On the Ball 👍
Why would you ground a DC system to earth as the neutral is floating. Wouldn't it be wise
to make a lightening rod system to attract unwanted lightening strikes to safely carry it to earth? Cars, trucks, motorhomes all are powered by a DC systems and are not earth grounded as well as boats. We have DC as well as AC aboard our boat and no earth ground.
Hi, do you provide services like inspection of solar system for a fee?
Yes
Ok on the wiring diagram starting at 14:40 there are 2 box's with red arrows in them , 1 on the dc side and 1 on the ac side of the inverter. Are we just supposed to guess how things are wired inside these box's , do you assume we know how things are wired inside these box's. would it not be prudent to show us how things are wired inside these box's. I think if you showed use how things are wired inside these box's it would help us "to ensure safe and effective solar grounding" ???????
Maybe SPD?
its color coded lol, white goes to white, black goes to black, red goes to red, green is ground. There is no instructions needed
Maybe you need to learn gratitude. To say thanks maybe?
He is helping you and helping us
PV grounding servers a totally different purpose compared to general house grounding. The 2 systems are isolated so any theoretical potential between them is irrelevant. Connecting them together can cause AC to be present on the panel rails, or DC to be present into the AC network which I find totally absurd.
Grounding and earthing are actually two different things
Looks like a older spider man
Thanks for this. I did a video on PV grounding and bonding that is not nearly as clear or authoritative. I suggested the same solution for induced voltage between service and auxiliary grounding electrodes (binding them together) and got multiple comments disputing the solution, most of them simply didn't seem to understand the distinction between grounding and bonding to manage fault currents and grounding to mitigate voltage surges from nearby lightning strikes or static electricity. You might find this interesting, though clearly I have nothing to teach you. ua-cam.com/video/PEpsz9Jqnrs/v-deo.html
This makes no sense