Tweakers' Asylum

RE: Can you use a lake as a ground?

87.13.142.27

robertopisa

In Reply to: RE: Can you use a lake as a ground? posted by tom1356 on June 15, 2007 at 21:31:10

Grounding has the primary scope of protecting people from electrical shock.

A physist told me that grounding well a house is not a trivial task and a special cage is built meters under the house.

You propose to put the wiring ground in the bed of a lake. What if a lightning hits the lake? I suspect that the ground could bring high voltage in your house. Note that a ground under the house is more protected in this case.

If I were in you, I would ask an expert electrical engineer before acting.

Bests
Roberto

Follow Ups:

I can see it would be inconvenient to do this, but your reasons are incorrect. - Norm 08:42:00 06/17/07 (1)
If lightening struck the lake, the charge would dissipate into the lake and the earth beneath it.

There is no need to protect the ground under ones house. TV and radio stations have very substantial ground fields quite out in the open. They also make certain to water the field to maintain conductivity.

In sailboats there are two theories about what to do about lightening in a storm. One is that the hull is an isolator like the tires on your car. Many sailboats have had their mast struck with the lightening finding its way through the hull and heating the mast with it falling through the bottom and sinking. The other plan is to attach chain to the mast and throwing it overboard. I am not too sure this works either. I use to sail catamarans. When we were out at sea in lightening, we turned turtle, namely turned them over with the mast pointing down and we stayed in the water with only our heads above it as we held onto the boat.
- RE: I can see it would be inconvenient to do this, but your reasons are incorrect. - robertopisa 15:07:05 06/18/07 (0)
  I'm not an electrical engineer, so I cannot reply to your arguments, which are sound to me anyway.
  
  What I learned since a boy, is that it is bad to put water and electricity in touch.
  
  On the other hand, big boats have solved this problem as you point out.
  
  But I'm still of the idea that using the lake for grounding is not that good for house safety.
  
  Cheers
  Roberto
RE: Can you use a lake as a ground? - tom1356 07:06:58 06/17/07 (1)
Thanks! I have abandoned the idea.
- Good :-) NT - robertopisa 07:48:40 06/17/07 (0)
  :-)

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