Dish installed last night, no grounding??

[gpflepsen]

Send a e-mail to ceo@dishnetwork.com listing your concerns with the installation and reference this material.

I just hate hacks. Someone previous was saying how their state (VA?) requires installers to be certified electricians. This thread is a good argument for that being the case.

 

[mammothskier]

cpa4u, you are not alone.

Here are pictures of my install - done by Dish people.
They covered the switch by insulation in the attic, did not ground the dish at all, grounded 2 coax lines to an a/c unit in the attic, and not grounded 3rd coax line at all.

"Grounding". Ground block is hanging on the lines

The switch is there, nice and warm...

And is ungrounded.

a/c unit is grounded only via 3-prong outlet, so my system is "grounded" the same way as yours.

I've e-mailed the executive offices. They are sending someone on Thursday to fix this. No apologies whatsoever.

 

[cpa4u]

Mammoth,

So, I am not alone. Did you purchase your system directly from Dish or through a local retailer? If local, is Dish the ones sending someone to fix the issues?

I spoke to my local bldg inspector today. Just as everyone has said, my system DOES NOT meet code. So, I am sending an email to ceo at Dish as suggested voicing my concerns.

 

[mammothskier]

Mammoth,

So, I am not alone. Did you purchase your system directly from Dish or through a local retailer? If local, is Dish the ones sending someone to fix the issues?

I bought (actually leased) from E* directly. One of my local dealers wants 1 year contract with them, another one stated that grounding the Dish attarcts lightining :shocked and it is better to leave it ungrounded.

 

[cpa4u]

These installers really have no clue. That is amazing. I called my parents to see if their system was correctly grounded. Of course, they had no clue. So, I walked them through what to look for. Their system is not grounded either.

 

[gpflepsen]

Ya know who to sic on Dish??? The insurance companies. Or the insurance companies that write Dish's and their installation companies' policies.

 

[Mickdog]

cpa4u, you are not alone.

Here are pictures of my install - done by Dish people.
They covered the switch by insulation in the attic, did not ground the dish at all, grounded 2 coax lines to an a/c unit in the attic, and not grounded 3rd coax line at all.

"Grounding". Ground block is hanging on the lines

The switch is there, nice and warm...And is ungrounded.
a/c unit is grounded only via 3-prong outlet, so my system is "grounded" the same way as yours.

I've e-mailed the executive offices. They are sending someone on Thursday to fix this. No apologies whatsoever.

That looks loke crap to me! Yea, mine is not grounded, but just the way the stuff is installed, it is crap! Does not even look good! I'll get mine grounded one of these days, but I just got to say, Hey, I would not let them get away with the stuff they did!!! (or did not do!)

 

[cpa4u]

Well, I just sent a very long and detailed email to the email address that was posted in this thread for CEO @ Dish. We'll see if anyone gets back to me and sends someone to fix my problem.

 

[PSB]

The problem is the installers KNOW what they are doing, they are ripping you off, don't put up with this kind of dangerous workmanship INSIST on a LICENSED person doing your installation, check their ID and SBCA 1+2 certification and DO NOT let them enter your home without it, do your self a favor, installing a satellite system or ANY other low voltage system in your home in the above fashion is totally unacceptable, know your state law and make the crooks work to it or get out of satellite installation. I am sorry to see the above but I am in no way surprised, 75% of the installs I come across on my travels are NOT done to local and NEC code!

 

[mammothskier]

Thanks, PSB.

I'll call them tomorrow and ask for an SBCA-certified tech. I'll see what happens. I just wonder what happens if they install the system in a tech-savvy lawyer's house.

 

[ShadowEKU]

Thanks, PSB.

I'll call them tomorrow and ask for an SBCA-certified tech. I'll see what happens. I just wonder what happens if they install the system in a tech-savvy lawyer's house.

My dad is having his installed next week (after he saw mine he fell in love). Anyway hes very tech savvy and he is a lawyer and a former JAG. Ide like to see them screw him over. Ive got stories about what hes done to companies that have screwed with him.

(He moved from his JAG position to get promoted to colonel)

But yeah here in frankfort the building inspectors are rutheless. They failed our house when we were building it (i want to say 1996) because we had 2 breaker boxes and only one 8' ground rod (it required 2 for some reason).

 

[cpa4u]

Well, according to the manager at the retailer, the guy who did my install was SBCA certified. So, that didn't get me anywhere. Hopefully, DISH will step up and do the right thing by sending someone else out to ground the system.

 

[larrystotler]

I just hate hacks. Someone previous was saying how their state (VA?) requires installers to be certified electricians. This thread is a good argument for that being the case.

Actually, I pointed out that to install a ground rod in the state of VA you have to be a licensed electrician or the homeowner.

 

[larrystotler]

Well, according to the manager at the retailer, the guy who did my install was SBCA certified. So, that didn't get me anywhere. Hopefully, DISH will step up and do the right thing by sending someone else out to ground the system.

Get all his information, contact the SBCA and ask them to revoke his certification. Document everything. Make sure that your local building inspector gets this as well as pictures of everything that was done. Include the retailer's info as well, and try to get the name and employee # of everyone that you talk to at E*.

 

[JohnTenn]

Wow. This looks messy, I'm not sure how the rest of you are giving advice on this, when it's so hard to follow the lines. Question, why is the system grounded via the 34 switch, you are asking for problems with that. It is not an approved grounding source by Dish standards, and I don't beleive NEC would approve this either. The dish itself is not grounded from what I can tell either. Everybody thinks the purpose of the ground is simply to reroute a lightning strike voltage spike, when in fact, were lightning to hit, that ground wire really won't do much. It also discharges static electricity from the LNB, which dishes Engineers have determined to be a major cause of LNB failure in all dish equipment.

2nd, I notice it's a DP 34, instead of a DP Quad. I'm assuming the retailer, (I hope a DNSC tech would never even consider installing something that looked like this), was out of stock on DP Quad LNBF's and chose to use a DP 34 switch in it's place.

If this were an install from my Company, we would definitely Reinstall this, routing the cables correctly, and neatly, with it grounded properly via dual hifrequency ground blocks, and back bonded to the dish.

 

[mitchflorida]

Finally, the third Dish Installer came in and grounded the system. The other two looked at me like I was crazy and said that it was completely unnecessary.

Now at least I have better protection against lightning damage to my receiver and HDTV. The information I got from this forum was also very valuable.

Also the third Dish installer re-aimed the Dish and raised the reception by 20 pts on both satellites, so perhaps my service won't go out whenever there is a heavy rain storm.

Ever heard about doing it right the first time? Sooner or later, Dish will pay the qualified installers what they are worth and get rid of the fly-by-night people just trying to get in and out as soon as they can get a signature on the work order!

 

[larrystotler]

This is an ongoing problem in every industry that will probably never go away. It costs money to buy the right stuff to do the job, and a lot of subs refuse to pay for it since they make more money by not doing it right. Also, a lot of installers take on too much work, and they have to cut corners to get down. I get paid damn good money to do what I do, and I do my best to take care of my customers.

 

[tonyp56]

I hate to bust everyones bubble but it doesn't matter how good you ground a Dish you are not going to stop a lighting surge!! Think about it, the electricity going into your house is grounded better than anything else, but people still get surges through their power lines! Phone lines for that matter, they too are grounded very well, in several places, but you can still get a surge through a phone line. So the idea that several of you have been making that if your dish is "properly grounded" it's going to save you if it gets hit by lighting, or like Mike H. said, a power line that falls on it, is wrong.

The only thing grounding your satellite dish does is cut down on static electricity that builds up on your coax cables and your satellite and mast, thats it. If lighting hits it, it will likely destroy your entire house, I don't care how good you ground it! Does that mean you shouldn't have your dish and cables grounded? No. But everyone here needs to be realistic about what grounding does and doesn't do.

 

[ShadowEKU]

Finally, the third Dish Installer came in and grounded the system. The other two looked at me like I was crazy and said that it was completely unnecessary.

Now at least I have better protection against lightning damage to my receiver and HDTV. The information I got from this forum was also very valuable.

Also the third Dish installer re-aimed the Dish and raised the reception by 20 pts on both satellites, so perhaps my service won't go out whenever there is a heavy rain storm.

Ever heard about doing it right the first time? Sooner or later, Dish will pay the qualified installers what they are worth and get rid of the fly-by-night people just trying to get in and out as soon as they can get a signature on the work order!

out of curiosity what did this installer say about grounding?

 

[mitchflorida]

Most lightning damage is not done by direct hits but by near hits. Obviously, any ground that keeps the induced current outside of the house is beneficial. Without a grounded system, all current on the coax HAS to come inside the house. I would rather have it grounded and not play Russian Roulette with my video equipment.

The installer who installed the first ungrounded dish, will certainly not reimburse me $1500 for my tv set should it blow out.