Help grounding mast and antenna

[texasdiver]

Hi Guys:

I have been trying to figure out the proper way to ground my sat and OTA system to code. I'm pretty sure the way I have it set up now is not correct. But I haven't been able to find a usable online reference to this section of the code.

What I have installed on my chimney is an OTA antenna on a 25' telescoping steel channel master mast and next to that I have my DirecTV antenna bolted to the side of the chimney. The chimney is a wood frame structure about 8'' high covered with wood siding. The actual flume an insulated steel stovepipe coming up through the center. I have the OTA antenna mast attached to the chimney with heavy metal brackets that are screwed with lag screws into the 2/4 framing inside the chimney and I also have guy wires at the 20' height. All of my coax leads enter into the chimney through a hole in the siding on the chimney and then run down between the chimney wall and stovepipe into the attic. I never use the chimney for fires, it's only decorative for us.

Here's what I've done so far as far as grounding:

1. I installed a 4-outlet ground block onto the OTA antenna mast.

2. I installed a coax ground block about 2 ft above that on the siding into which I run the OTA antenna lead before it enters the chimney. From this ground block I ran a 2' length of 8 gauge stranded copper AWG wire to the main ground block on the antenna mast.

3. The Sat antenna mast has a twin coax ground block bolted directly on the lower part of the arm. Both of the two coax leads from the LNB enter into this ground block and then run into the side of the chimney. I ran a 4' length of 8 gauge AWG stranded copper wire from this ground block on the sat mast to the main ground block on the OTA antenna mast.

4. From the main ground block I ran the same 8 gauge stranded copper AWG wire along to the edge of the roof and down the wall where I attached it to a cold water faucet on the side of the house.

Questions so far:

1. From what I have read it is not correct to attach grounds to a cold water faucet unless it is within 5' of where the water enters the house. However I have been unable to figure out where the water actually enters my house. I have a slab foundation and I don't see any main water shutoff valve except for the one at the meter which is out at the street. The faucet I attached to is the closest one to the meter on the street corner. But short of digging a big hole, I'm not sure how to figure this out. Any suggestions?

2. My main electrical service box is on the opposite side of the house as my antennas. I thought about running a ground all the way to the service box but it would be a run of about 90' if I did it directly and ran it up over the peak of the roof and down the other side, or it would be a run of over 100' if I ran it along the outside of the house. That is why I went with the cold water faucet at least temporarily because it is only about a 30' run to this location. Is it better to run a 3x longer wire to the service box or keep the ground on the same side of the house as my antenna?

3. Are there any problems with combining all of my grounds from the 3 coax leads and two antenna masts into a single ground block or do I want to keep them separate?

Those are all my questions for now. I would also welcome any pointers to any good reference sites on the web for how to do this properly.

 

[PSB]

Try here for some more grounding info........

http://dbsinstall.com/Whatis/Whatisgood-5.htm

 

[texasdiver]

Hi Peter:

I had already checked that site but it didn't really answer any of my questions.

1. If the only for-certain approved grounding spot that I can locate is my electrical service box then do I just run the 90-100' distance across the roof and down the wall to that location?

2. How far can I run a ground wire before it is too far and do I need to increase the gauge of the wire for longer distances?

3. Can I ground all of my antenna masts and coax cables to the same block on my chimney and then run a single ground wire to the ground location or do I need to keep these items separated?

 

[PSB]

3. Yes you can ground them all with a single ground cable
2. I do not run any ground cables over 20' ( I see your chimney is only 8" : ))
1. There must be someplace in the attic to ground to, ideally all the cables should have been run to a central point no further away than 20' from the service ground, if its too late now, find a metal raceway/conduit pipe in the attic that is grounded, and ground to that, I would also use surge protection at each receiver to be on the safe side, but the 90-100 ft ground run will not cut it, as electricity follows the path of least resistance.

 

[022266]

HEY Pete!

Whats the 1st thing to look at after you meet the customer and see where the TV's are?

I hunt the Common Ground and look for line of site from the shortest distance
( which is usually in the back of house... )
this way I know I am under the 20' to ground it...

 

[PSB]

I look for a quick getaway in case a big dog come running out : ) Other than that I do exact same as you! But many customers havemade there mind up they want the dish some other place on the building, if possible the customer is always right, all you can do at that point is advise!