[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

RE: IDEA FOR GROUND

 * Original msg to: Esondrmn-at-aol-dot-com

 > From: Esondrmn-at-aol-dot-com (Ed Sonderman)

 ES> Richard,

 ES> I've read many comments on grounding lately.  Sewer pipes,   
 ES> etc.  I'm just a country boy.  We have septic tanks and      
 ES> drain fields.  The septic tank is buried down about 2.0 ft   
 ES> to the lid, it is made of concrete and is probably about 5   
 ES> or 6 feet deep and the same diameter.  It should be full and 
 ES> we agree the (liquid?) should be a good conductor.  How      
 ES> about if I snake a heavy ground wire into the tank and use   
 ES> this for a ground?

GO FOR IT! This is what I call a "ground of opportunity". The
"ground" already exists, all you need to do is find a way to hook
it up. This septic tank should handle all the RF power you can
pump into it, on top of everything else...

 ES> Will the concrete tank prevent good coupling to the earth?

I don't think so. The concrete should be pretty wet all of the
way through making it somewhat conductive, plus the drain pipe
should provide some connection to the septic field. 

 ES> Just a thought. 

And a very good one at that. 

 ES> It may actually be too far away to keep the RF ground line   
 ES> short.

That does not mean you should forget about it. I would go ahead 
and run some cable out there, snake a conductor into the tank,
and connect it all up to your existing ground. It is too good,
and too large, to ingore. When the weather breaks you should
trench down six inches (get below the sod) and lay the bare
conductor in the bottom of the trench before backfilling. This
will start to dissipate RF current in the trench, and will have
the huge capacity of the tank at the far end. If you want to
shorten the electrical distance, add another ground rod halfway
between the coil and the tank after the ground thaws.

If you have a galvinzed water tank in the ground nearby I would
connect that. Sometimes galvinized culverts will be used to
channel water under drives etc.. I would connect those as well.

Back to the septic tank. Snaking a strap or heavy cable will
really help in the short run, but don't they sometimes pull the
lids off to pump out the sludge? If you could get your cable or
strap connected to a large copper screen, copper sheet, or copper
plate and get that into the bottom of the septic tank before they
replace the lid during servicing I think you would be set.

Richard Quick
... If all else fails... Throw another megavolt across it!
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12