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Electrical Ground Question
I have poultry houses with some pretty expensive electronic equipment. It's not uncommon for electrical shorts to occur from time to time. The neutral and ground bars are bonded together inside the breaker box (3 wire system). Would it be better to separate the neutral and ground bars and run the ground bar directly to a ground rod?
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Electrical Ground Question
There should be a ground rod from the neutral to the ground of the meter plate. Normally the ground and neutral are strung together. If you separated them only difference would be that neutral will be connected to the ground at the house box and the other is grounded at the pole.
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Electrical Ground Question
I wouldn't mess with the the breaker box wiring at all, besides - there's probably a code violation in there somewhere. If the issues you're experiencing are due to moisture, I'd recommend some GFI breakers. If the issues are due to supply problems, I'd go with surge suppressors. For the really sensitive (or expensive) stuff, I use an UPS with line conditioning.
//greg//
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Electrical Ground Question
Let me add something to this scenario. You might say, the rest of the story or real story. When they were wiring up these control rooms, the electrician told his helper to cut the neutral/ground bonding bar out. The neutral wires are attached to the neutral bar, the ground wires are attached to the ground bar. The neutral bar is tied to the power company neutral. BUT, the ground bar isn't tied to shit.
Should I
A) run a jumper from the neutral bar to ground bar
B) run a wire from the ground bar to a ground rod.
C) Do both
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Electrical Ground Question
Billy,
I had office once that had problems with electronics going out all the time, some even with surge protectors on them. Lady working me had worked for local power company and said get the surge protector that goes between meter and base. It solved the problem. If your power company has them they must install them.
I agree with the advice Peters and Greg have also given.
kt
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Electrical Ground Question
I gotta say I don't understand "the rest of the story", but maybe there's some state/local code in Oklahoma that applies. At this point I cannot justifiably recommend any action to be taken at the box, without knowing more of the "why". Did you phone the electrician for an explanation?
Is this breaker box supplied through a it's own service entrance and meter? Or through the meter that serves the rest of the building(s)? If the latter, it would seem to me that soome of the electrical problems in the chicken coop might be due to mismatched ground potential.
//greg//
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Electrical Ground Question
Problems could be caused by circulating currents or ground loops. A hen house has a corrosive atmosphere which could attack grounding connections in conduits and panels. The neutral and the ground should only be bonded (tied together) at one point. Some municipalities this is in the meter socket others in the main circuit breaker panel. If the control room panel is sub-fed from a main panel, then the neutrals and the grounds must be separated in the sub-panel. The sub-panel would be fed with 4 wires from the main panel. Check for a bonding screw in the neutral bar, threaded through the bar into the metal panel frame. A more detailed explanation of the complete system and the type of problem would help.
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Electrical Ground Question
Billy something does not seem right.I think I would call a different Electrician to look at it. The neutral and ground should not be seperated unless it is a sub panel. Also somewhere on main service there should be a ground rod also there should be a bonging ground to the wire mesh or rebars in footings.
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Electrical Ground Question
I called him today and he said "he thought" I had a 4 wire system. Since his helper cut out the bonding bar, to drive a ground rod and tie the ground bar to it and to leave the neutral bar tied to power company neutral.
I talked to another electrician and he suggested I do the same.
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Electrical Ground Question
Billy
Glad you found where your problem really exists! I suggest that the electrician come out and "drive the ground bar and the rest of the work" Also maybe buy you a lunch and a handshake.
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