Tweet
Hi,
So I read through quite a bit of this thread I found on grounding, (though I admit not all) I am trying to determine if I need to run 3 wires from my solar panel combiner box at the array to the house, or just two. From what I am gathering in the earlier part of the thread is that it needs to be 3. Later it gets a little confusing. Especially when the topic of electric fencing, towers, etc all get brought up. I have electric fencing which I know the ground isn't bonded to the AC on the property. I also am putting up a tilt up wind generator tower with guide cables 4 ways. It is a 3phase AC axial flux unit. I was told to ground the tower at the base, and bond each set of guide cables together to 4 separate ground rods at the cables anchor points. My solar is going to be near my tower area as well. The location of the tower and array are 400plus feet from the house. So 3 wires (one for bonded ground) or just two that 400plus feet? If I do need the bonded ground wire that can be smaller can't it. I asked in the other thread if it can be bare copper, and in reading on I found that bare copper is ok if it is in the dirt (recommended I think) along side your PVC in order to get max exposure to the earth but not in the conduit. Problem is I have my PVC buried already with no bare copper in the trench. So I think Sunking mentioned it being ok as an insulated wire in the conduit. Which when reading on the LPS(?) systems this might be a better option in my case anyway. Here is why I think why. Because in my case my wind and solar is on a hill on a part of my property. The wire (conduit) travels down that hill into a valley area in our door yard, and then back up hill to the house. It probably drops 25 to 30ft, and then goes back up to the house about 20. In reading about how to ground a house it is mentioned it being important to have the wire traveling horizontal, or always in a downward flow. Lightning wants to go down. So if I would have went with a bare copper wire in the dirt for a bonding wire down hill, and then back up hill to the house it would have went against the guidelines spelled out on the proper way to do an LPS. I guess I also wanted input on should my tower grounds be bonded to everything else also. My tower is 120ft tall 8in round galvanized tube. 5 levels of guide cables, 4 ways with 60in earth anchors going to be set in concrete deadmen. On a different note can the wires from combiner box to house through plastic conduit be THHN, or is USE-2 wire required? I think THHN is meant for dry locations only? THWN-2 possible?
David
So I read through quite a bit of this thread I found on grounding, (though I admit not all) I am trying to determine if I need to run 3 wires from my solar panel combiner box at the array to the house, or just two. From what I am gathering in the earlier part of the thread is that it needs to be 3. Later it gets a little confusing. Especially when the topic of electric fencing, towers, etc all get brought up. I have electric fencing which I know the ground isn't bonded to the AC on the property. I also am putting up a tilt up wind generator tower with guide cables 4 ways. It is a 3phase AC axial flux unit. I was told to ground the tower at the base, and bond each set of guide cables together to 4 separate ground rods at the cables anchor points. My solar is going to be near my tower area as well. The location of the tower and array are 400plus feet from the house. So 3 wires (one for bonded ground) or just two that 400plus feet? If I do need the bonded ground wire that can be smaller can't it. I asked in the other thread if it can be bare copper, and in reading on I found that bare copper is ok if it is in the dirt (recommended I think) along side your PVC in order to get max exposure to the earth but not in the conduit. Problem is I have my PVC buried already with no bare copper in the trench. So I think Sunking mentioned it being ok as an insulated wire in the conduit. Which when reading on the LPS(?) systems this might be a better option in my case anyway. Here is why I think why. Because in my case my wind and solar is on a hill on a part of my property. The wire (conduit) travels down that hill into a valley area in our door yard, and then back up hill to the house. It probably drops 25 to 30ft, and then goes back up to the house about 20. In reading about how to ground a house it is mentioned it being important to have the wire traveling horizontal, or always in a downward flow. Lightning wants to go down. So if I would have went with a bare copper wire in the dirt for a bonding wire down hill, and then back up hill to the house it would have went against the guidelines spelled out on the proper way to do an LPS. I guess I also wanted input on should my tower grounds be bonded to everything else also. My tower is 120ft tall 8in round galvanized tube. 5 levels of guide cables, 4 ways with 60in earth anchors going to be set in concrete deadmen. On a different note can the wires from combiner box to house through plastic conduit be THHN, or is USE-2 wire required? I think THHN is meant for dry locations only? THWN-2 possible?
David