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Grounding a gas boiler is one of the basic safety requirements that must be met in order to obtain permission from the relevant authorities to operate the heating system.
Why do it?
Grounding a gas or other boiler in a private house is a measure to ensure the safety of the operation of gas equipment, which consists in laying an electrical wire connecting the heating system with a special device — a ground loop.
Grounding functions:
- in the event of a short circuit of the wiring to the case, the possibility of electric shock to a person when touching the equipment is excluded;
- static electricity does not accumulate in the system;
- the influence on the automation of the electromagnetic field is reduced.
In addition to grounding, the gas heating system must be equipped with a backup device for automatically shutting off the gas supply when the electrical wiring is closed.
Important! Grounding is a mandatory measure to ensure the safety of operation of gas equipment, regardless of the planned duration of use of the boiler. In the absence of grounding, a permit for the operation of the heating system will not be issued by the supervisory technical services.
It must be understood that as a result of friction of mechanism parts against each other and gas on the inner surface of the pipes, a static charge accumulates on the system case, which is not only unpleasant when touched, but also is a spark-forming factor and can cause a gas explosion when it leaks. In addition, static electricity interferes with the operation of automation, which, in turn, leads to incorrect operation of the heating system as a whole.
If you are going to make the grounding of a gas boiler yourself, you need to understand that for this you need to have certain knowledge in electrical engineering. If you are not an expert in this area, it is better to contact specialists. This will eliminate doubts about the correct execution and ensure the safety and durability of equipment operation.
Basic Rules
It should be noted right away that higher requirements are imposed on the grounding of a gas boiler than on an identical operating condition for conventional electrical appliances. Therefore, this issue must be taken seriously.
There are several basic ways to create a ground:
- Buy a ready-made kit and mount it on site. It contains all the necessary elements. In this case, the installation is simple, and the connection to the boiler does not take long, regardless of whether it is single or double circuit. All you need is a small plot of land — no more than a square meter. Installation is possible near the house or even in the basement.
- Make your own grounding element. To do this, you need to have a welding machine, grinder, sledgehammer steel corner 60×60, 75×75 or 80×80 mm and strip steel 3 mm thick.
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The grounding check is carried out before turning on the gas boiler by a specialist who understands this issue. He will determine not only the total resistance, but also conduct appropriate tests with soil conductivity.
Control authorities recommend buying ready-made designs in order to definitely not make a mistake. Although, if necessary, everything can be done with your own hands.
How to do it?
Grounding is a connection by an electrical wire of equipment with conductive electrodes of an external grounding circuit, capable of accepting and evenly discharging electric current to the ground in the event of a short circuit in the electrical wiring to the equipment case.
Many, although they know that this is necessary, nevertheless do not understand how to make grounding. At the same time, the work on the installation of grounding is not very laborious and does not require special professional skills.
External circuit device:
- Near the wall through which the ground wire will come out, according to the above scheme, markings are made for the structure.
- Along the vertices of a conditional triangle, electrode pins from a steel angle, 2-2.5 m long each, are driven into the ground with the help of a sledgehammer, their excess lengths are cut off at ground level. A trench is dug between the clogged pins to a depth of a shovel bayonet, and the rods are connected by electric welding with strip steel so that after filling the trench, the strip is 10-15 cm below ground level. Then another piece is welded to the triangle of strip steel to the wall of the house, and also along a dug trench, a strip is brought to the wall.
- The end of the strip is securely attached to the wall or brought into the house through the hole made, and the equipment ground wire is connected to it.
Examination
During the performance of work with your own hands, it is necessary to take into account the requirements that are set by the relevant authorities:
- drag coefficient. It can vary from 10 to 50 ohms — it all depends on the ground. In ordinary soil, regulatory organizations allow an indicator of 10 ohms.
- Conductivity. For normal soil, no more than 50 ohms are allowed.
Important! Resistance coefficient measurements can be carried out according to different documents. It is best to know in advance what standards will be assessed.
The measurement of ground resistance for a gas boiler is carried out with special devices of various modifications. They are relatively inexpensive. If your profession is not related to electricity, it is better to entrust the control measurement of resistance to a professional. It makes no sense to acquire and master the device because of a one-time need.
After the installation, connection and self-testing has passed, you can call the inspector for professional diagnostics and entering the device into the register. The inspector’s remarks are binding and postpone the commissioning of the system until they are corrected. It should be remembered that the supervisory participation of the inspector in assessing the condition of the installed gas equipment is, first of all, a guarantee of your personal safety and the safety of others, not to mention ensuring the durability of an expensive heating system.
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