- Aug 1, 2017
- 4
- 4
I could use some suggestions for how to ground an outdoor network camera in an unusual case.
In 2017 I lost a camera mounted to a corner of my home due to a lightening strike close by. It was my own fault for not using shielded cable or proper grounding. So, I designed a new location away from the house. Unfortunately the contractor that built the block wall where the mount sits missed the memo on establishing grounding into the rebar, so it is up to me to find a workaround.
The camera is an Axis Q6115-E PTZ unit and mounted atop a 20 foot metal pole with their pendant kit. There is a small ground wire that bonds the camera to the inside of the mount. The bottom of the pole is bolted upon a six foot high concrete block wall column filled with cement. The 12” mounting screws were simply placed in the concrete when it was poured and sadly not bonded to any internal rebar. The Cat6 shielded PoE communication wiring goes through the center of the pole and routed through the wall into a utility box, where a surge suppressor unit (Ubiquiti ETH-SP-G2) is, then traveling through 92 feet of mostly buried conduit before entering the home. There is a secondary surge suppressor on the inside wall and grounded to the main home grounding system.
What I am lacking is the grounding of the pole and/or first surge suppressor. My home is built upon a granite rock hillside and simple trench digging is usually quite cumbersome because of this. I suspect that driving a standard copper grounding rod would be the same (regardless of various installation orientations that are acceptable). So, here are the questions that I have:
1. Does the pole itself need to be grounded in this case? The utility box mentioned is just eight inches away from the pole base, so I hope to just start the grounding there. If it would be worth it, I could string a 10 AWG wire directly through the pole to the camera housing for grounding and tie in the first surge suppressor along the way.
2. There is another utility box about 26 feet away that has a 10-3 AWG wire in it for AC electrical use. Would accessing the ground in that wiring be acceptable?
3. If I do have to drive a ground rod, is a shorter length acceptable for this application? Solar panels were recently installed and the contractor that drove the ground rod for that went through three of them before he was able to sink a rod at least six feet, then cut it off. (Yes, the resistance readings were satisfactory.)
HA, maybe my OCD is taking over here and I am overthinking (as usual). Still, I want to do what I can to reduce the chance of another expensive lightening strike.
Peace,
Dr. Z.
In 2017 I lost a camera mounted to a corner of my home due to a lightening strike close by. It was my own fault for not using shielded cable or proper grounding. So, I designed a new location away from the house. Unfortunately the contractor that built the block wall where the mount sits missed the memo on establishing grounding into the rebar, so it is up to me to find a workaround.
The camera is an Axis Q6115-E PTZ unit and mounted atop a 20 foot metal pole with their pendant kit. There is a small ground wire that bonds the camera to the inside of the mount. The bottom of the pole is bolted upon a six foot high concrete block wall column filled with cement. The 12” mounting screws were simply placed in the concrete when it was poured and sadly not bonded to any internal rebar. The Cat6 shielded PoE communication wiring goes through the center of the pole and routed through the wall into a utility box, where a surge suppressor unit (Ubiquiti ETH-SP-G2) is, then traveling through 92 feet of mostly buried conduit before entering the home. There is a secondary surge suppressor on the inside wall and grounded to the main home grounding system.
What I am lacking is the grounding of the pole and/or first surge suppressor. My home is built upon a granite rock hillside and simple trench digging is usually quite cumbersome because of this. I suspect that driving a standard copper grounding rod would be the same (regardless of various installation orientations that are acceptable). So, here are the questions that I have:
1. Does the pole itself need to be grounded in this case? The utility box mentioned is just eight inches away from the pole base, so I hope to just start the grounding there. If it would be worth it, I could string a 10 AWG wire directly through the pole to the camera housing for grounding and tie in the first surge suppressor along the way.
2. There is another utility box about 26 feet away that has a 10-3 AWG wire in it for AC electrical use. Would accessing the ground in that wiring be acceptable?
3. If I do have to drive a ground rod, is a shorter length acceptable for this application? Solar panels were recently installed and the contractor that drove the ground rod for that went through three of them before he was able to sink a rod at least six feet, then cut it off. (Yes, the resistance readings were satisfactory.)
HA, maybe my OCD is taking over here and I am overthinking (as usual). Still, I want to do what I can to reduce the chance of another expensive lightening strike.
Peace,
Dr. Z.
