Ashlok Earthing & Lightning Solutions FAQ

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What is an electrical earthing system?

An electrical earthing system is a network of conductors buried in the ground to provide a safe path for the dissipation of fault currents from electrical systems.

Why is it important to have an earthing system in place?

Earthing is primarily done to ensure safety by providing a low resistance path for fault current to flow In the event of a fault, the current flows through the earthing system instead of passing through a person or equipment, thereby minimising the risk of electric shock and damage to equipment

Electrical Safety :

The primary goal of earthing is to prevent electrical shocks and protect people and equipment from the harmful effects of electric currents. By establishing a low-resistance path to the ground, earthing ensures that fault currents are safely diverted away from conductive parts of equipment or structures, minimising the risk of electric shock.

Equipment Protection :

Earthing safeguards electrical equipment and appliances from damage due to electrical faults. When a fault occurs, excessive current flows through the grounding system and safely dissipates into the earth. Without proper earthing, this current could cause overheating, electrical fires, or irreversible damage to equipment.

Lightning Protection :

Lightning strikes can cause catastrophic damage to buildings and structures. A well-designed earthing system provides a path for lightning-induced currents to dissipate safely into the ground, reducing the risk of lightning-related fires and structural damage.

Power Quality :

Earthing helps maintain stable power quality by providing a reference point for voltage levels. It ensures that equipment operates within safe voltage limits and prevents voltage fluctuations that could disrupt sensitive electronics.

What are the different types of earthing systems available?

The main types of electrical earthing systems include the TN system, the TT system, and the IT system, each with its specific applications and requirements.

How does an earthing system protect against electric shock and equipment damage?

What are the key elements of an earthing system?

The elements that are used in an earthing system, will vary slightly depending of the resistivity of the land.

Earthing Electrodes :

An earth electrode may take form a rod, strip, tube or plate which is buried in the ground and which serves to conduct current from the earthing system to the general mass of the earth.

Arquetas (Earth Pit Chamber Cover) :

Earth pits are usually situated towards the outside of buildings. Their function is to provide an accessible manhole for any tests and inspections.

The connection to the earth pit is made at the bottom of the excavation, through a device that allows the disconnection of the earth conductors and which must carry an earth symbol.

Earth Conductor :

The earthing conductor is commonly called the earthing lead. It joins the installation earthing terminal to the earth electrode or to the earth terminal provided by the Electricity Supply Company. It is a vital link in the protective system. These are generally made with copper, galvanised steel, aluminium, copper clad steel and copper clad aluminium in form of strip, tape, wire and cable.

Earthing bonds :

Bonding refers to the process by which a low impedance path for the flow of an electric current is established between two metallic objects. Bonding is concerned with those techniques and procedures necessary to achieve a mechanically strong, low impedance interconnection between metal objects and to prevent the path thus established from subsequent deterioration through corrosion or mechanical looseness. Some bonding techniques that are used in earthing system is given below-Exothermic Welding, Brazing, Soft Solder, Bolt & Nuts, Screws, Rivets, Conductive Adhesive and Compression techniques.

Conductive Enhancer :

Conductivity enhancers are used in high resistivity terrains, where obtaining a low resistivity ground value could be impossible, even with the installation of multiple electrodes. Conductivity enhancers achieve a moisture retention in the soil and provide ions that significantly reduce the resistance in a long lasting manner and without any corrosion

How is an earthing system tested and maintained?

Regular maintenance, such as periodic testing for resistance and integrity, is essential to ensure the effectiveness of the electrical earthing system. Measured with an earth tester also called a "merger” which can test the resistance across range of current and distance It consists of a voltage source, ohm-meter to measure resistance and spikes that are staked into the ground for measuring. During dry periods, dry soil can increase resistance and impact the effectiveness of the earthing system. Water the area around the earth pit during dry period.

What is data is required to make an earthing project?

In order to make a basic general earthing project, the following data is required:

For the estimate of the material required:

Dimensions of the site on which the grounding can be carried out.
Geo-electrical study with the resistivity of the ground/terrain by strata/layers.
Desired earthing resistance value.

For the number of earth pits required:

Should the general earth connection be connected to the lightning rod earth connection?

An earth connection shall be made for each down conductor with at least two electrodes for each earth connection.
The earthing resistance of the lightning conductor must be less than 10 ohms, measured independently of any element of a conductive nature.
Avoid long earthing points (>20m) in order to ensure the lowest possible impedance.
They should always be oriented towards the outside of the building.

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