Grounding a house with a well ensures maximum safety. It involves electrical grounding to ensure the well and the place is safe. The electrical connection to a well can be hazardous if it is not done correctly. An improper electrical connection can cause electrocution or property burns if dangerous electric waves are sent to the house.
However, the process involves using an underground water pipe as part of the grounding electrode system. It also requires copper plumbing to form the interior piping system. The eventual product is a safe electrical system that will safely allow the use of well water in the house.
Thus it’s essential to find the correct guide on how to ground a house with a well. This article will serve you precisely this purpose based on my own experience. So, let’s get started.
6 Steps You Should Follow To Ground A House With A Well: In a DIY Project
Grounding a house with a well is a sensitive procedure determining how safe the home will be. Proper grounding enables you to use the well water without worrying about electrical-related dangers.
By following the 6 steps below, you will achieve a proper and safe grounding of the house with a well:
Step 1: Resistance-To-Ground Measurements
This step involves measuring the total resistance against the flow of electricity the earth provides. This measurement must also be taken against the ground system you intend to use. The best method to use to test the resistance-to-ground of electrodes for well grounding is the clamp-on/induced frequency.
Step 2: Examining The Electric Connection
Here, examine your home’s electrical connection to determine the origin and channel of power. It lets the person performing the process know where to tap electricity to connect with the well. It also eliminates the risks of encountering live electric cables when digging a channel for your rods.
Step 3: Determining Whether The home’s Wiring Is Properly Done
After determining the source and channel of power, you should then check whether the wiring has been done properly. The grounding will be faulty if it is done out of faulty wiring. If improperly done, the electrician should correct the wiring to ensure that his end product is safe and effective.
Step 4: Embedding A Steel Rod
A copper-clad steel rod 8 to 10 feet long should be embedded in the ground. Attach a wire conductor and a water pipe to ground the well. Using the measurements from step 1, calculate the average ground resistance. The best ground resistance to observe is 0.012 megaohm.
Step 5: Grounding The House
Use the copper plumbing in the house as the interior water piping system. If there is no metallic underground water pipe, use a ground rod as the grounding electrode. The ground rod must have 25 ohms to ground or below. Connect the copper to the equipment-grounding conductor.
Step 6: Grounding The Well
A metal well casing can be part of your grounding-electrode system, but this is not compulsory. The grounding conductor for the excellent pump circuit equipment must be connected to a metal well casing. This way, the house, and well are adequately grounded and safe to use.
Things To Consider While Grounding A House With A Well
As you may know, grounding a house with a well is critical to ensure your safety. It must be done properly by keeping the following factors in mind for the best results;
- Using the Right Tools
The tools used to ground a house will determine how effective the grounding will be. Using faulty or wrong tools can cause electrical faults and dangers. Therefore, liaise with your electrician to choose and get the right tools to perform the grounding process.
- Following The Correct Grounding Procedure
In some processes, the end justifies the means. Any procedure can be used as long as they deliver the end product. However, that is not the case when grounding a house with a well. All steps must be followed strictly to ensure your safety.
- Drainage System
Examine your drainage system before grounding a house with a well. Do not lay your rods along the way of the drainage. The water passing through the drainage system should never come into contact with your rods to avoid electric shocks. The shocks can be sent through the rod to the user, hurting them.
Why Should You Ground A House With A Well? (3 Reasons)
Grounding a house with a well is a wise way to ensure that your home’s electrical system is safe. Once the house is grounded correctly, you will enjoy efficiency and stability in your electrical system. It will enable your electrical system to distribute power properly and safely.
These are the 3 reasons for grounding a house with a well.
- Household Electrical Appliance Safety
Grounding a house with a well sends dangerous electric waves off the house. The electrical outlets in the house will disseminate the right amount of current to the appliances. This way, there will be no current overload, and the appliances will operate safely. There will be no short-circuiting, which causes damage to electrical appliances.
Therefore, grounding the house with a well ensures that your appliances are safe. It facilitates the proper function of electrical appliances. It also increases the appliances’ lifespan by protecting them from damage caused by too much current.
- Protecting People And Pets
Once a house is properly grounded with a well, dangerous electric currents are driven away. The house, electric outlets, and appliances become safe to handle without fear of electrocution. In a house without proper grounding, dangerous electric currents can escape through outlets and conductors.
Consequently, electric shocks on the conductors, such as metallic doors and windows, will be installed. Such currents make living and handling items in the house uncomfortable. In extreme cases, they can cause the death of people and pets in the house.
- Protecting The Appliance In The Well
The well requires electric appliances to pump water out to the tanks. The appliances need a certain amount of current to run effectively and safely. If the current is surpassed, it overloads the appliances leading to damage. It may also take time before the users realize the devices are damaged.
Consequently, the house will not be supplied with the water required to carry out various activities. Extra cots will then be incurred to repair or replace the appliances. These costs are unnecessary as they can easily be avoided by properly grounding the house with the well.
3 Risks Of Not Grounding A House With A Well
When talking about grounding a house with a well, we focus on two aspects; the house and the well. The are various risks of not grounding a house with a well that includes:
- Threat To Your Home Appliances
Failure to ground a house with a well exposes your home’s electrical system to threats. It causes the improper distribution of electrical current, which in turn causes problems such as power surges. This situation makes your home unsafe.
You risk damaging your electrical appliances, causing unnecessary costs of replacing the items. Therefore, consider grounding a house with a well for your items’ safety and peace of mind. The procedure will incur costs, but it is worth it.
- Electrocution And Death
Every instance that involves the simultaneous use of electricity and water can be hazardous if not carefully done. When water and electricity come together, they can cause dangers such as electric shocks and short-circuiting. Consequently, the person handling the water and/or the connected appliances will be electrocuted.
Electrical shocks coming directly from the sockets can be painful. They can also trigger the person involved to react out of impulse. The person can, for instance, jump onto dangerous objects and get hurt in the process. In extreme cases, electrocution can cause death.
- Damage Of Well’s Related Appliances
A well contains water that does not go well with an improper electrical connection. A proper electrical connection still exposes the well and appliances such as water pumps to threats. The only thing that will save you is correctly grounding a house with a well.
Correctly grounding your water pump will allow you to control the flow of electric current. Consequently, risks of water surges and electric shocks are eliminated.
Related Questions:
Can You Ground Your House With A Well By Yourself?
Grounding a house with a well requires relevant skills and background knowledge. You can do the grounding only if you are a qualified electrician or possess the necessary skills.
Performing the procedure without skills and knowledge is not advisable for accuracy and safety. Failure to use the right equipment or follow the correct steps to improperly do grounding results.
How Do You Ground a Submersible Water Pump?
The first step is removing the check valve and pushing the poppet on the valve. This step ensures that the pump functions properly even after prolonged storage. Then use a sleeve to determine the necessary water flow around the motor to cool it.
After connecting the piping to the pump, put on a pump casing. The casing should then be connected to a conductor to ground it. In the absence of a metal casing, connect the grounding conductor directly to the pump’s inbuilt ground.
Does A Well Pump Need To Be Grounded?
All modern water pumps either have a ground screw or a ground wire. Ground wires are conductors through which all stray currents escape from the pump. This is also made possible by a built-in installation by the manufacturer.
Grounding the good pump protects any person who comes into contact with the pump’s motor or attached piping. It is, therefore, a critical step to safety and should be done timely and accurately.
How Do You Ground An Entire House With A Well?
Grounding an entire house with a well requires a professional electrician. This specialist understands all the basics of electricity and is keen to provide security and safety to users of electricity.
The electrician grounds an entire house with a well by using copper plumbing as part of the water piping system. They may also use a ground rod in the absence of a metal water pipe. A metal well casing is then connected to the grounding conductor for the good pump circuit equipment.
Can You Use A Well Casing As A Ground?
You can use a good casing as a ground by positioning it in direct contact with the earth. However, it will need to be bonded with a grounding conductor to provide a path for ground-fault current.
Metal casings do not require extra equipment to be installed. You only need to connect the casing to the grounding conductor, providing a short path of current to the ground.
Does A 2-Wire Well Pump Have A Ground?
The 2-wire-motor well pump contains parts such as capacitors, and thermal overloads inbuilt into the motor. The motor is used by mounting it to the bottom of the good pump and positioning it deep in a well.
2-wire pumps are also easy to install and use a lighter, inexpensive submersible wire. They also have a ground that can be taken advantage of when grounding the pump. The inbuilt ground provides a base to connect the external conductors conveniently.
How Long Does It Take To Ground A House With A Well?
Generally, grounding a house with a well takes one day if all tools are available. An experienced electrician can get the job done within a few hours. The duration of grounding a house with a well generally depends on the capability of the person performing the process.
It will also take a shorter time when all the required tools and equipment are gathered before the exercise. The electrician will need to find the source and channel of power before starting the exercise. It is thus essential to have this information beforehand.
Final Verdict:
Your home is better protected if you know how to ground a house with a well in the correct way. Grounding a house with a well ensures that all the well appliances operate and remain safe. Any procedure requiring electricity and water in the same place is sensitive and can be hazardous.
Therefore, it is essential to take due diligence by grounding a house with a well. It ensures that the house is safe to live in and the well is safe to use without causing unnecessary tension and posing threats.
