our grounds... for you american types.

[bren guzzi]

Here's some pics of our grounds as promised.

The three copper rods are driven into the soil. Then attatch the ground to it.
Lift the earths onto the line. They push on , "spring loaded". Pic of where all three are joined aswell..

Happy now ?????

We are . This job cancelled for today. Heading to Perth deppo. Might be going away to do some gaults..... The snows hit...

[neil macgregor]

oh right thats what they ment by grounds lol

[lewy]

I understand that you do not have a neutral so you have to rely on a driven ground rod, but I am surprised that you are using live line clamps that are not designed for grounding, they can not handle the fault current, I am also surprised that you do not bond your grounds to the pole to create an equal potential zone. No difference of potential no current flow & it is the current that kills.

[bren guzzi]

These are only our "local" earths... The line is earthed by an earth switch at the substation. Its only an inter conector of about 60 span. All our lines are designed to trip at very low fault current. So these earths will triger that if required... We don't see a need to bond to the pole. How can a pole be of un equal potential ?????????

[rob8210]

Hey Bren, what Lewy is talking about is called equipotential grounding. Another term for is point of work grounding or working grounds. When we use this type of grounding we ground out the primary to the neutral and a pole bond and if out in a rural area we use a ground probe too. You see by bonding the pole we make a zone above us and below our feet that is guaranteed to be at the same potential in someone should screw up and energize the line. Yes it is only for an instant, but if you have this zone then there can be no difference in potential across you at all. So no chance of getting hurt. When you ground at both ends of your work zone, we call that bracket grounding. It has been proven to cause a circulating current , under the right circumstances. We also must be within 100m of a set of working grounds. Hydro One in Ontario has tested this extensively and point of work grounding is their preferred method. In their line trade handbook it states" bracket grounding does not protect the worker". We can still use bracket grounding in some situations but the area manager and the safety department has to approve it first. I went through this whole issue a couple of years ago while working with a local PUC. They have a slightly different rule book. We were re-insulting some 44kv line that crossed under a 500kv transmission line. One of the fellas on the job was on their safety committee, and he didn't understand why I bonded my pole to my grounds.

[bren guzzi]

Our poles don't have any bonding to ground... So how do ya make it an euipotential zone ????

[rob8210]

the poles do not need a pole ground use a bolt that is holding say the x-braces. run your ground from the temporary ground probe to the bolt in the pole then take a ground from the bolt on up to your phases. That will bond the pole to your working grounds and make a safe work zone that will always be at the same potential between your hands and your feet.

[rob8210]

Hey Bren I just googled equipotentail grounding. The first site I looked at was www.atcoelectric.com. It has a pretty good explanation.

[Bighorn Ape]

we use something called an EPZ Bar to attach to the pole beneath our feet... it is a chain that tightens around the pole with a grounding bar on one side.

[bren guzzi]

Sorry...... But it don't work like that...

The pole or steel work on it have NEVER had a current in them or would they be able to.
You can't get a different potetial unless they have the capacity to conduct electricity. If that was the case you would need to be able to get a differnt potetial from "a wodden pole" to the steelwork ..... And if that was possible..... Every pole would burn down every time it rained.