[RE-wrenches] Grounding SHW collectors

[Darryl Thayer]

David I hope this has some value.
FYI I do not understand what happened here, except lightening storm and lost controllers.  

We lost a number of controllers during a storm several years ago.  One storm but many controllers lost.  The controllers got zapped.  Inside the controllers the transistors and var-resistors were popped.  no special attempt was made to ground the piping system, thinking it was grounded via the water system.  My observation was the lightening somehow liked the control system, Maybe coming in the AC mains and going to ground via the controller, or through the sensor wires down to the controller to ground.

Maybe the piping was not grounded because of plastic water mains, this was in a new development, and the atmospheric energy forced current down the piping system through the pump power line to the ground for the controller and the electrical system.  BTW altho there was other related electrical damage in some of the houses, it seemed the controllers got it the worst.

Since then I take the sensor wire and wrap 5 turns around a bolt before connecting to the controller.    I do not know if it helps, as I have  many with and without the turns around a bolt that have not failed.

Darryl 

--- On Mon, 8/3/09, David Palumbo <dave at independentpowerllc.com> wrote:

> From: David Palumbo <dave at independentpowerllc.com>
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Grounding SHW collectors
> To: "'RE-wrenches'" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
> Date: Monday, August 3, 2009, 6:50 PM
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> How many of you ground the copper pipe
> at your flat plate
> collectors by bringing down a ground wire to a ground
> rod(s)? We asked Shuco
> and received this response from an engineer there. 
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> “No
> grounding necessary. The
> reason being all that copper piping going back to the
> ground via the water
> supply.”  
> 
> Philippe
> Gregoire 
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> Curious as to what others are doing
> across the country. We
> have been grounding, figuring that it will help protect the
> controllers in our
> lightning prone area here. 
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> Dave Palumbo 
> 
> Independent Power LLC 
> 
> 462 Solar Way Drive 
> 
> Hyde Park, VT 05655 
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> NABCEP Certified 
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> www.independentpowerllc.com
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