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Despite being a crucial safety element, the purpose of an electrical earthing system is widely misunderstood – so what are they, and how exactly do they work?
Whether we realise it or not, most of us have experienced some form of electric ‘shock’, where electricity courses our body to experience pain or trauma. If we are fortunate, the extent of that experience is limited to tingles or jolts of pain from static electricity build-up discharging through our bodies when putting on a shirt that is fresh out of the clothes dryer.
For large scale build-ups or direct exposure, electric shock becomes a much more serious issue and has the potential for catastrophic and life-threatening results. While the basics includes things like not sticking a fork into a powerpoint, some of the more complex safety measures taken include electrical earthing.
When a short circuit occurs, this often leads to high voltage or electrical supply currents to leak out of their original path. When this happens, it will travel to the nearest conductor which can be either people or appliances. As a means to prevent major damage to people or appliances, electrical earthing conductors and systems are installed.
Once installed, electrical earthing will safely transfer the excess flow of electrons and discharge to the earth or ground via a low resistance wire. The leakage will escape the device and divert to the earth, meaning that damages to the appliance or a person are prevented.
In residential, commercial and industrial settings alike, electrical equipment mainly consists of two non-current carrying parts, and these parts are neutral to the system or frame of the electrical equipment. From the earthing of these two non-current carrying parts of the electrical system, earthing can be classified into two types: neutral earthing and equipment earthing.
In neutral earthing, the neutral of the system is directly connected to earth by the help of the GI wire, and is also often called system earthing. Such types of earthing are mostly provided to the system, which has star winding. As an example, the neutral earthing is provided in the generator, transformer, motor etc.
In contrast, equipment earthing is more common for protecting electrical equipment. The non-current carrying part of the equipment, such as a metallic frame, is connected to the earth by the help of the conducting wire. If any fault occurs in the apparatus, the short-circuit current pauses to pass the earth by the help of wire.
As a general rule, galvanised iron is used for equipment earthing, as it provides the simplest path to the leakage. The short circuit current of the equipment passes to the earth, which then has zero potential for growth and protects the system and equipment from any damage.
In addition, there are several other ways to go about this form of electrical safety. Depending on the site, plate, pipes and rods can be used for electrical earthing, with the devices being inserted directly into the soil. There will be holes drilled to connect the earth wires, and the pole shape will be influenced by the electrical installation and type of soil.
Earthing can be done by electrically connecting the respective parts in the installation to some system of electrical conductors or electrodes placed near the soil, or below the ground level. The earthing mat or electrode under the ground level has a flat iron riser, with which all the non-current-carrying metallic parts of the equipment are connected.
When it comes to electrical earthing installation, most times the electrical earthing system is installed by firstly locating where the soil has enough moisture, resistance and salts, before digging up a pit. The electrical earthing unit, such as a copper plate, will then be installed directly in the pit. After ensuring all other parts are installed correctly, an electrical test will be performed at the end of the installation.
Given how important electrical safety is, if you’re on the hunt for a decent sparky to help you safely illuminate your home without spending a small fortune, finding a reputable and local electrician to get the job done can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, the team at Shield Electrical offer a solution.
Here at Shield Electrical, we are a Brisbane based electrical contracting company, and pride ourselves on being shockingly good at watt we do. For us, friendly and reliable customer service isn’t just a nice add on – it’s how we do business. Don’t take our word for it though, just ask our clients.
Established in 2015, Shield Electrical is lighting the way when it comes to providing electrical work with world class customer service. With our headquarters based in the central suburban pocket of Coorparoo, our team of qualified industry professionals are readily available to deliver quality workmanship, fast quotes, and affordable pricing.
Whether you’re on the hunt for an electrician for domestic services, residential, commercial and industrial construction, security systems or even just further energy saving tips, get in touch with us at Shield today to source practical solutions that don’t break the bank.
