Dear colleagues, an incredibly interesting interview awaits you today! Since our project is intended to train companies to ensure high-quality grounding and lightning protection, the subject of our discussion will relate to this. The Elecona Company, which had taken the second place in the competition among the partners for the best photo report of installation of lightning protection and grounding systems, took part in the discussion. The head of the company, Mikhail Nasonov, answered our questions.
The company began its history in 1994 with provision of electrical installation services. Today, the Elecona Company is a group of skilled specialists consisting of three brigades providing full support in the Moscow north and outside the Moscow Region. They were not pioneers, but they have found their development vector and created a proprietary service for a full range of electrical installation works. The list of provided services includes: installation of internal wiring, connection of structures according to specifications, installation of grounding circuits as well as repeated grounding of supports, and even more! You can read more about other work on the Expert's page.
- Mikhail Mikhailovich, could you, please, clarify what challenges we may face during the grounding installation?
- We usually try to install the grounding arrangement at one point. With this installation method, the equipment can be installed at the depth of 15 meters, which is sufficient to achieve the dissipation resistance of 10 Ohm. But there are some cases when in order to achieve 15 meters, the electrode meets some obstacles: rocks, boulders, and other hard rock soils. Sometimes, we can overcome these obstacles, and sometimes we cannot. Therefore, you have to dig trenches and go to the side which significantly increases work time to achieve the desired effect.
- Mikhail Mikhailovich, will you please clarify what your installation of earthing starts with?
- The installation starts with the inspection of the planned site or structure. Quite often, the client has several structures built on the site, so there is the option of installing one earthing rod for several structures, which lets the client save money. And after third-party assessment of the locality there are normally no problems with selecting an installation site for the earthing device.
- Mikhail Mikhailovich, could you, please, clarify which grounding solutions are usually offered to your customers?
- We typically offer two installation options for the grounding circuit. This is either at a foundation near the structure or, which is even better, inside the structure in a basement, if any.
Our speaker has told us that he attracts the customers via special catalogues as well as by using paid ad platforms on the Internet portals. And, certainly, a "rumour mill" is the most efficient channel. It means that when you do something good for someone, they will definitely recommend you to their friends and neighbors.
- Mikhail Mikhailovich, could you, please, clarify, how often do you install grounding and lightning protection systems?
- The recent trends show that people are now willing to pay more attention to high-quality grounding and abandon rusty angles which have been used traditionally. There are many reasons for that: snappish "brains" of electrical and gas boilers, "tingling" cooktops as well as old "shorted" heating elements of hot water tanks. Most often, we work in single-family houses, in cottage settlements or summer cottages.
We permanently ask our Experts on the challenges they could not cope with, with the aim to further help studying the problems quicker or provide support during the work. Therefore, almost in all interviews, we ask the following question: What was the reason - impossible requirements of the customers or their unwillingness to follow regulatory documents? Fortunately or not, Mikhail Mikhailovich did not have such customers. Although the works are performed both with natural and legal entities.
- Mikhail Mikhailovich, could you, please, tell us which basic tools do you use in the installation?
- To measure dissipation resistance, we use a grounding tester DET14c by Megger (UK), and a striking vibrating hammer manufactured by Bosch is used for installation
- And finally, Mikhail Mikhailovich, could you, please, tell us if you have any photos or video to share with our readers?
- Yes, I do. Please watch a video to install the grounding circuit directly at the pole made according to the Specifications. The feature of this installation type is that the subscriber grounds all of its structures located in the land plot with a single circuit. Watch here.
This material has been based on a written answer to the list of questions on the design of grounding and lightning protection. The answers were provided free of charge.
The ZANDZ.com Grounding and Lightning Protection project thanks Mikhail Nasonov for the answers provided. Sign up to our news and connect to discussion of the grounding and lightning protection systems in our social media:
See also:
- Video of Grounding and Lightning Protection
- Examples of Grounding Solutions
- Interview with the Winner of the Competition of the ZANDZ.com Club Experts!