Poultry house management and operation has never been more dependent on electronic technology than it is today. Although this new technology is very useful, the new technology is susceptible to damage from voltage spikes. Lightning is one source of excessive voltage that can damage controllers and other technology. What can be done to protect electronic equipment in poultry houses from lightning damage? The answer depends on the degree of protection desired and cost a grower is willing to accept. The dimmable Cold Cathode and Dimmable Compact Fluorescent Lights are truly electronic controllers. We are hearing from distributors that both CFL & CCFL are subject to random failures under lightning activity and this may answers some of our questions concerning random failures.

Provide a Proper Ground
Incorporating a proper ground system for each house is the most basic and cost effective measure for electrical system protection. Without question, it should be included in every poultry house. All equipment in a poultry house should be grounded. A high percentage of poultry house lightning damage could be eliminated by incorporating a proper ground system. A ground system provides a route of low electrical resistance to safely dissipate excessive voltage. A ground system consists of a ground electrode (rod), grounding wire and connections. The resistance of a ground system must be less than 25 ohms, but preferably less than 5 ohms if sensitive electronic equipment is to be protected (computers or controllers). A power company engineer, electrical contractor, or extension specialist should be called to check the ground resistance. It is very important that the correct size and type of ground rod and wire be used in a ground system. The minimum diameter ground allowed by code is 5/8”; however, 3/4” is better. A ground rod is normally 8 to 10 ft. long and driven into the ground close to the main service panel. A driven solid ground rod is preferable to connecting to a water pipe. Proper clamping of the ground wire to a water pipe is more difficult than to a rod. A ground rod is often located in a drip line from the roof where moisture is expected to accumulate. Ground resistance will be lower in moist locations and where soil is dense (clay soil has less resistance than sandy soil). Grounding wire should be no smaller than 6-gauge copper. If wire runs over 20 ft. occur, then 4-gauge copper should be used. The wire should be protected in conduit along its run. The ground wire must not be cut; it should be continuous. Connections between wires and rods must be carefully produced to minimize resistance to electrical flow. Pipe clamps not rated for outdoor use should not be used; they will corrode and the connection will fail with time. Use acorn clamps manufactured especially for use as ground clamps. Soldered joints will not provide the necessary connection because a strong current surge can melt the solder. A single point ground should be used as opposed to having several independent ground rods to service individual pieces of equipment. All grounding should be tied to a single ground rod or multiple ground rods properly connected.

(notes from University of Delaware)

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Download a printable copy of these Proper Grounding Instructions.