Why I Developed R U GROUNDED DEVICES
My name is Terry Mundle. I have over 40 years experience in the Oil & Gas Industry, starting in a rough neck position. In those 40+ years in the industry, be it a reduction in injuries, enhanced environmental protection or improved workplace attitudes and awareness, the rules of safety and behavior have changed significantly. The attitude of that's good enough (that will do) does not fly anymore - safety has changed from reactive to proactive. Green King gloves used to be the norm, the glove today is an Impact glove. We used to wear jeans and a t-shirt and today we must use fire resistant coveralls with reflective stripes.
Part of my job required installing ground rods. It was never clearly explained to us as employees what a electrical ground is for, or how the ground rod should be properly installed. It was often taught that if we could pound the ground rod into frozen or dry earth enough to get the rod to stand upright and unsupported, it is good enough. This practice is still common today on many job sites. Most crews have not been taught what a proper ground is for or how important it is, not fully understanding that grounding and bonding is their life line in a ground fault situation.
This inspired me to create products that will keep people safer on job sites, anyplace where grounding and bonding is an issue.
Grounding electrodes
Rule 10-700 Grounding electrodes
All parts of the grounding and bonding system can be controlled by careful design and material selection, except for the system’s actual connection to the earth. The quality and reliability of this depends on the resistance of the earth structure, the moisture content of that earth, and the grounding Device that is installed into the earth, which, are all variable factors. For this reason, installers must determine the best possible location for the installation.
Rule 10-700(1) recognizes three kinds of grounding electrodes:
(1) Manufactured grounding electrodes — types of electrodes that are manufactured in a factory setting and approved in accordance with CSA C22.2 No. 41, such as rod and plate electrodes.
(2) Field-assembled grounding electrodes — electrodes manufactured on site using readily available materials, such as bare copper conductors directly buried or encased in concrete foundation footings.
(3) In-situ grounding electrodes — parts of the building’s infrastructure that are in contact with the earth, such as a water piping system, metallic reinforcement of a concrete slab, concrete piling, concrete foundation, or iron piling, etc., that have the same surface area in contact with the earth at 600 mm below finished grade as a manufactured grounding electrode.
Subrule (2) sets out requirements for the installation of manufactured grounding electrodes (see
Figure 10-23).
Rod electrodes must consist of at least two manufactured rod electrodes. Rods must:
• be at least 3 m long (as required by CSA C22.2 No. 41);
• be driven into the earth to their full length and spaced no less than 3 m apart; and
• be bonded together by a grounding conductor sized in accordance with Rule 10-812.
Plate electrodes must:
• have an exterior surface area of at least 0.2 m2 (as required by CSA C22.2 No. 41) in contact
with the soil and be buried at a depth not less than 600 mm below finished grade level; or
• be encased within the bottom 50 mm of a concrete foundation footing that is in direct contact
with the earth, having an exterior surface area to the concrete of at least 0.4 m2 (as required by
CSA C22.2 No. 41), and buried at a depth not less than 600 mm below finished grade.
We are conveniently located in Stony Plain and Grande Prairie and are ready to serve your needs.
Products are Certified under (1) Manufactured Grounding Electrodes and they are specifically designed to control the moisture content of the soil in all seasons