# Interest group forums > Electrical Contracting Industry Forum >  Satellite Dish Clarification

## Candy Bouwer

The question of new regulation for the earthing of Satellite Dishes has been raised this morning at a the Pinetown meeting of Dealer principles. I have been asked to investigate this further and require assistance.
Please could someone clarify the issues surrounding this: 
a) the Dish being attached to the main earth or 
b) requiring a separate earth. 
Concerns stated at the meeting that there are confusion with this issue. As Electricians in general are climbing in on the band wagon and slapping every one with a +-R400.00 to earth them. 
The Bodies at the meeting generally agree that there should be earthing. However some schools of thought say that this should be separate to the main earth because of lightning conducted through the main that is obviously very dangerous.

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## Alan

Hi Candy, i have not seen the latest up date on the regs, but as far as i am aware the Dishes, TV aerials etc have to be bonded to mains earth.
As for running a seperate earth like we used to do, a earth spike into the ground i would agree and be happier with this........but then again we dont make the rules. 
As far as charges go, it would depend on the location of a suitable earth to where the dish is placed. I would not call R400.00 climbing on the band wagon. If the guy has driven to the job spent a couple of hours connecting the dish to the main earth, used 20 to 30m of copper wire which has had an 85% increase since January plus all the connectors, clips etc.........dont know if R400.00 is a rip off?

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## Candy Bouwer

Thanks Al ...but I need to report back on what the reg expects and not give my own understanding of the situation..could you find out what it is that has everyone asking for explanations about.  Obviously the agents are feeling that the Electricians are just looking at this issue to make bucks so I need something official to give them.

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## Alan

Right....Reg 6.13.2.3 Antennas of SANS10142-1:2003 States
"An Antenna (including a satellite dish) shall be bonded to the installation earthing system by means of a conductor of at least 2.5mm copper or equivalent."

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## Dave A

I got the following in a PM some time ago and asked the member to post it - which hasn't happened. But it's a great answer and really useful information. So on behalf of Indy and via Candy:

I would like to reply to your request in forum, refer below,...

wrt earthing the dish to the mains earth, this is good practice. The reason for this is that different "lighting paths" can cause potential differences during a strike. 

If there are 2 different paths to earth and there is a strike on the dish. The main earth would no longer be "earthed". It would be floating. A dangerous situation. Another danger is that the earth resistance is not measured. A rod is driven through the ground. The earth resistance is not measured and could be very high.

Earthing the dish to the mains earth would eliminate this "floating" earth. Yes, the mains would have a high current during a strike, but the earth resistance is within spec.

GOLDEN RULE : BOND EVERYTHING TO A COMMON EARTH

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## Constant

Hi!
I am a little late to this thread  :Smile:  - but as this is a new field of responsibility for me and answers seem to be forthcoming, I would like to try my luck:


1) I fully agree - if the satellite dish is earthed, it should be earthed to common earth
2) Q1: Having a bare earth running down from the dish to earth is probably more dangerous than not earthing it at all, so if earthed, should it should be done in a conduit or sheathed cable and not a bare cable?
3) Q2: Is earthing regarded as electrical work requiring a qualified electrician, or can anyone do it?
4) Q3: In the absence of an earth - e.g. a generator driven rural home - do you earth the dish, or not?
5) Q4: If you earth the dish, do you earth the decoder, your TV and amplifier as well.
6) Q5: ...and if so - who is responsible for doing it and who must carry the cost?

I would really appreciate any input

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## AndyD

> Hi!
> I am a little late to this thread  - but as this is a new field of responsibility for me and answers seem to be forthcoming, I would like to try my luck:
> 
> 
> 1) I fully agree - if the satellite dish is earthed, it should be earthed to common earth
> 2) Q1: Having a bare earth running down from the dish to earth is probably more dangerous than not earthing it at all, so if earthed, should it should be done in a conduit or sheathed cable and not a bare cable?


Earth bonding can be an uninsulated braided strap in some circumstances so I don't think there's a requirement for bonding wiring to be insulated on a domestic premises....but I'd wait for confirmation.





> 3) Q2: Is earthing regarded as electrical work requiring a qualified electrician, or can anyone do it?


My personal opinion is yes. You'd need test equipment to identify what metallic objects are extraneous conductive and require bonding plus you'd need equipment to test the bonding impedance once installed.





> 4) Q3: In the absence of an earth - e.g. a generator driven rural home - do you earth the dish, or not?


Regardless of the source of the power, every domestic electrical installation requires an earth. If the sole power source is a generator then an earth rod would be required.





> 5) Q4: If you earth the dish, do you earth the decoder, your TV and amplifier as well.


I don't understand your question, I think you're getting confused between 'earthing' and 'bonding' which serve very different purposes.




> 6) Q5: ...and if so - who is responsible for doing it and who must carry the cost?
> 
> I would really appreciate any input


The cost is for the homeowner's account usually.

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## Constant

Thanks a lot Andy!
I really appreciate the feedback.
You are right - I am confused between bonding and earthing. Could you help explain the difference to me please?
(I assumed that as most TVs, amps and definitely the decoders only have 2-pin plugs nowadays, they aren't earthed and earthing the dish might entice a current through all of them if induced from the mains side - that's why I thought they might require special care as well)

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## AndyD

Sorry about the delay, I've not had time to make a decent reply to this topic.

Earthing

In simple terms, earthing is an integral part of every electrical supply circuit. It's the conductor that is never fused or switched and it connects the chassis of every item or appliance to earth potential (0v or ground). The idea is that if there's ever an internal fault that causes the live or current carrying parts of the supply circuit to come into contact with the chassis then the earth will allow a fault current to flow safely to ground and hopefully one that's large enough for the circuit protection to trip and disconnect the circuit. 

The earth connection also prevents the appliance chassis developing a dangerous voltage under fault conditions with respect to ground. Anyone coming into contact with a faulty appliance is standing on the floor and can create a path through their body for current to flow which can cause injury if they touch it. The earth connection is designed to offer a lower resistance path for fault currents hence reducing the likelihood of injuries occurring. 

Finally the earth is also functional. It's normal for small currents to flow down the earth wire even when there is no fault as such. Many electronic devices such computer power supplies and lighting ballasts etc have built in surge arrestors. These surge arrestors allow any high voltage surges or spikes to be connected and sink directly to the earth therefore preventing damage to the equipment. 

So in short the earth is both a functional and protective part of an electrical circuit or installation which protects the user from coming into contact with dangerous voltages and causes rapid disconnection in the event of a fault.

Some appliances do not require an earth connection because they're constructed in such a way that it's highly unlikely they can develope a fault that could ever give the user a shock. Often these items are double insulated or have a plastic chassis or case which is non-conductive so even if an internal fault occurs it can't result in a hazard to the user. These appliances usually have a special identifying symbol consisting of two squares, one inside the other and are known as class 2 insulated. These appliances could have a two pin plug because an earth is considered unnecessary in this case and TV decoders and laptops etc often fall into this category.



Bonding

Bonding is simply connecting metallic objects together with a low resistance wire or conductive strap. This ensures they can't develop a voltage with respect to each other. 

If objects are connected together and also a connection is made to earth then this is called earth bonding because all the objects connected together are also tied to zero volt earth or ground. Same applies to a single object that is connected to earth, this object is then held at earth potential therefore it's earth bonded. The earth bonded items can't assume any voltage other than zero with respect to earth whereas unearthed bonding will allow the items connected together to 'float' at any voltage applied to them although they will always remain a no voltage with respect to each other.

Bonding is often misunderstood, we don't bond small objects that are unlikely to suffer a rise in voltage or potential, for example bonding is not required on most building elements such as metal shelving or door / window handles. If it's a metallic object that leaves the premises such as a water or gas pipe then it would require bonding. This is often referred to as the difference between objects that are '_extraneous conductive_' or '_exposed conductive_' and ones that are '_non conductive_' in the electrical industry.

The decision whether to bond or not is an important one and requires testing of the object in question and understanding of equipotential zones in order to decide which of the above categories an object falls into. Unnecessarily earth bonding can actually introduce a hazard of shock where there wasn't one previously. For example you won't get a shock if you are on an insulated floor surface whilst touching something live and you simultaneously touch a metal door handle on a wooden door but if the handle is earth bonded it them provides a low resistance earth path and a fault current will then flow and you'll get a shock. In this case if you add supplimentary bonding to the door handle you've turned a non-conductive part into a conductive part by connecting it to earth, this unnecessarily increases the risk of shock.

Bonding is a fairly complex subject on its own and in the interest of keeping this explanation simple and understandable there's some factors and aspects I've glossed over. It's critical it's done correctly for the safety of the buildings occupants and not something a person without the relevant competence such as handyman or DIY homeowner should attempt.

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Constant (14-Jan-14), Dave A (13-Jan-14), flaker (14-Jan-14), Leecatt (14-Jan-14)

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## roelie

i am aware the Dishes, TV aerials etc have to be bonded to mains earth.but what i would like to know , how come a dstv installer can compromise  a installation and a COC on a Town house where the outside of the house  belongs to the body corprote and where they are to make sure all electrical work is done  according to SANS 1042 and a coc gets done on all work now the installer tells me they cant earth it , earthing regarded as electrical work requiring a qualified electrician so the owner knows nothing about it as they are accredeted installers and makes it the owners problem should they not give a coc on there work?Or at least inform the owner that his coc is compromised .if it is posebel to compromise the electrical installasion should they not by qualified to do the earthing or get some one to do it.and with a geyser it is the same  the bodycoppred gets some one Plumer and they  compromise the coc by removing or changing bonding on pipes but the owner must take the fleck,if some one can give me some feed back on this. thanks roelie

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## AndyD

The scenario you raise with the satalite dish is an interesting one. One of the ammendments to the 10142 electrical regs had the requirement that every installation have an earth terminal specifically for use by other contractors and installed in such a way that allows access without entry into the DB. If the electrical installation is certified up to or beyond the date when amdt6 was introduced then I'd say the TV installer can install the earth because the earth terminal that's remote from the DB accomodates this.

_6.11.5 A readily accessible earthing terminal shall be provided for the
bonding of other services such as a telephone, an audio system, a video, and
the like, to a building. Such an earthing terminal shall be bonded to the
consumer’s earth terminal by a conductor of at least 6 mm2 copper or
equivalent, and shall be identified by the earth symbol (Amdt 6)
NOTE Providers of services other than the electrical power services should not access
the distribution board or other parts of the electrical installation._ 

If a TV installer fits a satalite dish then runs and terminates a suitable earth wire from the earth terminal that's specifically provided for him as per amdt6, he wouldn't be expected to have the test equipment or competence to run impedance tests on this earth and wouldn't be able to issue a certificate of compliance for this addition/alteration to the electrical installation. The million dollar question would be is the owner of the installation then be required to get an electrician in just to certify this earth? The only answer I can give at the moment is there's valid arguments in both directions. I'm going to think about it for a while and probably do some reading of the regs and definitions before I jump in with an opinion.

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## Dikela

Roelie
There are lot of guys who come into contact and temper with electrical installation, however it remains user or leaser's responsibility to ensure safety of his/her installation. Plumbers, DStv installers, automated gate/garage door installers etc all temper, in one way or the other, with your installation in executing their work. So yeah, you need to be vigilant and discuss these issues prior and see if you can agree on way forward and associated costs.

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## JSHAMMES

In my mind it is not about the cost because the owner is obviously responsible for that.  It is a question of who is responsible for the work ?  The antenna installer is not a qualified electrician, therefore he is not qualified to do the earthing work and he is thus forced to do an "illegal installation" of the antenna !!  I am of the opinion that the installer should include the cost of calling out an electrician to make his installation legal in terms of SANS, in stead of leaving this task to the owner !!!

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## mygoggie

I know this is an old thread, but I cannot find one with a 2019 answer.

What is the SANS 10142-1: 2017 Edition 2's stipulation regarding satellite dish earthing. Can someone please check what section 13.2 now says. I only have 2012 amendment 8 and there it reads it is compulsory. Has the "shall" been changed to a "may be"?

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## GCE

Hi 

I think you need to invest in a new book - It has changed to may 

_6.13.2.3 Antennas
The conductive components of an antenna structure (including a satellite
dish) may be bonded to the installation earthing system by means of a
conductor of at least 2,5 mm2 copper or equivalent._

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## mygoggie

@GCE, thanks I appreciate the reply. Yes, I need a new one, but have been waiting and waiting for the 2019 version to be released.

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## Dave A

> In my mind it is not about the cost because the owner is obviously responsible for that.  It is a question of who is responsible for the work ?  The antenna installer is not a qualified electrician, therefore he is not qualified to do the earthing work and he is thus forced to do an "illegal installation" of the antenna !!  I am of the opinion that the installer should include the cost of calling out an electrician to make his installation legal in terms of SANS, in stead of leaving this task to the owner !!!


My old HD DSTV decoder failed and I had to replace it. I went with the new Explora 3a model via DSTV and took the satellite dish installation option as:
1. the new decoder needs a smart LNB, not a twin LNB
2. the new dish is larger than the old dish, so hopefully will result in less signal loss on bad weather days.
So the next day in comes the satellite dish installer who:
1. removes the existing satellite dish from its mounting bracket
2. installs the new satellite dish on the old mounting bracket
3. uses the existing co-axial cabling in place to connect the new LNB to the new decoder
4. *removes the existing earthing in place on the satellite dish mounting bracket*, clipping the earth wire a tantalising few millimeters short of the base of the bracket! (see image)


I get home that night, see the removed earthing, and called the installer to find out why he removed the earth.
He says it is no longer compulsory, so he removed it.
So I say - please supply me with a COC for the change.
He says he is not an electrician and can't supply me with a COC.
I point out the satellite dish installation is now in contravention of S 6.12.3.2 of SANS 10124-1 in that the mounting bracket is within arms reach of the ground (2051mm above the ground) and it is exposed to weather (as are most satellite dishes). He has rendered my electrical installation non-compliant.

He offered to come back and reinstate the connection.
As he was not going to be working under the general control of a registered person, I declined his offer.

What I *really* don't get is - *Why didn't he just leave the earth alone?*
Why remove it in the first place?

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## Dave A

BTW - My understanding of the current situation under edition 2 is that bonding may not be compulsory any more in terms of 6.13.2.3, but 6.12.3.2 means that almost all satellite dishes need to be earthed.

If I'm wrong, no doubt someone will correct me shortly...

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## mygoggie

> BTW - My understanding of the current situation under edition 2 is that bonding may not be compulsory any more in terms of 6.13.2.3, but 6.12.3.2 means that almost all satellite dishes need to be earthed.
> 
> If I'm wrong, no doubt someone will correct me shortly...


Very, very interesting comment @DaveA. I would love to see what the 2017 SANS specs and our wise members have to say about this.

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## GCE

Hi 

Under SANS 10142-1 -  6.12.3.2 I would put the earthing of a satellite dish as excluded under a number of points 
Most dishes are out of arms reach 
Could be regarded as structural steel work 
Not touching a conductive surface ( was a thread previously over brickwork and conductive surfaces ) 

Backing that up I would use clause 6.13.2.3 as specifically mentioning satellite dishes - It does not have an earth terminal .

Further to SANS 10142-1 - The lightening protection guides recommend that you do not earth/ bond satellite dishes and aerials if they are below the safe space/ rolling sphere - If they are above then you need to use an isolated air-termination system to prevent lightening currents from entering the building over the coaxial cable.If you earth the dish or bracket without having an isolated air termination system then the bracket becomes the air termination rod and will create static or disturbance on the cable causing damage to equipment.It is all "hidden" in SANS 62305 - Have pasted a link to a useful document with regards to lightening protection - ( https://www.dehn-international.com/s...e-complete.pdf ) 

It is safer for the installation , house, to not earth or bond the aerial or satellite dish.
The minute you earth it it will also attract the stray static currents in the air which in turn will attract the possibility of a full lightening hit - That was my understanding on the topic.

I understood that the lightening protection discussion led to the removal of the requirement to bond/earth satellite dishes and aerials 

Lightening protection is not my strong point but have attended lectures and studied the material to a point of basic understanding.

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## Dave A

Let's put up the first 3 clauses of 6.12.3.2 so that everyone is on the same page:

*6.12.3.2* The following conductive parts do not need to be earthed:

a) short unexposed lengths of metallic wireway used to protect wiring as it
passes through a building element;

c)* exposed conductive parts of fixed electrical equipment that are
1) out of arm's reach from the floor (or walking) level,
2) out of arm's reach from a structure that is bonded to earth, *and*
3) *not exposed to the weather* or to the condensation, dripping, splashing or accumulation of water, *and*
4) not touching a conductive surface;
c) conductive parts that cannot be touched by the standard test finger;
(* posted as found. I assume this is a typo and should actually be *b)*)



> Under SANS 10142-1 -  6.12.3.2 I would put the earthing of a satellite dish as excluded under a number of points 
> Most dishes are out of arms reach 
> Could be regarded as structural steel work 
> Not touching a conductive surface ( was a thread previously over brickwork and conductive surfaces )


However, most are exposed to weather...

To my mind this entire discussion underlines the fundamental problem the industry faces with the standards -

The science, engineering and safety principles must inform the standards - no argument there. However, having been made prescriptive and with (potentially severe) penalties for non-compliance with the standard, any weakness in the wording of the standard resulting in the contractor failing to comply with the letter of the standard based on a safety argument becomes a significant risk to the contractor.

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## Dave A

On the lightning protection argument, I take it thinking has moved on since this position back in 2007.




> I got the following in a PM some time ago and asked the member to post it - which hasn't happened. But it's a great answer and really useful information. So on behalf of Indy and via Candy:
> 
> I would like to reply to your request in forum, refer below,...
> 
> wrt earthing the dish to the mains earth, this is good practice. The reason for this is that different "lighting paths" can cause potential differences during a strike. 
> 
> If there are 2 different paths to earth and there is a strike on the dish. The main earth would no longer be "earthed". It would be floating. A dangerous situation. Another danger is that the earth resistance is not measured. A rod is driven through the ground. The earth resistance is not measured and could be very high.
> 
> Earthing the dish to the mains earth would eliminate this "floating" earth. Yes, the mains would have a high current during a strike, but the earth resistance is within spec.
> ...

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## ACEsterhuizen

Hi Alan, it seems my regs are out of date then:


*SANS 10142-1:2017
Edition 2*

6.13.2.3 Antennas
The conductive components of an antenna structure (including a satellite
dish) *may* be bonded to the installation earthing system by means of a
conductor of at least 2,5 mm2 copper or equivalent.

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## Dave A

> Hi Alan, it seems my regs are out of date then:
> 
> 
> *SANS 10142-1:2017
> Edition 2*
> 
> 6.13.2.3 Antennas
> The conductive components of an antenna structure (including a satellite
> dish) *may* be bonded to the installation earthing system by means of a
> conductor of at least 2,5 mm2 copper or equivalent.


Nope. That is the current standard...

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## AndyD

> .................I get home that night, see the removed earthing, and called the installer to find out why he removed the earth.
> He says it is no longer compulsory, so he removed it.
> So I say - please supply me with a COC for the change.
> He says he is not an electrician and can't supply me with a COC.
> I point out the satellite dish installation is now in contravention of S 6.12.3.2 of SANS 10124-1 in that the mounting bracket is within arms reach of the ground (2051mm above the ground) and it is exposed to weather (as are most satellite dishes). He has rendered my electrical installation non-compliant.
> 
> He offered to come back and reinstate the connection.
> *As he was not going to be working under the general control of a registered person, I declined his offer.*
> 
> ...


I fully understand your frustration but I'll play devils advocate on this partly because I can also see why there might be confusion from the side of the dish installer. Relatively recently accessible earth bars were installed for the specific purpose of allowing other services to effectively connect to the MET without having to go into the DB. This basically gave other contractors such as plumbers, roofers, fence installers and DSTV installers an open invite to connect their own bonding. Yes, the absolute requirement of these earth bars in the regs has been removed since but bars that were installed are still out there and new bars may still be installed in existing or new installations. 

If the bonding requirement for satelite dishes was for lightning protection then the specified 2.5mm sq CSA of the conductor specified is completely inadequate so I have difficulty accepting that as having been motivation for this reg. A 2.5mm sq conductor is only good for a CPC.

The regs on bonding over the last few years have been ambiguous, confused in their direction and poorly defined at best, I'm not surprised other trades are confused.

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## Derlyn

> If the bonding requirement for satelite dishes was for lightning protection then the specified 2.5mm sq CSA of the conductor specified is completely inadequate so I have difficulty accepting that as having been motivation for this reg. A 2.5mm sq conductor is only good for a CPC.



I agree

In the event of a lightning strike that 2,5mm conductor will act like a fuse wire and disintegrate.


The regs also state that a metal roof must be earthed if the house has an overhead supply.
Whats the point of using 2,5mm wire for this when the overhead is either 10 or 16mm. Once again, should the overhead come into contact with the metal roof, that 2,5mm wire will disintegrate before the yorkshire fuse on the pole blows.

Derek

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