Bonding TV ariels & amps

[jibjob]

Hi all,

I've been asked by a TV ariel installation company to quote for bonding a soon to be installed TV ariel and amplifier. The service will be shared by a number of flats in the same buliding. Can't find anything in the BRB regarding the regs on this.
Can anyone help/enlighten?

 

[mhar]

Good point!
I did a CAI (confederation of aerial industries) smatv/matv ((satellite) master antenna television) course some 20 years ago and bonding was compulsory. Have just tried to look this course up but it appears it is no longer current but, not being a CAI member anymore, I may not be able to find it because of restricted access. However they are running similar courses for part P compliancy.
Did find this though Earth Bonding - Aerial Concepts

 

[needasparks]

bouncing this back up the list to see more of an answer on it as never come across it before and the link above mentions its law.

What are the views from the clever peeps.

 

[La Poste]

I like this topic also.

The fact that the aerial will now act as a huge lightning conductor opened my eyes.

I mean if you have a metal dvd recorder and the coaxial input socket is made of metal then this will give electrical continuity from the aerial to the metal chasis of the dvd recorder.

I presume the metal chasis of the dvd recorder is earthed although I don't really know for sure and this earthed chasis would provide a return path for currents back to the MET via the circuit CPC.

If the case of the dvd player is earthed and the aerial is sticking out the side of the building have I already got a massive lightning conductor already?

The lightning would go down my aerial to my dvd recorder, along the circuit CPC to the MET and then back to the earthed spike at the transformer.

Does this make sense or am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

[mhar]

The discussion is more about multiple dwellings.
Most dvd's dvr's etc are class 2. I looked into the issue of what is required in a single dwelling after a lightning strike on an aerial which travelled down the cable, burst through the insulation and arced onto a central heating pipe blowing a hole in it. Unfortunately the customers ch system was a continuous fill system from a header tank, it took him ages to turn off his main stopcock and the water damage was staggering. I was informed that there were no earthing obligations on an installer. Second incident I detailed in an earlier post where a plumber got a severe belt off a splitter. Again as this was contained within a single dwelling there was no earthing obligation on the installer. In this latter incident I was informed that the customer was at fault for not providing a safe environment for the plumber to work in!
The issue is with multiple dwellings and introducing different potentials in these

 

[Marvo]

I like this topic also.

The fact that the aerial will now act as a huge lightning conductor opened my eyes.

This thread interests me as well because our local (South African) electrical regs have recently been amended in this regard. It's now a requirement that all antenna and satellite dish systems be earthed...not just communal ones. It's now also required that an earth block is installed in the roof space as part of the electrical installation for other contractors such as audio-visual to access and utilize. The earth block is connected to the main consumer unit earth bar via a suitably sized conductor.