Planters over lightning earth rods

[JameZZZ]

A client of mine has asked me if it is acceptable to build planters over the lighting earth rods around his building. I told him that as I have never installed nor tested/inspected a lightning system he should seek guidance elsewhere. However common sense says that if there is a facility to inspect the rods it is probably required. He said he wouldn't mind if they had to be dug up once in a while but every year would be a problem. I had a look in the BS and it says where accessible rods should be inspected for corrosion. The words 'where accessible' make me think it might be acceptable to bury them? I guess what I am asking is - When tested/inspected are the rods always visually inspected or are they only inspected if a high reading is measured at the test point? Thanks for your input in advance.

 

[Engineer54]

It's got to be a bit stupid to build planters over Earth inspection pits now isn't it?? A far more sensible thing to do if he wants to hide these flush earth inspection pits is to place plant pots that can be moved as and when required.

You don't need access to these earth rods to conduct Ra tests as conventional systems will have a test point on each down conductor. But to check the actual down conductor to earth rod connection, you need access to those inspection pits. The only time this would not need to be checked is if the connections are by means of exothermic welding or brazing. But then you wouldn't need or expect inspection pits to be provided would you!! lol!!

 

[JameZZZ]

Thanks for the info E54. I don't think he wants to cover them because he doesn't like the look of the pit covers. I think that he wants planters in those locations and the rods happen to be in the area. It's interesting what you say. If the down conductors are connected to rebar in the foundations there is no way of inspecting however I guess being i cased in concrete stops any problems. Thanks again.

 

[Engineer54]

Thanks for the info E54. I don't think he wants to cover them because he doesn't like the look of the pit covers. I think that he wants planters in those locations and the rods happen to be in the area. It's interesting what you say. If the down conductors are connected to rebar in the foundations there is no way of inspecting however I guess being i cased in concrete stops any problems. Thanks again.

There's a bit more involved to using the building concrete frame as a LP down conductor, and you don't use just the buildings foundation rebar as the earth electrode on it's own, it's either the whole concrete frame or nothing, but that's another subject altogether...

Anyway the buildings rebar/reinforcing isn't being used as the down conductor as you have inspection pits and that's not what i meant in my post above. I'm saying if the down conductors were exothermically welded or brazed to the earth electrodes there wouldn't be a problem.

So he could if he is prepared to pay, have all those LP down conductors braze welded (no room now for exothermic welding unless he breaks the inspection pits out) to the earth electrodes. He could then have the planters he wants installed without any future access problems....

 

[Farmelectrics]

tell him hes a plant pot lol im with e54 there need to be accesible we get are lightening conductors (system) tested annually and yes they need to inspect each pot

 

[JameZZZ]

Thanks for the Info. This site is great. I have asked two questions now and have received solid logical advice. Normally with this kind of thing I ask everyone I know and have to try and work out who is talking rubbish and who knows what they are on about. Much quicker with this site, I guess that's the benefit of the internet and a wider knowledge base. Cheers.

 

[UNG]

On a site I was installing some radio equipment we found the the lighting protection system had no earth other than the shield of the coax of 2 other radios on the roof. Pointed this out to the client and had a test cert of an inspection that was carried out about 20 months previously recommending the next inspection in 5 years and he was adamant we were wrong. The system had no inspection pits and the down conductor came to ground in a flower bed after not getting through to the client how serious this could be I returned to my van got the spade out and dug down to the rod found the tape had rotted at the clamp where it connected to the rod. Went off to find the client and report my findings and was getting close to dragging him across to this building to show him the problem as he was still adamant all was well because he had a certificate saying it was when he finally got of his backside following a threat to go higher than him he said we were just looking for more work and we had damaged the conductor digging it up. Following day took a load of lightning protection documents for him to look and suggested he got it sorted properly. I believe most of the site was checked after what we found. Over the years of installing radio kit it is quite surprising how some sites treat the lightning protection system as an out sight out of mind installation with little or no maintenance and in a lot of cases the rods and connectors are just buried in concrete

If the client wants planters in particular positions then tell him the rods will need to be installed elsewhere for ease of maintenance

 

[Engineer54]

If the client wants planters in particular positions then tell him the rods will need to be installed elsewhere for ease of maintenance

No need for that, exothermic/braze connections are deemed maintenance free and are often buried without trace.

Most of our LP systems have exothermically welded down conductor connections to the earth electrodes and use the down conductor test points for what they were placed for. On the rare occasions where aggressive soils are a problem, both the rods and the short distances where the bare down conductor passes under ground we embed in a conductive Marconite mortar and protect the connection with a Denco type tape....