@thyce
First we don’t know how the electrician, 25 years ago, installed and wired the so called "dedicated" ground rod. The electrician may have installed and connected the ground rod to the existing GEC, (Grounding Electrode System), of the electrical service using a minimum #6awg copper conductor.
thyce said:
FWIW:
For many resent NEC code cycles the NEC has allowed Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes.
Quote:
"250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes. One or more grounding electrodes shall be permitted to be connected to the equipment grounding conductors specified in 250.118 and shall not be required to comply with the electrode bonding requirements of 250.50 or 250.53(C) or the resistance requirements of 250.53(A)(2) Exception, but the earth shall not be used as an effective ground-fault current path as specified in 250.4(A)(5) and 250.4(B)(4). "
End of quote.
I would not recommend an Auxiliary Grounding Electrode though. It will do nothing to improve the sound of an audio system. The earth does not possess some magical, mystical, power that sucks nasties from audio equipment. If anything an Auxiliary Grounding Electrode can cause noise on the chassis of the equipment.
Lightning loves them though...
Here is a short video about the use of an aux ground rod. When watching the video substitute the whole house generator with audio equipment of an audio system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg4wBI7bWgI
/ / / / /
Finally this...
Grounding Myths
"Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering" by Henry Ott
3.1.7 Grounding Myths
More myths exist relating to the field of grounding than any other area of electrical engineering. The more common of these are as follows:
1. The earth is a low-impedance path for ground current. False, the impedance of the earth is orders of magnitude greater than the impedance of a copper conductor.
2. The earth is an equipotential. False, this is clearly not true by the result of (1 above).
3. The impedance of a conductor is determined by its resistance. False, what happened to the concept of inductive reactance?
4. To operate with low noise, a circuit or system must be connected to an earth ground. False, because airplanes, satellites, cars and battery powered laptop computers all operate fine without a ground connection. As a matter of fact, an earth ground is more likely to be the cause of noise problems. More electronic system noise problems are resolved by removing (or isolating) a circuit from earth ground than by connecting it to earth ground.
5. To reduce noise, an electronic system should be connected to a separate “quiet ground” by using a separate, isolated ground rod. False, in addition to being untrue, this approach is dangerous and violates the requirements of the NEC (electrical code/rules).
6. An earth ground is unidirectional, with current only flowing into the ground. False, because current must flow in loops, any current that flows into the ground must also flow out of the ground somewhere else.
7. An isolated AC power receptacle is not grounded. False, the term “isolated” refers only to the method by which a receptacle is grounded, not if it is grounded.
8. A system designer can name ground conductors by the type of the current that they should carry (i.e., signal, power, lightning, digital, analog, quiet, noisy, etc.), and the electrons will comply and only flow in the appropriately designated conductors. Obviously false."
Henry W. Ott
http://www.hottconsultants.com/bio.html
.
First we don’t know how the electrician, 25 years ago, installed and wired the so called "dedicated" ground rod. The electrician may have installed and connected the ground rod to the existing GEC, (Grounding Electrode System), of the electrical service using a minimum #6awg copper conductor.
thyce said:
That ground rod you said is just for your audio equipment absolutely must not be connected to anything but the houses main ground rod, and only if it is 6 ft or closer to the main grounding rod.25 years ago, I would agree. 25 years ago the new so called "dedicated" ground rod should have been connected to the existing GES with a minimum #6awg copper conductor.
and only if it is 6 ft or closer to the main grounding rod.That is the minimum distance apart... There is not any maximum distance between the grounding electrodes.
FWIW:
For many resent NEC code cycles the NEC has allowed Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes.
Quote:
"250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes. One or more grounding electrodes shall be permitted to be connected to the equipment grounding conductors specified in 250.118 and shall not be required to comply with the electrode bonding requirements of 250.50 or 250.53(C) or the resistance requirements of 250.53(A)(2) Exception, but the earth shall not be used as an effective ground-fault current path as specified in 250.4(A)(5) and 250.4(B)(4). "
End of quote.
I would not recommend an Auxiliary Grounding Electrode though. It will do nothing to improve the sound of an audio system. The earth does not possess some magical, mystical, power that sucks nasties from audio equipment. If anything an Auxiliary Grounding Electrode can cause noise on the chassis of the equipment.
Lightning loves them though...
Here is a short video about the use of an aux ground rod. When watching the video substitute the whole house generator with audio equipment of an audio system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg4wBI7bWgI
/ / / / /
Finally this...
Grounding Myths
"Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering" by Henry Ott
3.1.7 Grounding Myths
More myths exist relating to the field of grounding than any other area of electrical engineering. The more common of these are as follows:
1. The earth is a low-impedance path for ground current. False, the impedance of the earth is orders of magnitude greater than the impedance of a copper conductor.
2. The earth is an equipotential. False, this is clearly not true by the result of (1 above).
3. The impedance of a conductor is determined by its resistance. False, what happened to the concept of inductive reactance?
4. To operate with low noise, a circuit or system must be connected to an earth ground. False, because airplanes, satellites, cars and battery powered laptop computers all operate fine without a ground connection. As a matter of fact, an earth ground is more likely to be the cause of noise problems. More electronic system noise problems are resolved by removing (or isolating) a circuit from earth ground than by connecting it to earth ground.
5. To reduce noise, an electronic system should be connected to a separate “quiet ground” by using a separate, isolated ground rod. False, in addition to being untrue, this approach is dangerous and violates the requirements of the NEC (electrical code/rules).
6. An earth ground is unidirectional, with current only flowing into the ground. False, because current must flow in loops, any current that flows into the ground must also flow out of the ground somewhere else.
7. An isolated AC power receptacle is not grounded. False, the term “isolated” refers only to the method by which a receptacle is grounded, not if it is grounded.
8. A system designer can name ground conductors by the type of the current that they should carry (i.e., signal, power, lightning, digital, analog, quiet, noisy, etc.), and the electrons will comply and only flow in the appropriately designated conductors. Obviously false."
Henry W. Ott
Who is Henry Ott?
http://www.hottconsultants.com/bio.html
.