What’s a grounding system?

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A grounding system, commonly called a grounding system, is used in electrical wiring to establish a connection to earth. This connection serves as a safety measure to discharge the flow of electricity in the event of a short circuit or overvoltage. This is achieved by providing a direct connection to the Earth. Grounding systems are designed in two varieties: the protective earth and the functional earth.

For most applications, the grounding system is designed to protect the end user from electric shock in the event of a short circuit. This system provides a ground wire between all electrically conductive surfaces and the ground or ground wire of the circuit. In this way, the electric potential of these surfaces is matched to that of the Earth. Simply put, it is almost impossible to get electrocuted because the abnormal flow of electricity activates the circuit protection device. This is called protective earth.

Another type of grounding system is functional grounding. This system is designed to protect wiring and electrical components from damage caused by a sudden power surge. A common example used to describe the function of this grounding system design is the lightning rod. Functional earth works in the same way as a lightning rod, by absorbing the direct current surge and safely routing it to earth. Functional earth is commonly used in surge protective devices. These devices are used to protect electrical equipment, such as computers and televisions, from lightning strikes and power surges.

The low resistance protective ground is designed to produce a brief burst of high current to activate circuit protection devices and cut power to the circuit. Functional grounding, however, can allow the circuit to continue to function. Due to the high functional earth resistance, the circuit protection device may not be activated. To avoid this problem, a residual current detector is installed to detect current leakage to the Earth. When a loss of electrical current is detected, the device shuts down the circuit.

In most modern buildings, the grounding system is integrated into the electrical wiring using a single-wire earth return. The single wire ground loop is simply a metal electrode that is driven into the Earth. It is connected to the main ground wire at the electric service meter. This single wire earth return can provide a basic form of grounding system protection and electrical safety for an entire building. When properly assembled, the single-wire earth return serves as both a protective earth and a functional earth for an entire electrical system.

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