For protection from electrical surges, the WeatherTRAK H2O control system requires proper earth grounding using the WeatherTRAK Surge Arrestor (WT2W-H2O-SA) and ground rods.
Important
Failure to ground the system properly will void the warranty.
To comply with proper installation specifications, the following components should be grounded:
- WeatherTRAK 2-wire Controller: 25ohms* maximum ground resistance.
- WeatherTRAK Surge Arrestor: 25ohms maximum ground resistance.
- WeatherTRAK Flow Decoder 25ohms maximum ground resistance.
* WeatherTRAK strongly recommends getting the controller to below 10 ohms but will accept less than 25 ohms.
Each installed grounding system shall maintain a maximum ground resistance defined above.
A UL-Listed copper clad ground rod should be used to achieve the maximum ground resistance requirement. A 5/8” X 96” ground rod is the smallest recommended size.
The WeatherTRAK 2-Wire controller should be protected through an AC surge protector on the primary incoming power to the controller.
The WeatherTRAK 2-Wire controller provides a ground lug on the bottom front of the terminal board that accepts a #6 AWG bare copper wire that should be connected to a grounding system.
Using the Line Surge Arrestor
The WeatherTRAK surge arrestor provides protection for the WeatherTRAK 2-wire controller and 2-wire path. Surge arrestors should be properly connected to a ground rod or ground plate for it to be effective at protecting the 2-wire system against surge events.
Surge arrestors should be installed in each of the following scenarios:
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Near the WeatherTRAK 2-wire controller: A surge arrestor should be spliced into each 2-wire path within 25 feet of the controller. This provides surge protection for the WeatherTRAK 2-wire controller.
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Along the 2-wire path: A surge arrestor should be spliced into the 2-wire path every 600 feet.
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At the end of the 2-wire path: A surge arrestor should be installed at the end of each 2-wire path branch 50 feet or longer when using a star configuration.
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Every 300 feet in lightning-prone areas: In lightning-prone areas, install a surge arrestor every 300 feet on the 2-wire path and at the end of any 2-wire brand longer than 50 feet.
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At the beginning and end of a long run without 2-Wire Devices: For long runs of wire without any 2-wire devices, place a surge arrestor at the beginning of the run and at the end of the run. Do not splice the wire run in order to install a new surge arrestor if there are not devices. Example: valve box 1 is 2,400 feet from valve box 2. There is nothing in between the valve boxes. Install a surge arrestor after valve box 1 and then just before valve box 2. Do not install any surge arrestors in-between.
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Install grounded surge arrestors at every “dead end” that is 25 feet or longer.
Below is a wiring diagram for a 2-wire controller system.
