Earthing of outdoor equipment to lightning protection grid?
I was asked to "earth" an air conditioner located at roof top; to the copper strap that was part of the lightning protection system. I feel very wrong about it, but any one can advice. The best can quote some regulation or…….
Take a look in article 250 of the NEC it will give you a short review of the equipment grounding conductor, However lightning protection does two jobs. First job is to drain the pulse away from the equipment through a known path and second to provide a safer working area for those who may be in close proximity to the affected area. In the past it has been very common to build a closed loop system from copper wire .At junction points a CAD-weld is used(exothermic mold). In effect building a cage of lightning protection. This cage provides a Van De Graff effect which polarizes the building and effectively creates a sphere of safety within. Quite common in industy for metal buildings it is also used in farming areas to "SAVE" the barn..Have a good one from the E.