Do-it-yourself grounding of the washing machine

Content:

What is the meaning of grounding
Grounding in various conditions
Grounding cable
What not to do when grounding

The surest way to protect your washing machine is to ground it. So you protect yourself and extend its service life for many years. However, many people buy this device and do not think about it, but grounding is also mandatory, as is the connection of the water supply, and other similar things that ensure the operability of the unit. In this article we will show you how to ground your washing machine yourself.

What is the meaning of grounding

Why do you need grounding for a washing machine

Any machine connected to a network without grounding carries a share of danger, since a residual voltage appears on its body, which can be felt by touching it during operation. In case of damage to the insulation of the wires inside the machine, it can occur, so that the body will take over the so-called "phase", and a full voltage of 220V will appear on it, and since the machine is installed mainly in bathrooms in which there is a humid environment, this unit without grounding becomes dangerous to human life.

Among other things, grounding saves household devices from power surges. Therefore, this operation to ensure the removal of excess voltage can save your life and ensure the operability of the device for many years.

Grounding in various conditions

Some of us live in high-rise buildings in ordinary apartments, while others in private houses. The following will describe how to properly ground the washing machine if there is no ground :

In the first case, we will consider how to properly ground a washing machine in an apartment. It all depends on the time of construction of the house where you live. There should not be any problems with the grounding of household appliances in "New buildings", since during their design the calculation is based on grounding. This cable is already provided in the electrical networks. However, if you live in a house of "Soviet times", then such a system is not provided, and there are two options for the development of events - 1) two buses are installed in the electrical panel, one of which is grounding, and the other is zero, and from them the wiring will branch out to various devices. 2) this method is more complicated. From the outlet into which you turn on the washing machine, lay a special three-core cable with a copper section, then you will need to connect the wires as follows:

connect the zero wire of the cable to the zero bus;
connect the phase wire through the RCD and the machine to the corresponding branch (phase wire from the meter);
connect the ground wire to the PE bar. Remember the most important thing - in no case connect this wire to the zero phase!

There are also houses where there is no grounding cable at all. In this case, it is better to use waterproof outlets, or even remove the washing machine from the bathroom.

how to ground a washing machine

In a private house, the principle of connecting grounding is similar to the apartment method, but there is one difference, the grounding pad must be done by yourself. Now let's take a closer look at this process:

this requires 3 metal pipes with an approximate length of up to 3 meters, at least 5 meters. Length is calculated depending on the freezing of the soil in the winter couple of time;
we "sharpen" the lower parts of the pipes by hammering their edges with a sledgehammer;
we dig a small hole up to 5 meters deep, and there we drive the pipes into the ground, leaving them sticking out at a height of 15 centimeters;
further, with iron plates or fittings of medium diameter, we connect the pipes between the failure of the triangle using welding. After pulling the wire out, bury the hole;
we attach a ground wire to the plate and lead it into the house to the place where the meter is installed.

Next, lead the wire to the outlet where your washing machine is turned on, or attach it to a bolt to the unit body.

Grounding cable

In order to properly conduct the grounding for the washing machine, you need to understand the grounding cables themselves. These products are subdivided by color, so as not to get confused which one is intended for. Now let's move on to the colors themselves:

red color - phase cable;
blue wire - neutral wire;
yellow with green - grounding cable.

Also, cables are colorless or white, in these cases the grounding will be in the middle. Thanks to this color designation, it is more difficult for craftsmen to make a mistake during the installation of grounding.

What not to do when grounding

Absolutely any unit comes with an instruction, which describes how to properly ground the washing machine, they describe step by step all the actions and methods of connecting it. Let's move on to what is strictly forbidden to do when grounding:

under no circumstances connect grounding to pipelines of any type;
it is forbidden to lead out grounding cables and connect them to the grounding bus on sites that were not adapted for this. This is because moisture will affect the metal, due to which the corrosion and the resolution of the tire occur, and when it grows on the outer coating, any, even minor accident, can lead to the fact that the grounding cable will burn out;
it is forbidden to make a series connection of electrical appliances, and also it is impossible to connect more than one conductor to the contact grounding pad. In the first case, electromagnetic incompatibility and the appearance of interference are possible.

If you undertook to make yourself grounding, then take into account the above rules and try to avoid mistakes, it is best to seek help from the masters.

We have told you about ways to ground a washing machine in apartments or private houses. All methods are legal and safe to use.

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