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Using the Line Surge Arrestor Diagram of valve box and wiring
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:
- 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.
- Along the 2-wire path: A surge arrestor should be spliced into the 2-wire path every 600 feet.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Diagram of valve box and wiring
