How to Ground a Satellite Dish

Satellite dishes offer an alternative to the costly television service offered by your traditional cable company. Believe it or not, there are still many, many homes that do not have access to regular cable, and more yet, where the homeowner is tired of the song and dance routine of the cable company. For these people, satellite dishes are the answer.

But, before you go and do the installation yourself, you have to be aware that you must ground the satellite dish as well as the cables coming into your home. If you do not ground them, you are leaving your home open to damage from a lightning strike. To help keep your installation safe, here is how to ground your satellite dish.

Things You'll Need

• Grounding block
• Adjustable wrench
• Drill and drill bits
• Plastic anchors (3/4 inch)
• Silicone grease
• #10 copper wire (length determined by job)
• Screwdrivers
• Screws (3/4 inch)
• Wire strippers

Instructions

1. If you take a look at the cable that came with your satellite dish, you will notice that it looks exactly like the coaxial cable that the cable company uses. But, further inspection will show you that the cable has a thin wire that travels the length of the coaxial. This is called the "messenger" wire.

2. Where the cable gets connected to the satellite dish, make sure that the coaxial cable is tightly connected and look to see if the messenger wire is connected to the ground screw on the dish's base. If it is not, then use the wire strippers to strip about 3/4 inches of insulation off the wire and wrap it under the ground screw and tighten the screw.

3. Next, it's important that your satellite cable enter the home near where your main ground is located.

   Use the drill, drill bits, anchors and screws to secure the grounding block to the building's structure near the base of the building.

4. Run the satellite cable from the dish to the grounding block. Place some of the silicone grease on the grounding block's terminal. This helps reduce corrosion and protects the connection from the weather.

   Make a 3- to 5-inch loop in the cable and then connect the coaxial cable to the threaded terminal using the adjustable wrench to make sure that it is tight.

5. Loosen the screw on the grounding block and place the messenger wire in the hole underneath of it. Retighten the screw to hold the messenger wire in place.

6. Find the building's central ground and run the #10 copper wire from that point to the satellite cable grounding block. Loosen the same screw that you loosened for the messenger wire and place the copper wire in the same hole. Tighten down the screw so that both wires are secure.

   Return to the building's central ground and connect the #10 copper wire to it.

7. Connect the coaxial cable that enters the building to the other side of the splitter terminal on the grounding block, after you coat it with the silicone.

8. That is all it takes to ground your satellite dish and cable. Now, the next time you're in the middle of a lightning storm, you won't have to worry about the satellite dish on top of your home acting like a conductor!

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to keep any wires out of the reach of children or animals.

• Staple the coaxial cable and/or grounding wire to the building to prevent anyone from tripping over it.

• Always have help when you are working on your satellite dish if it is located on the roof.