Constructing and Maintaining an Earth-Pit

Nowadays, earth-pits are the preferred method for earthing, especially for electrical networks.
Electricity always follows the path of least resistance, and to divert the maximum current away
from a circuit, earthing pits are designed to reduce ground resistance, ideally to 1 ohm. To achieve
this:
• An area of 1.5m X 1.5m is excavated to a depth of 3m.
• The pit is half filled with a mixture of wood coal powder, sand and salt.
• A 500mm X 500mm X10mm GI plate (earth plate) is placed in the middle
• Connections between the earth plate and the surface are installed for system earthing
• The rest of the pit is filled with the coal/sand/salt mixture.

To connect the earth plate to the surface, two GI strips with a cross section of 30mm X 10mm can
be used, but a 2.5” GI pipe with a flange at the top is preferable. Additionally, the top of the pipe
can be covered with a T-section, to prevent mud and dust from entering and clogging the pipe. In
summer, the pit should be watered to keep it from drying out.
Advantages of the earth-pit method include:
• Wood coal powder is a great conductor and prevents corrosion of the metal parts
• The salt dissolves in water easily, increasing conductivity significantly
• Sand allows water to percolate through the entire pit

To test the effectiveness of the pit, check that the voltage difference between the pit and the neutral
of the mains supply is less than 2 volts. The resistance of the pit should be maintained at under 1
ohm, up to a distance of 15m from the conductor.