What is earthing Electrode?

What is the difference between vertical and horizontal earth electrodes?

In fact, these concepts are conditional, for example, in the second case, it is not at all necessary that the position of the earth electrode in the ground be strictly horizontal, but it is very important that the electrodes forming the grounding conductor (the ground contour) be at the required depth, so that in case of earthworks, they do not suffer any mechanical damage.

Due to the fact that the Earth's surface is not sufficiently flat in its various parts, the horizontal earthing electrode system must follow the topography of the surface, replicating it as accurately as possible.

In the same way, vertical electrodes cannot be installed vertically, but at a slight inclination, which, however, will not significantly affect their operation.

Horizontal earthing installation

Earthing Equipment Lay the horizontal earthing electrode at a depth of 0.5 m. If the land is arable, it is best to increase the depth to 1 m. As a rule, such earthing electrodes are installed using special equipment.

In the case of a horizontal earth electrode located very close to the ground surface, the propagation of electric current over the soil will not be uniform, but at greater depths this effect is achieved without unnecessary cost and effort.

For conductors placed horizontally, the resistance is much higher than for similar electrodes installed in a vertical position. This is why vertical electrodes are often used during electrical work.

It is best to use deep vertical electrodes for this purpose, as they are able to reach the soil layers that conduct electric current well.