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Proprietary Information: Not for use or disclosure except by written agreement with Calix.
May, 2023.
A suitable earth electrode is a copper clad steel rod that is driven into the earth at least 8 feet
deep or a metallic cold water pipe that is under ground for a distance of at least 10 feet. If a
water pipe is used as an earth electrode, it must be no more than 5 feet from the outer wall
where the system is mounted.
All ground conductors are required to provide a low impedance path to the earth electrode.
The conductor must take the shortest and most direct path to the earth electrode and be free
of any sharp bends. If ground conductors are to be placed inside metallic conduit they must
be bonded to the conduit at both ends using a UL listed bonding type connector.
Important: Extreme care must be taken when attaching the ground connectors to the utility
(earth) ground rod. If the ground is interrupted or disturbed in any way, an unsafe condition
will exist.
Calix best practice
Calix requires use of an earth ground circuit (earth electrode) at the installation site to
provide protection from electric shock for equipment and personnel. The ground circuit may
consist of a simple copper rod driven into the earth or a complex system of buried rods and
wires. The lower the resistance of the electrode-to-earth connection, the more effective the
ground system is for safety and lightning protection.
Proper grounding conditions and requirements vary per site. BICSI (Building Industry
Consulting Service International) calls for a 5 ohm maximum standard based on IEEE 142-
2007 (aka the Green Book, Recommended Practice for Grounding of Industrial and Commercial Power
Systems), Chapter 4 ("Connection to Earth"), Section 4.1.3 ("Recommended Acceptable
Values"). Calix recommends achieving a ground impedance of no greater than 5
ohms, wherever practical, to facilitate proper operation of high speed services and for safety
during surge events. Consult IEEE 142-2007 Chapter 4 for considerations and guidance on
how to achieve no more than 5 ohms impedance when connecting to a given ground field.
ALERT! Failure to achieve ground circuit impedance within the
recommended range limits the site’s potential safety from risk of shock
and can adversely affect performance of broadband services.
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