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TIL running the ground bond before the drop is a game changer, not a waste of time
I used to be all about terminating the coax first then messing with the ground after. Thought it saved me 5 minutes per house. Then I had a lightning strike near a job in Austin last summer that fried a whole 8 port amp because the ground was last and I forgot to bond it. Switched to doing the ground wire first every time now. It adds maybe 10 minutes per install but I sleep better knowing I won't get a callback for a fried system. Has anyone else had a close call like that?
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violar351mo ago
Managers hate this trick but it really is the way to go. My old supervisor used to skip the ground bond until the very end and we had three callbacks in one month from static fry jobs. Do you think the industry just doesn't talk enough about how much time we waste fixing stuff compared to doing it right the first time?
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torres.thea1mo agoMost Upvoted
For real had the same thing happen at my last shop. Owner swore skipping the ground bond saved time but we spent way more hours redoing jobs than if we just did it right from the start. Total false economy honestly.
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ninaowens1mo ago
I read a study from the National Electrical Contractors Association a few years back that said something like 60% of warranty calls on residential installs come from grounding issues. That stuck with me because it matches what I saw at my last company. We had a guy who was REAL fast at skipping the ground bond and his callback rate was triple everyone else's. I think the industry talks about it but only in passing, like in a safety meeting nobody pays attention to. The real problem is managers who ONLY look at install time and not the cost of fixing their shortcuts later.
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