Aardingspunten

Aardingspunten are points in an electrical installation where the installation is connected to the earth to establish a reference potential and to provide a path for fault currents. They are central to the earthing system and help limit the risk of electric shock by ensuring that exposed conductive parts do not rise to dangerous voltages during faults, and by enabling protective devices to operate correctly.

In a typical installation, the main aardpunt is located at the service entry or shortly after it. Depending on the earthing system (for example TN-S, TN-C-S, or TT), the exact arrangement of the aardpunt and the connection to earth can vary. In many systems (such as TN-C-S used in some networks), a conductor that combines neutral and protective earth from the supply is split into separate neutral and earth conductors at the aardpunt, with the earth conductor bonded to the building’s earth network.

An aardingspunt is normally connected to an earth electrode or an electrode network, for example a vertical rod, a buried plate or a buried conductor, and this electrode is connected to the installation via an earth conductor. The impedance of this path should be sufficiently low to allow fault currents to flow safely to earth and to keep touch voltages within acceptable limits.

Maintenance and testing are important: earth resistance and continuity of the earth path should be checked periodically, and connections should be protected against corrosion and mechanical damage. Standards and guidelines (such as those used in many European countries) define requirements for earthing systems to ensure safety and reliability.