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PROPER WAY TO GROUND ?

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Discription: General Mobile Electronics Questions and Answers
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=649
Printed Date: February 11, 2026 at 9:58 AM


Topic: PROPER WAY TO GROUND ?

Posted By: bberman1
Subject: PROPER WAY TO GROUND ?
Date Posted: May 08, 2002 at 12:43 PM

What is the proper way to ground multiple amps? Have heard many conflicting theories. Should you run all the grounds from a central point, or from multiple points?



Replies:

Posted By: the12volt
Date Posted: May 08, 2002 at 1:07 PM

Hi bberman1, the main thing in grounding your equipment besides using the appropriate size cable/wire and good connections is that they all show as close to zero resistance to absolute ground (case of alternator when running) as possible and that they all show the same resistance to absolute ground. When you have one component with a noticeably higher resistance to ground than another in your system, it's likely you'll end up with some type of noise, whether it be engine noise, alternator whine, etc. (aka ground loop)  If you are capable of grounding multiple components that are near each other to the same location, do it, but don't go out of your way to connect every component in your vehicle to the same location. This could just as easily create noise problems.

the12volt


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