Pounding a ground rod

[James Jaragosky]

Today I pounded a ground rod for my second 200amp breaker panel.
Forgot how much work it was.
It wasn’t until I was 2/3's done when I got the bright idea to use my hammer drill to do the work.
It still took a little muscle, I wish I had thought of it earlier.
Jim J.

[Rollie Meyers]

Today I pounded a ground rod for my second 200amp breaker panel.
Forgot how much work it was.
It wasn’t until I was 2/3's done when I got the bright idea to use my hammer drill to do the work.
It still took a little muscle, I wish I had thought of it earlier.
Jim J.

Use a fence post driver or rent a demo hammer w/ a ground rod driver.Here is the part your not going to like.... Section 250.56 2005 NEC requires 2 rods at least 6' apart UNLESS you can prove 25 ohms of resistance or less (unless you have around $3000.00 for the equipment driving 2 rods is cheaper). And this requirement has been around for a while............

PS All grounding electrodes must be bonded together.

[David G Baker]

I use a manual fence post driver for 80% of the driving. When the rods get down to close to the dirt I switch to a sledge hammer and a small pipe with a pipe nipple fastened to it. After I tie the two rods together using grounding fittings I finish driving the rods below the surface and bury the bonding wire.
If the rods are going through cement they should be installed prior to the pour to protect them from physical damage if possible.

[Shawn Buonarosa]

Funny story about ground rods
My grandfather was an electrician for the better part of his life, and I used to like to go to work with him, and naturally being the youngster I was elected to drive all ground rods. On maybe the third or fourth rod I'd ever done he just handed it to me and left it up to me as to where it would be installed.
I walked the perimeter of the house and drove the rod in a "nice spot". After I was done we picked up and went home, had dinner and began to unwind when the phone rang, "Dom you have to get over here, I don't know whats going on, but there is about a foot of water and rising in this basement"....
Yep you guessed it, I had managed to hit the 1" water main, a feat that if one tried to do intentionally they would almost certainly fail.

[harry strasil]

push the rod in as far as you can, then wiggle it around a bit to taper the hole. pour some water in the hole and using an up and down motion, just work the rod into the ground keeping water in the hole, it will almost fall in, drive in the last little bit with a sledge.

On the other hand over the years I have made several ground rod drivers in the blacksmith shop for electricians. just a piece of 3/4 black pipe welded to the side of a 6 or 8 lb sledge hammer head. Slip the pipe handle over the rod an it works like a post driver till the pipe hits the ground, then reverse and use the sledge head to finish.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

My local electrical inspector told me about using a socket on the end of a hammer drill. Worked like a charm!

[Dan Friedrichs]

As Rollie mentioned, make sure your ground rods are all bonded together. Some very "interesting" ground loop problems can result if you don't.

[Von Bickley]

I guess the codes are different everywhere you go. I have never seen an electrical service with more than 1 ground rod in this part of the country....

[Rollie Meyers]

I guess the codes are different everywhere you go. I have never seen an electrical service with more than 1 ground rod in this part of the country....


250-56 came out in the 1999 NEC, services installed prior to that being adopted did not need to have 2 rods but after that it's folks not following code & I doubt they spent the $3000.00 or so for the testing equipment to prove 25 Ohms or less.:D

[Don Abele]

I've upgraded two electrical services (one in Maine in the mid 90's and one here in Massachusetts three years ago). When they did it (electrician with permit and inspected) they drove grounds rods as neither system had one (was only using the water pipe). On both occasions they only installed one. Inspector specifically checked the ground rod on both occasions - no problem with only one.

The first guy used a fence post driver then finished it off with a sledge. The guy here in MA used a demo hammer with a special bit on it. It sank in the ground like a hot knife through butter.

Be well,

Doc

[Rick Christopherson]

I guess the codes are different everywhere you go. I have never seen an electrical service with more than 1 ground rod in this part of the country....Yes you have, but probably didn't realize it. The copper water pipe was the second rod.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

My local code requried 2 ground rods and specified how far apart they could be. The ground in my backyard has a lot of rock. Using a hammer drill and socket I had to run the 2 rods down in about 10 different locations before I got both of them down within the required distand from each other. Thankfully the electrical inspector had recommended the hammer drill and socket method! I had to step quickly down the ladder to stay up with the hammer drill driving the rod.

[Bob Slater]

The grounding in my shop is to an overhead steel beam. I have no clue how this is a ground? At any rate the electrical inspector approved of this when I upped my panel to 200 amps.

[Rollie Meyers]

The grounding in my shop is to an overhead steel beam. I have no clue how this is a ground? At any rate the electrical inspector approved of this when I upped my panel to 200 amps.

Since your in Canada, the NEC will be irrelevant and I dont have a copy of the CEC, so that would have to be a question answered by someone else, but if in the US would be a no go.

[Von Bickley]

Yes you have, but probably didn't realize it. The copper water pipe was the second rod.

Rick,

I don't think I have seen copper water pipes in a house in 25 years. All the new homes around here use CPVC for both hot and cold water lines in the house, and PVC from the well or water main to the house. :)

[Dave Zeigler]

When I upgraded my service to 200A, I had to install two ground rods AND tie into the copper water pipe per inspector sparky. The ground was frozen solid when I installed the rods. To prevent the rod ends from mushrooming over, I bought a couple of pipe nipples and end caps that just fit over the rod.

I hammered those suckers with a fence post hammer until they no longer persuaded the rods to move. Then on to the sledge. Then the BIG sledge. Then the first pipe end cap broke. So I put some molten lead into the second one to "cushion" the blow a little. After it cooled, I went at it again. I got the rods in, but ended up breaking the second end cap also. I guess it lasted long enough to get through the rock I was up against.

It took several hours. I couldn't get the rods out, so I kept on banging.

Fun in the frozen hardpan. I don't think a hammer drill would do it.

Oh yeah, digging the trench for the grounding wire was even more fun. Never again in the NY winter.

When I had to install one for my detached shop/garage, I stood it up in the foundation excavation trench and backfilled around it.:D Not the best for grounding, but good enough for inspection.

Dave

[Wes Bischel]

I had to put one in for our new TV antenna. I used the same method as Harry and a 5lb sledge hammer for the last little bit. My Dad taught me it when I was younger. It took 15 minutes at most. I broke more of a sweat up on the ladder installing the antenna!:D

Wes