Driving ground rods

[Ralph Mowery]

Found this in one of the code places. I know in some places around here that 2 rods must be installed I think 6 feet apart. Yes, all ground rods from every one must ge bonded together. I have several rods and have put in a couple for my radio tower. All the rods are bonded together except the one at the tower which is about 6 feet away from the other rods.

(G) Ground Rod Electrodes. Ground rod electrodes must be installed so that not less than 8 ft of length is in contact with the soil. Where rock bottom is encountered, the ground rod must be driven at an angle not to exceed 45 degrees from vertical. If rock bottom is encountered at an angle up to 45 degrees from vertical, the ground rod can be buried in a minimum 30 in. deep trench. Figure 250??"102

[Tekkie®]

Oren posted for all of us...

Oh, a new tool to buy that I'll never use.

[EXT]

Had to drive two 10 foot rods in 1970, I only had a home made sledge made up of steel pipe for the handle and a solid steel head. The first 4 feet went relatively easy, but the last 6 feet were hell. The soil under the 4 foot level is heavy hard pan clay, almost shale. It took all day to drive the two rods in. Near the end I was getting only one inch for about 30 hits with the sledge or 1/32" per hit. It was a good thing that I was raising the soil level by three feet, so I did not have to drive the last foot. Power equipment would have been welcome but was not available.

[Jim Rusling]

That would probably be easier that trying to drive them through a solid layer of sandstone. I was using a 20 lb impact driver and held that thing for 20 minutes and only made about 1/4 of an inch. It also mushroomed the ground rod so that I had to use a hammer to get the rod tool loose.