Driven Ground rod material

[electrobuzz]

Which is a better material for a driven ground rod, copper or galvanized steel?

 

[rcarroll]

The cheaper one:?

 

[iwire]

Which is a better material for a driven ground rod, copper or galvanized steel?

Copper ones are just copper plated steel.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I believe there have been studies done that show the copper rods last many years longer than the galvanized.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I found this taken from here

Comprehensive direct burial studies done by the National Bureau of Standards showed that 3.9 mils of galvanizing could be expected to provide 10-13 years of protection in most soils. This same study showed that 10 mils of copper could be expected to last more than 40 years in most soil types and is the basis for the 10 mils of copper required for a rod to be UL listed. Furthermore, independent ground rod testing performed by the Navy and the National Electrical Grounding Research Project back up the data gathered by the National Bureau of Standards. Because of these studies, a service life of 10 to 15 years can be assigned to galvanized rods and 40-plus years for 10 mil copper-bonded rods in most soil types.

 

[gadfly56]

I found this taken from here

Great info. Now the real world question. Did they simply bury the rods, or smash them into the ground like you have to, scoring the rod in stony soil down to the base metal?