$500.00 ground rod

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250.56 Resistance of Rod, Pipe, and Plate Electrodes
A single electrode consisting of a rod, pipe, or plate that does not have a resistance to ground of 25 ohms or less shall be augmented by one additional electrode of any of the types specified by 250.52(A)(2) through (A)(7). Where multiple rod, pipe, or plate electrodes are installed to meet the requirements of this section, they shall not be less than 1.8 m (6 ft) apart.
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I guess I finally get where bulldog is coming from on this... I disagree, but I grasp how it could be read thusly... Taking the code and writing it as a computer function:

Function "250.56 Resistance of Rod, Pipe, and Plate Electrodes"

Do Until "A single electrode consisting of a rod, pipe, or plate that does not have a resistance to ground of 25 ohms or less"

shall be augmented by one additional electrode of any of the types specified by 250.52(A)(2) through (A)(7).​

Loop

End Function


I think the key word that maybe (just maybe) bulldog isn't appreciating is "single"... the "shall be augmented" phrase only applies to a single electrode. The code is made in "shalls"...
 
tallguy said:
I think the key word that maybe (just maybe) bulldog isn't appreciating is "single"... the "shall be augmented" phrase only applies to a single electrode. The code is made in "shalls"...
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250.56 Resistance of Rod, Pipe, and Plate Electrodes
A single electrode consisting of a rod, pipe, or plate that does not have a resistance to ground of 25 ohms or less shall be augmented by one additional electrode of any of the types specified by 250.52(A)(2) through (A)(7). Where multiple rod, pipe, or plate electrodes are installed to meet the requirements of this section, they shall not be less than 1.8 m (6 ft) apart.

I think the bold part pretty much sums it up... :roll:
 
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stickboy1375 said:
The way I read 250.56 is this, I drive a rod, I don't own any type of equipment to check the resistance, so I drive another rod, call it a day and go home to see the wife and kids, end of story... Look this thread did end with a happy ending... :)
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I'm with Stickboy there!
 
LarryFine said:
So it's agreed! Let's all call it a day and go home with Stickboy and see his wife and kids! :grin:
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I'm sure he has a nice family, but that's an awful long way to drive, besides I'm still working on my second rod. :wink:

Roger
 
$500 ground rod

$500 ground rod

Is this about ohms, multiple ground rods, or making this the longest thread?
Glad I was in from the start I would hate to come in now and have to read all these threads to see what this is about. This is the most reading since before graduating high school in 1967.
Hope all of us can laugh about this someday!!!
Going to look at Stick-boys profile now.
 
A young man that used to work for me had a GREAT ground rod story. He started his own business and did a resi service change. He was a young guy and people sometimes treated him like a kid but he was very very good.

The POCO inspector saw some cut off 1/2 copper pipe in the trash pile and thought it was the ground rods. He told Steven that he had to drive new rods. Steven showed him that the pieces were copper pipes but the inspector was stubborn. Steven showed him his 50# demo hammer with the rod driver bit atteached but the inspector was stubborn.

The homeowner witness this event and he had seen the rods go in but the inspector would not budge. The inspector failer the job and walked away leaving the occupied home without power.

Steven sent them to the nicest hotel they could find and aske dthem to keep reciepts for EVERYTHING.

Three days later the inspector came back with some linemen and some kind of rig to pull out the rods. Steven was being kind of a smart ass at this point, counting out "4 feet...5 feet...six feet" all the way to eight feet as they tugged the first one out.

Was the inspector satisfied? Nope. He had the linemen hook onto the other one too. He was desperately hoping for redemption but alas, he would not get it. As a last attempt to be an...unreasonable person...the inspector told Steven he could drive the rods back in. When he was done laughing he politely refused and the poor linemen had to drive em in with a hand sledge.

The bill was well over $1000 including the final service charge for which he was paid to watch this clown make a fool of himself.

Man, I love that story as much as I hate that kind of inspector.
 
$500 ground rod

$500 ground rod

When I saw another post on the $500 ground rod thread I started not to open it.
But John thanks for sharing this with us. I have never seen an inspector like that. Makes me wonder if the other Electrician has done something in the past to make him distrust him so. If not the inspector got what he deserved.
This is to inspectors on this form: Do inspectors have that much right or pull to go that far? All inspectors I have known now and in the past have been O.K. Semper Fi Buddy
 
I do remember reading but have been unable to find it and really don't want to go to library and research it...But along time ago when the telegraph / new telephone system was in use they used a functional ground (earthing) system to aid in relay operation do you think this is where the 25 ohms to ground came from?
 
cschmid said:
I do remember reading but have been unable to find it and really don't want to go to library and research it...But along time ago when the telegraph / new telephone system was in use they used a functional ground (earthing) system to aid in relay operation do you think this is where the 25 ohms to ground came from?
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Cschmid, read the links provided in post #83 and #84

Roger
 
Brady Electric said:
I have never seen an inspector like that.
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You have obviously not experienced some of the contract inspectors the big engineering houses used to use.

I think they got paid by the number of violations to specs they could find.
 
short ground rod

short ground rod

The previous comment that you can look at the end and see if it is cut off does not make it clear that there is printing stamped on the side of the ground rod near the top. If this printing is gone, obviously it was cut off. That's how the inspector can tell. When it won't drive straight down even with a jack hammer I angle it and it will bent enough to keep going in. It may only be 4 or 5 feet down but you get all 8 feet driven in. I have not had this method fail to pass inspection.
DC Sacramento Ca..
 
Ground Rod Requirements

Ground Rod Requirements

Ground Rods are installed to provide a path between the Electrical Service and the Utility's power pole when the Service Lateral Neutral is interrupted !
 
Ground Rods are installed to provide a path between the Electrical Service and the Utility's power pole when the Service Lateral Neutral is interrupted !
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That is not correct.
Don
 
mtnelect said:
Ground Rods are installed to provide a path between the Electrical Service and the Utility's power pole when the Service Lateral Neutral is interrupted !
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Have you ever seen what happens in a scenario like you just described?

I have.

Office building, fried surge suppressor strips for the PC's and UPS going off like crazy. Voltages weird. Like 140 volts to neutral on one leg, 90 volts on the other. I'm reading voltages at the service and the maint guy discovers that the dirt around the ground rod mushroom is all white and chalk like. I look up and the neutral connection at the Weather Head was loose. Wiggled it, and the voltages were normal - till under a greater load. Replaced the split bolt on the neutral and the problem was solved.

Ground rod cannot carry the neutral load.
 
All

All

I believe that we all have missed the point from what I have read.

1. It is Code.
2. The human body has a resistance of more than 25 ohms, by having a path of less resistance, it could conceivible save yours or someone elses life.
3. Please discuss the cutting of Ground Rods with your insurance carrier. I believe he will have the best answer for everyone.

You guys are a HOOT.

I have been in the electrical business for 47 years and I still learn new thing everyday from some of you guys!


Thanks

JLC
 
JLC,
2. The human body has a resistance of more than 25 ohms, by having a path of less resistance, it could conceivible save yours or someone elses life.
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Unless the grounding electrode system can flow enough current to open the OCPD, it is very unlikely that it could save your life. The path of less resistance has nothing to do with preventing shock as current flows on all available paths. As long as there is current flow there is a shock hazard. The only way to make the hazard go away is to clear the fault.
Don
 
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