Driving Ground Rods

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We use a small electric jack hammer or chipping hammer. I used to buy the grd rod driver bit but it absorbs too much of the energy, so now we just stick the mouth of the hammer right on the rod and it drives rods into our almost solid rock soils and clays quite nicely.

Bob on the left coast.
 
There is only one way I drive a ground rod. with my rotory hammer drill and the $70.00 ground rod driving bit. It will save you more time by the time you have driven the third rod you have paid for the bit. I have seen guy hook up a Hole Hawg to a ground rod and drill them in this is not recommended by me.
 
bkludecke said:
I used to buy the grd rod driver bit but it absorbs too much of the energy, so now we just stick the mouth of the hammer right on the rod
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I recommend not doing this with SDS or Spline drive rotary hammers.

It is not the rod you are saving with the driver, it is the drive of the tool that can be damaged by the ground rod.
 
frank_n said:
Is there an attatchment for my Bosch hammer drill?

Frank
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$68.50 @ [AMAZON]
 
I have a Bosch SDS-Max rotary hammer with a ground rod driver. I've come across situations where it was the only way to get the ground rod into tightly packed earth. The tool costs $700, but it's worth it. The chisel bit is good for breaking up concrete and mortar, and the various drill and coring bits are good for making holes in foundations. The bits are also pricy, but you get what you pay for.
 
"It is not the rod you are saving with the driver, it is the drive of the tool that can be damaged by the ground rod."

Bob,
The pile of scraped roto hammers in the shop, indicates that.
 
Frank_n,

Have you seen the short pieces of Ground Rods that screw together? It eliminates the need for a ladder when driven them straight into the earth. Drive one piece to the ground and then coupling the other piece and drive it the rest of the way.

bkludecke,
"I used to buy the ground rod driver bit but it absorbs too much of the energy, so now we just stick the mouth of the hammer right on the rod and it drives rods into our almost solid rock soils and clays quite nicely."

One of the first Cell phone tower installations I was in charge of, I was being directed how my former employer did them. I watched as the General Forman drove a Ground rod, with out the driver, into the Earth. To his dismay the Rod mushroomed at about six feet in the Earth. The Rod was stuck into the Hammer tool. We had a swell time trying to get the Hammer Drill with Rod attached out of the Earth. Then it took a few of us with Channel locks to twist it out.
Though only employed by them for five months, this company did some of the most quality work I have ever seen. All rigid was threaded in the field (no Compression), all rigid was bent to fit in the field, and Cold Galvanized spray was applied by brush to only the ends of Unistrut and to exposed threads.


Justin J. Walecka
 
satcom said:
"It is not the rod you are saving with the driver, it is the drive of the tool that can be damaged by the ground rod."

Bob,
The pile of scraped roto hammers in the shop, indicates that.
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Not to belabor the issue, but I consider myself somewhat an expert in this area. In addition to doing alot of new const, we also rent and install temp const power poles so we are driving hundreds of ground rods/year. In this rocky soil here in the mountains I can tell you that sometimes the only way the electric hammer is going to get the rod in is to take the rod bit off and put the rod right in the throat of the machine.. We don't use our spline or sds tools for this but just a straight elect hammer (Makita or Bosch). We haven't destoyed a tool yet and we use 5/8"x8' copper clad rods by the hundreds.
I also have a 10lb sledge on the truck in case a rod really gets tough.

Bob on the left coast.
 
Bosch and Milwaukee demolition hammers have optional g'rod driving attachment that handle up to 3/4" g'rods. Although cumersome on 10-ft rods (sometimes you need a ladder), it does the job quite nicely, especially in hard soil and sometimes soft rock. You still may get some mushrooming, though.

Eritech (division of Erico, who makes Cadweld) has a hand driving unit. Go to http://www.erico.com/products/GroundRodDriver.asp for further info.

DriveEZE makes a side-mount unit that takes an electric or air demo hammer. Go to http://electricsubstationsafety.com/whats_new.html for further info.

There are also a number of other items on the market. Surf the I/net and you'll have a pretty good selection.
 
Here is another question, How many of you give "Call Befor You Dig" a call befor using a electrical powered tool to drive your ground rods.
lou
 
I call before I dig if I'm going to be away from the foundation. Usually, though, I can put the ground rod down right next to it, and I can see from the inside that there's nothing coming into the house at that location other than stuff I've installed.
 
bkludecke said:
We don't use our spline or sds tools for this but just a straight elect hammer (Makita or Bosch). We haven't destroyed a tool yet and we use 5/8"x8' copper clad rods by the hundreds.
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I agree, with a straight demo hammer it will not damage the tool.

It's the roto-hammer tools that will not like the rod without the adapter.
 
"I can see from the inside that there's nothing coming into the house at that location other than stuff I've installed."

And can you see that fiber backbone that they ran, next to the home? or the customers drain pipe, or a sewer conversion form septic to city connection, we have even sen cable company lines running in the area and going to homes in the rear of customers property, they are external with no entry, we call line mark for every rod, no exception, it is the law in our state, check with your insurer, and see how they feel about underground work! may supprise you.

Contractor was diging front of home no gas pipe entry in home, however there was at one time a gas line in the home, the utility capped the line just before entry, contractor started digging, there is an empty lot there now, never assume there is nothing there because you checked the inside, and even be carefull after you have it marked out, they make mistakes too.
 
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