Ground rod Clamps

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"To make matters worse, their suggested method of installation was to "dig a hole large enough to hold 1-2 gallons of water. Pour water into the hole, and work the ground rod up and down (with bare hands). The water will loosen the soil up and allow you to push the rod 8' into the ground".

Apparently, everyone on this forum has been driving ground rods the hard way"

Believe it or not, it works. I have done it many times in Indiana in undisturbed soil. I will confess to using a sledge hammer for the last 18" or so. An old sparky told me about driving a ground rod by hand with 5 gal of water and I laughed at him. He challanged me to a race. Me with my slide hammer ground rod driver and him with his bare hands and a 5 gallon bucket of water. Side by side in a pasture near my house. He had 7' of an 8' rod in the ground before I had 4' of mine in. If you dig a hole about 12" deep, fill it with water and start shoving the rod in and pulling it out a few inches at a time it just starts sliding in. When the water is drained down in the hole, add more. It works just like a cable driven water well only on a much smaller scale. I had a homeowner who didn't believe it could be done. I let him pick the spot and he watched as my wife shoved the rod down.
 
tshea said:
So please tell me my intuition is correct and you can't just push a ground rod 8' into the ground even if you did use 2 gallons of WD-40
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Sometimes you can! If you can get to a building/house that was just backfilled, sometimes you can push the #8 rod all the way in.
Most times you will need to use a sledge hammer or electric hammer (drill).
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I was installing a service for a lift station some years ago. Got the 8ft rod and a hammer off the truck, set rod on ground and tapped to get it started. Dropped clean out of sight! Found out later site had been filled in about 10 ft. :eek:
 
I have seen areas that used hard pan dredged from a lake bed to back fill land to meet compaction requirements that were impossible to drive a ground rod in.The only way was to wash them in with water and a piece of 3/4 in conduit.But you better keep an eye on whats happening or it would simply wash in and be gone.
Bob you have to admit that was really funny :D
 
allenwayne said:
Bob you have to admit that was really funny :D
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Allen it may surprise you but I agree, I did laugh. :lol:

However time and place is everything and this forum is not the place for that type of humor.

Consider this site as rated 'G' for general audiences. :wink:
 
Bob, My wife did laugh her a-- off. :lol: She thinks a lot posts on here crack her up......BTW....... She loves Clint Eastwood.
 
here in central arkansas, i have driven 3 ground rods at least 6 feet by hand with about a gallon of water

it really works!
but, for the last two feet, i get the 50 pound hammer drill to finish it out
 
Years ago,
When I was a helper, I drove a rod in for a temp pole, turned around to walk away, and there was the other end sticking out of the ground behind me.
It actually hit a rock and curled right back out. Never saw that before or again.
 
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