stickboy1375
Senior Member
- Location
- Litchfield, CT
Can you tell me why I would be better off with a ground rod than none?
Ground rods
- Thread starter NMCB13
- Start date
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LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Reduction, however slight, in step potential near exterior equipment, such as main disco's.stickboy1375 said:
I receive a bit of comfort knowing that #6 and rod have less resistance than my body does.
stickboy1375
Senior Member
- Location
- Litchfield, CT
I dont think so... Ground rods are useless IMO...
brian john
Senior Member
- Location
- Leesburg, VA
Then quit driving them and when ANYTHING happens related to the rod or not, be prepared to face the lawyers.
Or Change the code and DEMAND that installers install and test EFFECTIVE ground electrode systems?
Otherwise at this time this is the NEC and more rules are added every cycle and few removed.
I do believe at lot of time and energy goes into the rods, when the time and effort could be placed on other elcetrical issues. Did a EPM (electrical preventative maintenance) on a 12 story high rise with 2-4000 amp services, 10 year old building, the inspectror does not ask anything about the bolted pressure switches, the GFP (the heart of the distribution), the busway (the blood vessels) no he wants to see the ground rods (the toe nails). Heck I have no idea where these are at, he will not release the utility to restore power till we locate them for inspection. So we show him the utility water pipe and he makes us torque the pipe clamp and signs off on the job.
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JohnJ0906
Senior Member
- Location
- Baltimore, MD
stickboy1375 said:
I dont think so... Ground rods are useless IMO...
What does this picture have to do with grounding a service?
bphgravity
Senior Member
- Location
- Florida
I am just saying that the code required grounding electrode system is NOT lightning protection though 250.4(A)(1) seems to imply that.
macmikeman
Senior Member
- Location
- Planet macmikeman
I happen to believe that ground rods are completely useless myself, except for holding down the building in high wind area's like Florida, but notice that big heart that the electrician has in the picture? He really Loves to drive rods so thats how he got such a nice big heart.
RayS
Senior Member
- Location
- Cincinnati
stickboy1375 said:
Well, I think they do help the poco stabilize their system voltages, (by providing a very large, distributed array, across all those xfmrs) and the cynic in me thinks that is why they are required, and why they always will be...
Theoretically, without a ground reference, separate system voltages could float between zero and the sum of max. line voltage between each other.
stickboy1375
Senior Member
- Location
- Litchfield, CT
brian john said:
Relax, I was just sharing my opinion on them, if you have some hard core evidence of what a ground rod actually does then share the info... but don't shoot me down for my opinion...
stickboy1375
Senior Member
- Location
- Litchfield, CT
RayS said:
why? they drive their own ground rods...
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stickboy1375
Senior Member
- Location
- Litchfield, CT
JohnJ0906 said:
it was a reference to post # 22....
stickboy1375
Senior Member
- Location
- Litchfield, CT
Anybody can re-type what the code says to me, but what i'm looking for is truthful information on what a ground rod can actually do, besides waste my time installing it...
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
- Occupation
- Master Electrician
Yes I agree 100%. Much fussing with ground rods, when with a CEE you don't need.brian john said:
Our efforts need to be in a low impedance fault clearing path.
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
- Occupation
- Master Electrician
LarryFine said:
dbuckley
Senior Member
- Location
- Canterbury, New Zealand
A ground rod attempts to extend the equipotential zone outside the bonded area, to try and prevent voltage gradients occurring across the soil, to the benefit of bare footers, cats, and worms. It's not always successful; lose the POCO neutral and that ground rod is dangerous, as is the soil around it.stickboy1375 said:
Ground rods have absolutely no effect within the equipotential bonded zone.
radiopet
Senior Member
- Location
- Spotsylvania, VA
Here you go..this is the image tom was refering too I think
Look it....the Ground Rod serves to aid in Lightning and High Voltage Surges....other than that it is rather useless.
Look it....the Ground Rod serves to aid in Lightning and High Voltage Surges....other than that it is rather useless.
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RayS
Senior Member
- Location
- Cincinnati
stickboy1375 said:
more rods=lower impedance
imagine a high voltage line falling on a 120/240 service- only common connection for fault currents to trip the poco gear is the multi-grounded neutrals. (or thru the ensuing burn-thrus and meltdowns)
ground rod question?
ground rod question?
ok guy's all this talk about ground rod's is very interesting. i want to replace my existing ground rods that are in my basement under the service panel. i remodeled and want to cut them off flush with the floor and put a closet in that area and i'll frame around the panel. I was told i could do this but i would have to put in 2 ground rods outside ,8ft into the ground,6ft apart and run a continuous #6 wire into the panel. i was also told these rods needed to be 6ft from the foundation away from the house? where does it say this in the NEC? i sure don't want them sticking that far out into my yard. thanks for any replies Randy
ground rod question?
ok guy's all this talk about ground rod's is very interesting. i want to replace my existing ground rods that are in my basement under the service panel. i remodeled and want to cut them off flush with the floor and put a closet in that area and i'll frame around the panel. I was told i could do this but i would have to put in 2 ground rods outside ,8ft into the ground,6ft apart and run a continuous #6 wire into the panel. i was also told these rods needed to be 6ft from the foundation away from the house? where does it say this in the NEC? i sure don't want them sticking that far out into my yard. thanks for any replies Randy
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
randypape said:ok guy's all this talk about ground rod's is very interesting. i want to replace my existing ground rods that are in my basement under the service panel. i remodeled and want to cut them off flush with the floor and put a closet in that area and i'll frame around the panel. I was told i could do this but i would have to put in 2 ground rods outside ,8ft into the ground,6ft apart and run a continuous #6 wire into the panel. i was also told these rods needed to be 6ft from the foundation away from the house? where does it say this in the NEC? i sure don't want them sticking that far out into my yard. thanks for any replies Randy
Two rods minimum 6' apart.
GEC continuous to first rod, not required to be continuous to second rod.
No 6' from the house requirement.
randypape said:i was also told these rods needed to be 6ft from the foundation away from the house? where does it say this in the NEC? i sure don't want them sticking that far out into my yard. thanks for any replies Randy
The NEC doesn't say this.
BTW, as Trevor points out, the #6 does not have to be continuous all the way to the second rod, it must be continuous to the first rod and a second piece can jumper the two rods together.
Roger
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