Soil enhancement for ground rods?
- Thread starter jc2254
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pierre
Senior Member
- Location
- Westchester County, New York
Re: Soil enhancement for ground rods?
JC
If you were to install two ground rods, there is no requirement to test them. If you were to try and enhance the soil to in an attempt to comply with the 25 ohms resistance required for a single ground rod,it could become costly. That is why for most installations two ground rods will be driven. If you are in need of reaching a lower resistance for a ground rod, there are manufacturers who sell some sophisticated equipment, go to google and search under ground rods to see what you can find
Pierre
JC
If you were to install two ground rods, there is no requirement to test them. If you were to try and enhance the soil to in an attempt to comply with the 25 ohms resistance required for a single ground rod,it could become costly. That is why for most installations two ground rods will be driven. If you are in need of reaching a lower resistance for a ground rod, there are manufacturers who sell some sophisticated equipment, go to google and search under ground rods to see what you can find
Pierre
brian john
Senior Member
- Location
- Leesburg, VA
Re: Soil enhancement for ground rods?
JC:
Where do you live?
What type of soil?
What are you using to test the earth ground resistance (EGR)?
And there are several products that will enhance the soil. Try this site.
www.lyncole.com
Lyncole is a wealth of information on grounding.
IN lieu of the enhancement longer rods (driven deeper) and additional rods properly installed will go a long way towards lowering the EGR
JC:
Where do you live?
What type of soil?
What are you using to test the earth ground resistance (EGR)?
And there are several products that will enhance the soil. Try this site.
www.lyncole.com
Lyncole is a wealth of information on grounding.
IN lieu of the enhancement longer rods (driven deeper) and additional rods properly installed will go a long way towards lowering the EGR
karl riley
Senior Member
Re: Soil enhancement for ground rods?
It seems to be my role to inject this question: what is your reason for attaining 25 ohms? It appears to be a meaningless value for lighning protection. Those who insist on 25 ohms or less usually do not know what the grounding electrode is for.
Clarify purpose?
Karl
It seems to be my role to inject this question: what is your reason for attaining 25 ohms? It appears to be a meaningless value for lighning protection. Those who insist on 25 ohms or less usually do not know what the grounding electrode is for.
Clarify purpose?
Karl
brian john
Senior Member
- Location
- Leesburg, VA
Re: Soil enhancement for ground rods?
I believe bennie was trying to research the 25 ohm, question.
My belief has always been that this number 25, 5 less than one (all seen in spec.s ) is a number that showed up somewhere and like most spec.s was photo copied into the next set of spec.s
I've asked this question of design engineers and the most often response was Company Standard.
But if one wants less than any number why not test before installation so a design can be arrived at that meets spec'.s not reverse engineer the grounding electrode.
I also believe more sweat is loss over this issue that whether the overall grounding system for a particular project is safe and adequate.
Such as testing for neutral to ground connections downstream from the main service or SDS.
In addition this less that ________ (insert number here) value is seldom if ever tested after installation. WE sweat out the first test and never go back for a retest, especially after a lightning strike, drought ect.........
Not trying to say a adequate grounding electrode is not important, just some thoughts.
I believe bennie was trying to research the 25 ohm, question.
My belief has always been that this number 25, 5 less than one (all seen in spec.s ) is a number that showed up somewhere and like most spec.s was photo copied into the next set of spec.s
I've asked this question of design engineers and the most often response was Company Standard.
But if one wants less than any number why not test before installation so a design can be arrived at that meets spec'.s not reverse engineer the grounding electrode.
I also believe more sweat is loss over this issue that whether the overall grounding system for a particular project is safe and adequate.
Such as testing for neutral to ground connections downstream from the main service or SDS.
In addition this less that ________ (insert number here) value is seldom if ever tested after installation. WE sweat out the first test and never go back for a retest, especially after a lightning strike, drought ect.........
Not trying to say a adequate grounding electrode is not important, just some thoughts.
Re: Soil enhancement for ground rods?
Bentonite clay. As Bryan stated Lyncole has several products to enrich soil. But as has been stated, trying to find a reason to go below 25 ohm's is hard to come by. There are a few reasons if you are working with HV, MV, and radio applications where step potential is a concern to name a limited few.
Any impedance to earth is a realitive term. At what frequency are you concerned with? If you are talking about the power/safety range (below 1 Khz) it is possible to obtain an impedance of less than 25 for short distances. If on the other hand you are talking about high frequencies and lightning, a low impedance to earth is practically impossible to achieve for any distance unless extrodinary steps are taken. Even then is will only be a small bandwidth.
[ August 22, 2003, 03:24 PM: Message edited by: dereckbc ]
Bentonite clay. As Bryan stated Lyncole has several products to enrich soil. But as has been stated, trying to find a reason to go below 25 ohm's is hard to come by. There are a few reasons if you are working with HV, MV, and radio applications where step potential is a concern to name a limited few.
Any impedance to earth is a realitive term. At what frequency are you concerned with? If you are talking about the power/safety range (below 1 Khz) it is possible to obtain an impedance of less than 25 for short distances. If on the other hand you are talking about high frequencies and lightning, a low impedance to earth is practically impossible to achieve for any distance unless extrodinary steps are taken. Even then is will only be a small bandwidth.
[ August 22, 2003, 03:24 PM: Message edited by: dereckbc ]
Re: Soil enhancement for ground rods?
Thanks for all of the responses and questions as well. I am working on a project and want to maximize the effects of the ground rods. If it does what I am hoping for I will post a detailed explanation on the project. As of now it's only something that I'm working on,if it works I may be famous.Right now I'm just a squirrel trying to find a nut. I'm sure they thought Ufer was crazy and I just may be chasing a ghost,maybe not. I will post more upon completing my experiment.Thanks again.
Thanks for all of the responses and questions as well. I am working on a project and want to maximize the effects of the ground rods. If it does what I am hoping for I will post a detailed explanation on the project. As of now it's only something that I'm working on,if it works I may be famous.Right now I'm just a squirrel trying to find a nut. I'm sure they thought Ufer was crazy and I just may be chasing a ghost,maybe not. I will post more upon completing my experiment.Thanks again.
pierre
Senior Member
- Location
- Westchester County, New York
Re: Soil enhancement for ground rods?
JC
Whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, good luck! I know sometimes you may feel like
, keep your focus and in the end you may actually be a
Pierre
JC
Whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, good luck! I know sometimes you may feel like
Pierre
karl riley
Senior Member
Re: Soil enhancement for ground rods?
Consider this: suppose we could routinely achieve, say, one ohm impedance to earth in a grounding electrode. Then the earth path would compete with the service neutral on the way back to the transformer. There would be earth current running all over the place (think of the dairy cow "stray current" problem), and there would be a net current magnetic field surrounding all service drops or laterals.
So I say we need at least 25 ohms to BLOCK neutral-to-earth currents. How now brown cow?
Karl
Consider this: suppose we could routinely achieve, say, one ohm impedance to earth in a grounding electrode. Then the earth path would compete with the service neutral on the way back to the transformer. There would be earth current running all over the place (think of the dairy cow "stray current" problem), and there would be a net current magnetic field surrounding all service drops or laterals.
So I say we need at least 25 ohms to BLOCK neutral-to-earth currents. How now brown cow?
Karl
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