# Eight foot ground rod, how to?



## Big Bob (Jul 27, 2007)

Hit it hard. Rod is copper clad re-bar and will deflect some.

If you hit the mother of all boulders before you get it all down...pull up the rod and try a new spot. If it won't come back up...cut it and try another rod in a new spot.

Inspectors have been known to check for fresh cut marks at the top of the rod... so don't be tempted.:no:


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## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

Don't forget, you can drive it at up to a 45 deg angle.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

Big Bob said:


> Inspectors have been known to check for fresh cut marks at the top of the rod... so don't be tempted.:no:


I've certainly pulled up a few 18" ground rods in my day. Certainly a lot of 5 and 6 footers. I actually took pictures of an electrician cutting one down with a sawzall before installing it...Saw him while I was in an adjacent house doing an inspection. I took the pics, then went over and asked him if it was 8' long...He lied! His day got worse from there.

If you have access to a small (35#) demolition hammer, chuck the rod in it and drive it home. It runs them down like they're going into butter.

*The rod can also be buried horizontal in a trench at least 2-1/2 feet deep, if it cannot be driven vertically or at a 45 degree angle. *The inspector would have to inspect the rod before the trench was backfilled, and the power company may want to verify its installation.


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## buletbob (May 9, 2008)

thekctermite said:


> I've certainly pulled up a few 18" ground rods in my day. Certainly a lot of 5 and 6 footers. I actually took pictures of an electrician cutting one down with a sawzall before installing it...Saw him while I was in an adjacent house doing an inspection. I took the pics, then went over and asked him if it was 8' long...He lied! His day got worse from there.
> 
> If you have access to a small (35#) demolition hammer, chuck the rod in it and drive it home. It runs them down like they're going into butter.
> 
> *The rod can also be buried horizontal in a trench at least 2-1/2 feet deep, if it cannot be driven vertically or at a 45 degree angle. *The inspector would have to inspect the rod before the trench was backfilled, and the power company may want to verify its installation.


You beat me to it!! yes it always has worked for me remember to keep the rod away from the foundation at least 12" as to not hit the foundation footing.


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## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

thekctermite said:


> *The rod can also be buried horizontal in a trench at least 2-1/2 feet deep, if it cannot be driven vertically or at a 45 degree angle. *


I know there is that annoying "_..if it cannot be driven..._" tidbit, but we always just throw the ground rod in the trench with underground services. 

I have never heard of any electrician anywhere having a problem doing it this way. :thumbsup:


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## 220/221 (Oct 9, 2007)

In the olden days we used a 12# sledge hammer.

Bad idea.

Rent a demo hammer with a gnd rod driver attachment and be done in less than a minute. A smaller roto hammer will probably work too but it will take a bit longer.

You can try a fence post driver to get it most of the way in and finish with a sledge.


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## 220/221 (Oct 9, 2007)

One of my guys had a POCO inspector SWEAR that the rods were cut off and wouldn't authorize a reconnect unless we drove 2 more.

He showed him the demo hammer and driver attachment and said "why would I cut them" The inspector saw some 1/2" copper in the trash pile and thought they were g rods. Inspector would NOT back down and my guy stayed tough.

Clients went to a hotel for a few days. Inspector shows up with a line crew and a rig to pull out the rods. 1st one was 8' but he stayed stubborn till the end and pulled the other one out. My guy was commenting the whole time, counting off 5', 6', 7'.....

Inspector then had the balls to tell my guy to re install them. :laughing::no:

POCO paid for a couple of hours and the homeowners expenses.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

I've felt silly a time or two when they come out easily. And then they just keep coming.......And they're 8' long. They never go back in as easily as they came out. I usually find something to beat them back in. I did have one I couldn't get back in and I felt so bad I contacted the electrician and apologized. He was really cool about because I had caught his guys putting in cut off ones a few times in the past. 

When I find a short one now, I bend it. There's no electrical use for a short ground rod, and they won't be able to re-drive it on the next job with a nice bend in it. It has made a few guys mad but the way I see it, by installing a short rod, they've already proved that I can't trust them.

I also had a guy try to cut and 8 footer in half and drive two four footers 6' apart. :no:


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## napper (Jul 12, 2008)

In my part of the country you could drive it with a 12 oz. hammer!
That is why I had to use a 22 ft. well casing to get a good ground. Nothing but sandy soil. Everytime it dried out I would have grounding problems and start burning surge protectors.(lightning)
Do whatever it takes to get a proper ground. This is not where you want to take short cuts.


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## radon (Feb 20, 2008)

Just wanted to follow up with this thread. I used a combination of the above advice. I found a friend with a hammer drill (an apprentice level electrician actually) who has driven tons of these... but some elbow grease was required to finish the job.

We tried about 25 different spots... first area weren't able to get past 3'. So we tried a different side of the house. We got most of them to sink 5' there, but no more. When both got stuck at 5' we gave up for the night. I went at it again with a 20# sledge. The sledge actually worked it deeper. My hands are sore as heck, but I got the job done! I'm thinking there's a layer of clay down there that I had to muscle through.

Before I tried the sledge, I talked to the inspector (who wasn't surprised) and he suggested burying the rods in separate trenches 2-1/2' deep... as someone here mentioned.

Thanks all for the help!!


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## HandyPete (Mar 23, 2008)

Hmmm? most lineman I know use a manual ground rod driver. You make them out of 2" high pressure steel pipe that's about 33" long. The inside diameter is a bit larger than the rod. One end of the driver is welded closed with a blank. When the rod get's driven to under 33", we use another rod 33" long with a widened end as a guide. When your finished the two parts go together and are easily transported.

-pete (sorry for no drawing)


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## Big Bob (Jul 27, 2007)

Radon, sounds like you are good to go...unless the inspector pulls it up and can't get it back down...:jester:


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## YerDugliness (Jun 2, 2008)

If the soil is deep and there is no rock layer within 8', this might be a help:

I watched an electrician put an 8' ground rod into the ground with nothing but his bare hands and a garden hose.

He got the rod started and then put the garden hose down where the rod entered the ground, letting the water trickle down the hole made by the ground rod. When he wanted to put that rod in, all he had to do was leave the hose running and just spin the rod between his two hands, sort of like using a bow and a piece of wood to start a fire.

It went into that sandy, KS soil like it was made of butter!

Just curious to know of anyone else uses this trick or has seen it work?

Dugly


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## Billy_Bob (Sep 11, 2008)

Have someone else hold the ground rod, stand on a ladder, then drive it into the ground with a sledge hammer.

Don't hit the fingers of your helper!


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## handyman78 (Dec 29, 2007)

*One trick*

With 2 people you can have one hold a length of wood with a hole drilled in to steady and guide the top of the rod while the other hits the rod with a sledge. Make sure you place the acorn connector on the rod before starting to hit as it will mushroom.


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## hpp58 (Feb 28, 2008)

Billy_Bob said:


> Have someone else hold the ground rod, stand on a ladder, then drive it into the ground with a sledge hammer.
> 
> Don't hit the fingers of your helper!


Now that's old school!!!!:thumbup:


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## HouseHelper (Mar 20, 2007)

My arms hurt just thinking about that one. Get a rotary hammer (buy, rent, borrow) and be done with it in a few minutes.


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## chris75 (Aug 25, 2007)

I live in CT, and I just use a slede hammer, you guys just need to take the skirts off. :thumbup:


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## Silk (Feb 8, 2008)

YerDugliness said:


> I watched an electrician put an 8' ground rod into the ground with nothing but his bare hands and a garden hose.
> 
> He got the rod started and then put the garden hose down where the rod entered the ground, letting the water trickle down the hole made by the ground rod. When he wanted to put that rod in, all he had to do was leave the hose running and just spin the rod between his two hands, sort of like using a bow and a piece of wood to start a fire.
> 
> ...


Yeah, that's how we put them in around here (clay country). Push the rod in a foot or so and remove it, then take a bucket of water, pour it in the hole, wait a few minutes, shove it in again. Repeat the above process 5 or 6 times and your ground rod is in with no pounding. Work smart, not hard :thumbsup:


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## hpp58 (Feb 28, 2008)

I use a 45 pound chipping hammer with a ground rod driver attachment. one to two minutes per rod to get them in the ground. Best investment ever made. I found a used chipping hammer for about $300.


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## BigJimmy (Jun 30, 2006)

Hmmm. Where I live, outside of Chicago, I was able to pound a few home (1 in garage and 2 for new service) with a 5# hammer. Granted, I stood on a ladder to get them started, but not one of them took longer than about 5 minutes to get in. 

A friend of mine was having a lot of trouble getting his rods in as the ground was really hard. I suggested setting out a hose and running a slow trickle over the area for several hours. That in itself was enough to take care of his problems.

I guess at the end of the day, the method that you use really depends on the soil conditions that you're dealing with. Where my in-laws live down in Arkansas, the ground is sedentary stone, gravel and clay. I don't have one clue as to how they do it down there.

Start simple with a heavy hammer and if that doesn't work, _then_ go with the oil drilling machine! And as someone else said, put an acorn clamp on the top to prevent mushrooming.

TTFN,
Jim


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## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

BigJimmy said:


> Start simple with a heavy hammer and if that doesn't work, _then_ go with the oil drilling machine! And as someone else said, put an acorn clamp on the top to prevent mushrooming.
> 
> TTFN,
> Jim


Jim,
I think he meant to put the acorn on before hammering out the mushroom. Once you have a mushroom you can't get the acorn on. :yes:


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