Grounding Rod

As improper grounding rod installation could to some severe problems, many prefer to call an electrician who has the expertise and the right tools to ensure electrical safety and proper installation. However, if you have the appropriate tools and a little patience, you can do it yourself. Grounding rod is a device of an electrical system that helps in carrying away the current from a faulty electrical circuit and routes it to the ground safely. Grounding rods although are not required by law in all the countries of the world, it is advisable to install them as they provide excellent safety at an affordable cost. Electrical companies or electricians might quote an unreasonable cost for the grounding rod and the installation separately but you can purchase a grounding rod from stores like Home Depot at a fairly reasonable price.

Grounding rod as the name suggests is nothing but a rod made of conductive materials, the best being copper for such purposes. An ideal and standard depth is 8 feet. When the rod is driven into the ground, it is connected to the electrical system with the help of a wire and a ground connector.

Grounding Rod Installation

Things required for the installation include the clamp, a shovel to dig, a hose with water, a wrench set and a rubber mallet. Once you have all these materials around you when you are all set for installation, follow the steps given below:

• Dig a small hole of about 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep where you want the grounding rod to be placed. While deciding on the location of the grounding rod, please ensure that it complies with the local building code.
• Once the hole is dug, fill it with water using the hose pipe. Now place the rod and use the rubber mallet to strike it until it goes a few inches deep into the ground.
• Pull the rod out of the hole and then as before; fill the hole with water again.
• Now place the rod again in the already dug hole and again using the rubber mallet strike it to enter deeper into the ground.
• Pull it out again and keep repeating this process until it reaches the required depth.
• Once that's accomplished, for the final time, strike the grounding rod into the ground but do not add water into the hole now. This is to ensure that it fits firmly into the ground.
• Cover the hole with the dug out soil.
• To finish attach the top of the grounding rod to the electrical ground lead using a clamp that complies with the code.

May be now you don't feel the need for an electrician, right? Because it's very crucial, we'd like to reiterate that the placement location of the rod is very important and one can't simply install it anywhere with their choice. A long rod could hit the water, gas or sewage lines beneath the ground or it could damage the electrical lines, telephone or cable lines. Even if you are certain of the location to be safe for the rod to be installed, it is advisable that you speak to your local utilities and check if the location is safe. If anything goes wrong in the process, you might have to bear a heavy price for repairs.

Another important point to remember is that when we talk about grounding rods, we are actually dealing with electricity and because of the same reason the resistance of it needs to be monitored on a regular basis. The aim should be to maintain low resistance. There could be several reasons behind the increase in the resistance of the ground rod and therefore it is advised to test the resistance using a clamp-on tester.