[TowerTalk] Planting Ground Rods

[Mike Foerster]

In digging around for more information on the "Ulfer Ground" and other
follow up information from
my previous question on grounding through the concrete, I ran across these
tidbits on
the website http://www.elec-toolbox.com/frames.html  on putting ground rods
down.  Thought
that I'd pass them on for what it's worth...



To sink a ground rod quickly and without mushrooming the head of the ground
rod, push the rod into the dirt as far as it will go. Pull it back out and
fill the hole with water. Replace the ground rod, go up and down with it a
few more times. Remove it, refill the hole with more water, and repeat. It
works like a champ. Just watch out for the muddy water that shoots out the
hole! If you are in real hard dirt let the water soak in the hole a few
minutes and when it absorbs all the water put more in and then try it.

Also:
From: Robert L. Wieneke rlwieneke@juno.com

I use a copper pipe or tube about the same size and length as the ground rod
with a short piece of garden hose and a female garden hose fitting circular
clamped to the end of the pipe or tube. Then attach a on / off valve ( from
the hardware store ) attached to a garden hose and let the water drill a
hole into the ground. After you drill the length of the pipe or tube into
the ground, turn the water off, pull it out and easily knock the ground rod
down the wet hole and let it sit. After the dirt settles around it you have
a nice tight fit.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

And:


From: Joel Smith  joels@silverlink.net

Ground rods are a pain in the butt. Especially if one is short or the earth
is very rocky. If you have a hammer drill available, slip then empty head
onto the ground rod. Tape up the trigger if there is no lock on it, and lead
the end of the ground rod into place with the hammer drill on the other. The
hammer drill does all the work for you and will save you so much time! If it
is going down a bit slow - leave it. The handle on the hammer drill will
prevent the ground rod from being driven in too far.





--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/towertalk
Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com