[Towertalk] silver solder ok for Ground wire to rod ?

[olinger@bellsouth.net]

A direct or close lightning strike can VAPORIZE solder.

The options are Cadweld or robust mechanical clamping. The latter must be periodically inspected. 

The solder is useless and can defeat a copper-to-copper clamping. The problem is not the conductivity of the solder, it is the melting point.

The solder will cause a gap in the copper-to-copper contact, creating a copper-solder-copper sandwich. 

Although a soldered joint initially seems fine with an ohmmeter, the high current of a lightning strike will vaporize the solder leaving a gap, and the conductors no longer reliably clamped together. While the first strike will probably continue conduction across the gap as long as the current does not break, this can happen one day without your knowledge, and from that time on your grounding is defective.

You want clamped bright copper to bright copper direct contact, or the cadweld.

No solder.

> 
> From: brewerj@squared.com
> Date: 2002/08/05 Mon PM 01:37:55 EDT
> To: towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: [Towertalk] silver solder ok for  Ground wire to rod ?
> 
> Is it acceptable to silver solder the #4 solid copper to the 8' ground stakes
> I'm (slowly) pounding in? I was considering making a full tight loop around the stake
> and silver soldering rod to wire, in lieu of clamps.
> 
> Good idea or bad?
> 
> 73
> John
> 
> 
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