[TowerTalk] Augment?

[K8RI on TT]

On 9/12/2011 1:49 PM, Warrenwolff wrote:
>   Greetings T-Talkers,
>
> Unbelievable.  The folks are out there working on my tower foundation
> at this very moment.  Included in the worker-crew is a fellow who has done
> a number of comm tower installations.
>
> He is saying I should consider adding something called Bentonite to
> my trenches and rod "holes" to help out this rocky/gravely earth - -
> certainly no top soil here.

Sounds like a good idea to me.
Bentonite is actually a family of clay like materials.  Some of it will 
cause sand grains to bind to each other which is very useful in this 
case.  It's also used as a filler around well casings and to even seal 
old wells, but IIRC most forms are quite conductive and when you have a 
soil that is dry and stony/gravel it serves two purposes.  It gives good 
contact between the ground rods and cables to the surrounding earth. If 
a large enough mass  of Bentonite is used it can serve as an additional 
ground.

BTW if you have a bunch of concrete to get rid of and no dynamite...or 
permit... Sodium Bentonite expands 2 to 3 times its volume when wet and 
is powerful enough to shatter concrete. It makes a good, safe, less 
noisy way (if less fun) to break up large chunks of concrete left over 
from guy anchor posts and tower bases.

73

Roger (K8RI)
> Comments, anyone?
>
> Warren; W7WY
>
>
>
>
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