[TowerTalk] Driving ground rods

[Gary Johnson N5BAA]

An alternative is to buy a Big Gnarly DeWalt Spline hammer drill like I have 
and a long 4 foot 1 3/16th diameter carbide bit, dig down as deep as you can 
(16-18 inches around here), drill the full length of the bit and then drive 
a 1 inch copper pipe into the hole.  Backfill the hole and soak with water. 
A 1 inch copper pipe is 1 1/8 inch outside diameter.  Drill 1/4 inch holes 
in the copper pipe the entire length and then backfill it with Epsom salts 
(magnesium sulphate).  They say the most important grounding is done in the 
top 5 feet anyway.  Sometimes you do what you gotta do.

We use these drills to turn 1 3/4 inch bits to provide holes for T-Post in 
our rocky ground.  This way we determine where the posts go vs the rocks. 
Almost any other way the rocks usually win.

Gary J
N5BAA
HCARC Secretary 2013

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bryan Swadener" <bswadener at yahoo.com>
To: <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 6:49 PM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Driving ground rods


When I needed to drive ground rods, I just rented a demo hammer w/
ground rod driver. It was dirt cheap. IIRC, it was a 60# unit -- not at
all handheld. It was just BARELY gnarly enough to drive one of the
half dozen rods that didn't want to cooperate.

vy 73,
Bryan WA7PRC


________________________________


Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 09:20:11 -0700
From: Grant KZ1W
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Driving ground rods

I have a Bosch demo hammer (largest hand held) for driving rods and used
for much concrete demo/drilling. I made a rod driver from the shank of
a broken carbide drill by MIG welding on a sch 40 pipe sleeve. It
wouldn't stay together however as the weld alloy can't handle the shock
and the tool steel doesn't take the weld. Best to spend a few bucks for
the Bosch or Makita tool made for driving rods, probably S7 steel. It
works fine for me.
Grant KZ1W
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