# Driving ground rods.



## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

For other than sandy soil my choice is picture TWO!


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Speedy Petey said:


> For other than sandy soil my choice is picture TWO!


Did you notice my #4 solid copper trigger lock? That's an aftermarket accessory, not available from Milwaukee! :thumbsup:


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## 3phase (Jan 16, 2007)

I had an old guy tell me to soak the ground then pump the rod up and down till it quits moving, soak and repeat as needed. It works well down to about 3-4 ft of rod then it gets hard to pull back. But by then the rod drives well with a hammer.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

My problem is stones. You have to whack on the rod a good while to either split the stone or the rod curves and goes around the stone. Sometimes the roto hammer will stop at the same spot for 2 or 3 minutes, then the rod starts going. That's how I know I must have split a rock or curved the rod underground.


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## 3phase (Jan 16, 2007)

Ah yes, teh dreaded rock to hit. About half the county I live in has severe rocks the other half doesn't. Then how come 75% of the jobs are in the rocky half? Wife's relatives live in the southern part of the state and the northern part of Arkansas. they set fence posts down there with a rock drill!!!! Her uncle built a 1/2 mile line of fence and all the posts were set with an air powered rock drill that he borrowed form the other uncle's construction business. Standard fair on a basement is to have a blasting man on site.


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## K&R (Jan 22, 2007)

Im in TN. it is so rocky here I was talking to the inspector about it and he recomended putting it in at a angle. I mean he showed me the angle and the end of the rod was maybe 5 feet off the ground. He said it had to be 8' and in the ground but never said it had to be straight down. Correct or not it works awsome and he passes it everytime. Seems when it hits a rock it bends better. I also use the drill and driver method.


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## lbwireman (Jan 22, 2007)

We've also had good luck with a gadget sold at Home Depot (usually in the garden or fence materials section. It's original purpose is to drive those "T Posts", (metal, T shaped X-section with an arrow head shaped blade at the lower end). The driver operates on the same principal as Marc's 1st picture but it provides handles on each side so you can get both hands on it and really "put your back into it". Only time it didn't work was in AZ, where at about 4-5' down you hit something they call "Kaliche"(think rubberized, concretized frozen asphalt). We had to rent a 30# jackhammer.


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## faber307 (Jan 22, 2007)

*Ground rod driving*

Guess I'm a generation X'er
There is no way I'll drive a ground rod by hand again.
TE-55 with driver bit. 1000watt inverter in truck.
1500watt Troy built generator on truck 24-7 just in case I can't get close enough!

and yes angles do help with obstructions.............good call:thumbsup:


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## John (Jan 22, 2007)

I use about the same tool. The top driver is a SDS bit welded to a piece of 1/2" sch 80 pipe and I make them as need them. The smaller one is the prototype made of 316 SS.
Getting to old to drive them by hand.:no: 

View attachment 1


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I see you make yours. Neat. 

I've heard of people complaining that the commercial ground rod driver bits break easily. They are about 60 bucks a pop. I've never broken one. I'm still using my same one. I know that some guys with spline drive hammers just put the rod right in the chuck of the drill with no driver tool. That has to be hard on the drill.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

I have an old 35 lb Kango model that is super good at driving the rods. I just stick the rod into the spline barrel and let er rip. Kango got bought out and they don't make em like they used to anymore.


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## sparkysteve (Jan 23, 2007)

I prever the Hilti method myself! :thumbsup: No smashed body parts. As an apprentice I was the rod holder for my foreman. Then he hit me square on the knee with a 10 lb. sledge.


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

When we used just a hammer, the guy holding the rod is well advised to hold it with channel locks.
Mostly we use a fence post driver and a 6 foot ladder, we don't drive many rods so it's okay. Last time I did was 18 months ago doing 6 rods in a ground ring. You just drive em for a bit then do something else when you get tired.


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## Jmohl (Apr 26, 2011)

*The Greenlee multi-tool!!!*

When I was a helper at my Dad's Co. we had o lash up kind of like the #1 pic for driving rods. Problem was, most of the time we needed it, it was on the other truck. Solution? Take a 1" Hickey, slide the handle over the end of the rod, and get busy. Had one rod that we just could not get in, moved it to several dif. spots trying to find one without cap rock below. Tryed everything short of dynamite. Ended up getting one of Dad's Mech. contractor buddies to come to job with compressor, big jack hammer, and bobcat. Rod drove then alright, the end of it pushed up dirt five feet away.....


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## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

OLD THREAD ALERT

That ground rod driver is NICE though!


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## K2500 (Mar 21, 2009)

Only downside is it won't run on an inverter. Typically it drives under it's own weight around here. Probably need a little force for rocks.


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## K2500 (Mar 21, 2009)

Magnettica said:


> OLD THREAD ALERT
> 
> That ground rod driver is NICE though!


I've been duped.


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

I usually drive ground rods with my van.


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## stryker21 (Jan 30, 2010)

the only way I've done it was with a bosh brute and a driver that's called ez drive or drive ease, can't remember which one.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Magnettica said:


> OLD THREAD ALERT
> 
> That ground rod driver is NICE though!


That is almost the first thread.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

For the ground rod drivers I know few area I can use the air powered unit to ram the rod down the 15KG ( 30 LB ) Class will drive it down very fast but I do have electric verison as well but few area I will drive it down by hand by useing a home made rod driver which I have very thickwall boiler tubes and stainless steel end { soild peice } the whole thing weight about 25 KG but just run few time and ya are done.

But for rocky soil even footers I have hit them and bend them or curl them up big time.

{ few time I used front end loader to ram the rod down as I Use the hevey pipe driver above to keep the rod straight.}

Merci.
Marc


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I've hit stuff so hard that the rod curved and busted through the basement wall. You never know until you go back down in the basement and find it sticking out through the wall.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

I hate driving rods, the roto hammer adapter is the way to go though. 

Only time I got a rod to go in easier was this time I was doing a service for a water thank and they had just drained the tank, all 8 feet went in like there was no dirt there didn't even need a hammer, all the mud was a PITA though.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Jlarson said:


> I hate driving rods, the roto hammer adapter is the way to go though.
> 
> Only time I got a rod to go in easier was this time I was doing a service for a water thank and they had just drained the tank, all 8 feet went in like there was no dirt there didn't even need a hammer, all the mud was a PITA though.


That happened to me one time too, only I literally lost the rod. They had about a foot of dirt over an old brick cistern.


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

MDShunk said:


> How do you drive rod electrodes (ground rods?).


I push them in with my hand ....... try to man up a bit ..... :laughing:


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## MF Dagger (Dec 24, 2007)

I have one to drive today that I had the utilities do a locate on. All they could tell me was the gas main is somewhere around here. He did say if I drive my rod straight down it should be fine. I think rather than risking the rod hitting a rock and curving into that main (as slim of a chance as it is) I may just LB into the building and drive my ground rod inside. Has anyone done this before?


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

MF Dagger said:


> I have one to drive today that I had the utilities do a locate on. All they could tell me was the gas main is somewhere around here. He did say if I drive my rod straight down it should be fine. I think rather than risking the rod hitting a rock and curving into that main (as slim of a chance as it is) I may just LB into the building and drive my ground rod inside. Has anyone done this before?


In dirt floor cellars, sure, I'll sometimes drive them inside. . Sometimes, if the house is right along the sidewalk, I'll drive it horizontal, right out through the basement wall too.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

I have found apprentices are the best solution to driving any type of electrode in any type of soil.


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## ampman (Apr 2, 2009)

i use the tool that i drive metal fence post with works very well


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## Wyremonkey (Apr 15, 2011)

brian john said:


> I have found apprentices are the best solution to driving any type of electrode in any type of soil.


Here here!


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

I've found that if you cut off 7.5', they drive in easily.


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## K2500 (Mar 21, 2009)

220/221 said:


> I've found that if you cut off 7.5', they drive in easily.


If the boss found me doing that I would be driving home.


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## 76nemo (Aug 13, 2008)

K2500 said:


> If the boss found me doing that I would be driving home.


 
I live on the river bank with soft soil with the water lines well buried. A few of our inspectors just look to make sure we hit that. I've only had one to ask me to drive two rods at a pole mounted service. Other than that, they look at the piping bond and give a green sticker:001_huh:


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## K2500 (Mar 21, 2009)

76nemo said:


> A few of our inspectors just look to make sure we hit that.


The water lines or the ground rod? I'll assume ground rod.

I use the hilti 905avr with ground rod attachment. When I'm done, even with a hard one, it leave virtually no mushrooming or impact damage.


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## farlsincharge (Dec 31, 2010)

We have to drive two rods 10' apart for everything now. The ground rods are collecting dust and we dig in plates. In the past I once had a rod bend right around and come back up through the earth.


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

MDShunk said:


> My problem is stones. You have to whack on the rod a good while to either split the stone or the rod curves and goes around the stone. Sometimes the roto hammer will stop at the same spot for 2 or 3 minutes, then the rod starts going. That's how I know I must have split a rock or curved the rod underground.


When I've had the rods stop, using a rotohammer, I'll give it a few good hits with a driver, and then back to the roto and it usually goes right in.


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

I have had them stop *dead*, even with the 50# hammer.

Cliche is as hard as concrete and can be several feet thick.


Then the 18V vertical adjustment tool comes out.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

I was driving a ground rod with a hammer drill in a basement once (had no choice as it was concrete all around the house) when I realized there was a clay sewer line running in the vicinity. I stopped immediately and cut it off with the sawzall.


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## paul_arc (Mar 31, 2009)

my tool of choice. 3/4" x 20' rod


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## crazy electrician (Apr 30, 2011)

I always use a fence post driver without handles. Once you have about 3 foot left sticking out of the ground you flip it over and drive it the rest of the way in. Works really well and never mushrooms the tip of the ground rod. the heavier the driver the better becuase then it doesn't require hardly any force, just let the weight of the driver and gravity do the work.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

crazy electrician said:


> I always use a fence post driver without handles. Once you have about 3 foot left sticking out of the ground you flip it over and drive it the rest of the way in. Works really well and never mushrooms the tip of the ground rod. the heavier the driver the better becuase then it doesn't require hardly any force, just let the weight of the driver and gravity do the work.


You are crazy :laughing:

Just kidding.:thumbup:

Welcome to the forum..:thumbsup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbsup:


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