# Triad wire



## azsly1 (Nov 12, 2008)

if your talking about grounding, i'm guessing bare 1/0 copper


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## 10492 (Jan 4, 2010)

Could it be that obvious?

I was thinking it had to be a special kind, with some min strand count...to be cad weldable.

Don't I feel like a smacked [email protected]@.


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## idontknow (Jul 18, 2009)

if your welding, shouldn't you use welding cable?


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Triad is the arrangement of the ground rods. They want them in a triangle, with 10 feet between corners. Has nothing to do with the conductors. In this case, they want you to use #10. Probably bare.

Is this build in a high lightning area or maybe a tower structure?


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## Greg (Aug 1, 2007)

Around here we call that a delta ground. 3/4" copper rods 10ft long with a spacing of 10ft (@ 60 degrees triangle) using 1/0 copper wire.

idontknow: cadweld (manufacturer's name) is the exothermic process mentioned in the code book.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I just wondered if this was for lightning protection, since I recall reading an old UL test that seemed to indicate that the basketweave bare stranded is superior to regular stranded in handling lightning's current.


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## 10492 (Jan 4, 2010)

MDShunk said:


> I just wondered if this was for lightning protection, since I recall reading an old UL test that seemed to indicate that the basketweave bare stranded is superior to regular stranded in handling lightning's current.


That's what it's for.

Triads around buildings, ground rings and rods around fuel storage...and check this out: 

They call for cad welded #6 to one j-bolt on every light pole base, to it's own ground rod. Like 8' of concrete base full of rebar wouldn't be enough.

I seem to recall the same thing about fine stranded wire, and even went to look at the job to see what's installed already. It doesn't look like bare shiny 1/O copper wire, it looks like tined something with a finer strand.


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## azsly1 (Nov 12, 2008)

Dnkldorf said:


> That's what it's for.
> 
> Triads around buildings, ground rings and rods around fuel storage...and check this out:
> 
> ...


i've done poles where each had their own ground rod AND cad-welded 4/0 bare cu to the rebar cage and j bolt... always used the 17 strand stuff though...

fine stranded tinned wire sounds like stripped DLO wire or welding wire... you'd think they'd want to save some dough and just go for the cheap stuff if its getting burried...


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## idontknow (Jul 18, 2009)

Greg said:


> Around here we call that a delta ground. 3/4" copper rods 10ft long with a spacing of 10ft (@ 60 degrees triangle) using 1/0 copper wire.
> 
> idontknow: cadweld (manufacturer's name) is the exothermic process mentioned in the code book.



Oh I've done my fair share of cadwelding. On that same thought, has anyone ever come across the cadweld plus stuff?

Our supply shop had some in stock so we tried it. Without the electric ignitor thingy (Which they didn't have in stock). It was a glorious mess. It takes forever and a day to ignite that stuff with a torch too. Anyone know what it takes to set off the electric ignitors? We wired up 3x18 volt dewalt batteries in series without success.


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## Charlie K (Aug 14, 2008)

The cadweld elecrtic ignitor is the best since sliced bread. No more dumping out the shot in the wind, no more trying to get the starter out of the bottom and getting it to land where you want. Once you get the electric ignitor you will find it is a time saver.

Charlie


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