I'm a Florida boy, What's a rock??

Just a shallow trench.

I guess I should rent the Bobcat and plant a rod w/GEM as close as I can get it, then couple to the building service with #6 or bigger.

You can't drill a hole for a ground rod. They must be driven. The reason I went with GEM in a hole as opposed to a trench is than in summer the limestone dries out. I wanted to try to get contact with an area which may retain some moisture. The Bobcat was able to drill a 6" hole. Most everything and everyone else could only drill minimum of 9".

Close, but not exactly what it said. The rods of the single system can't be less than 6' apart, preferably they should be 8'-12' apart. You had stated earlier that the inspector made you space them 5' apart, which didn't meet code.

Given the two ground rods are bonded together with #6 solid copper wire it is considered a single grounding electrode system. That single system can't be less than 6 ft from another system.

Ties everything together? You mean the multiple ground electrodes?
Or are you saying to ground anything that's conductive attached to the house, such as roof antenna, attic venting hoods, drain stacks and so on, to a #6 that goes to your ground rod?

The right Chimney was struck

Off to the races..

http://www.rwonline.com/article/no-soldering-iron-these-xlrs-crimp-on/24805

Used a rock drill mounted on a Bobcat Excavator to drill 6" holes 8 foot deep and installed traditional ground rods in the bored holes using the GEM product. You could also use a rock saw to cut a trench.

I've used Erico GEM before. It's very interesting stuff. Seems like black tile grout with a lot of carbon (graphite) in it.

Ok after reading all this stuff, and finding also this page on ground methods I am officially too smart for my own good.

The link says conventional ground rods suck, and even if I *was* able to somehow dig a 30" hole for a ground plate, it'd work poorly and last about a week.

;)

This has been fun though. Maybe I'll play amateur chemist and build-my-own electrolytic...

:p

Ok after reading all this stuff, and finding also this page on ground methods I am officially too smart for my own good.

The link says conventional ground rods suck, and even if I *was* able to somehow dig a 30" hole for a ground plate, it'd work poorly and last about a week.

;)

This has been fun though. Maybe I'll play amateur chemist and build-my-own electrolytic...

:p

http://ecmweb.com/content/achieving-acceptable-ground-poor-soil

If you cannot go down you might be able to trench horizontally (below the frost line if applicable) and achieve the same results by laying a bare conductor in the trench if you are limited in the length of you trench you can add a product before backfilling such as Erico GEM to enhance your grounds effectiveness.

»www.erico.com/products/GEM.asp

Given the two ground rods are bonded together with #6 solid copper wire it is considered a single grounding electrode system. That single system can't be less than 6 ft from another system.

It blew up most of the glass tube spark gap enclosures the telco had on their incoming circuits. They spent a lot of time repairing/replacing them and getting our phone system back up.

quote:

---

250.53(B) Electrode Spacing. Where more than one of the electrodes of the type specified in 250.52(A)(5) or (A)(7) are used, each electrode of one grounding system (including that used for air terminals) shall not be less than 1.83 m (6 ft) from any other electrode of another grounding system. Two or more grounding electrodes that are bonded together shall be considered a single grounding electrode system."

---

Regarding my "single ground at pole, not at house or garage, but another at pool" I can only add that driving ground rods around here is next-to-impossible given the rock we live on.

Not needed. Installation is exactly what the inspector required.

Really? IMO I hardly think that someone who specializes in communications is fully qualified across the spectrum of industrial and residential grounding.

I did have one of my site's blasted by lightning last summer. I thought that was a bit odd, so I started looking and quickly saw that apparently my old tower grounding straps must have been out of date, and some nice person had come by and spent great effort on their part to assist me by removing all that old bad copper.

You have to know Wayne in spite of what you think, say or write your opinions mean nothing except to you. The inspector is the only one who matters and if he says to do something do it.

I have a detached garage with a 100 amp panel fed by a 100 amp breaker off the meter base. The contractor/electrician installed a ground rod for the panel. The inspector made him remove the ground wire and run a #6 back to the the main ground rod for the service. He stated only one ground point is permitted.

Really? IMO I hardly think that someone who specializes in communications is fully qualified across the spectrum of industrial and residential grounding. That would be a truly a unique individual. That especially is true when your statements conflict with what some of us know and see practiced in the field and required in many areas.

Wayne I think I'll just stick with the recommendations of people knowledgeable and educated in the field of grounding. I don't think you really believe you can claim the article was incorrect.

quote:

---

I don't think you really believe you can claim the article was incorrect.

---

The inspector is the only one who matters and if he says to do something do it.

We're not talking communications faciltites

that was for free air, assuming a .125" conductor 250 FT long.

That's incorrect. I drive a rod on every pool with a sub-panel. As long as it is bonded back to the main with a #6 or greater, it's perfectly compliant. It's not required, but it's not a violation.

The one common grounding point should not preclude additional ground rods at the other building.