[TVARC] Ground Rod - Installation

[EDWARD KROME]

Driving in ground rods: I've driven 8 around my house here in TV. It's a lot easier here in the sandy soil than it is up north (I've got 17 around my house in Indiana plus 8 more around the antenna tower. I'm paranoid about lightning)
Have tried several methods.
1) big hammer. This is the least satisfactory. Dangerous to stand on a ladder to get up high enough to start driving the 8' rods. And you've got to be a really good shot. I've done it here but it's no fun. Not recommended.
2) fence post driver. These are heavy steel tubes with side handles and a heavy plug in a closed end. You slide it over the rod than slide it up and down to hammer the rod in. Work pretty fast in sand. Will wear you out but it works. You can buy; as I recall, around $25. I would call around to try to rent one. Home Depot, farm stores, maybe Ace. This is probably the best.
3) You can make a driver from maybe 18-24" of 3/4 pipe with a cap threaded on one end. Then you slide it over the rod , hold onto the pipe and drive the rod in. The advantage of this is you can usually do it without standing on a ladder. I have found that you can usually start the rod into the ground by hand. push it in, then pull it back a bit and ram it in again. And again... Then use the pipe driver just described. Once you get the rod in a few feet, you can then start hammering on the top of the pipe cap to drive it in. The pipe lets you keep things aligned and gives you a larger target for the hammer. Go to Harbor Freight and buy the biggest short-handle steel hammer you can comfortably swing.
4) Sometimes you can rent a small electric concrete breaker with a fence post driver attachment.. I have one of these with a homebrew cut-off chisel end and a piece of pipe as a guide. Big electric hammer. Works great. (Unfortunately, it's up north).
BTW professionals use a jack hammer with a guided end.
And you thought this was going to be easy...
Good luck.

Ed Krome K9EK


>     On 03/30/2021 6:54 PM Tom Menas <tommenas.k3wt at gmail.com> wrote:
>      
>      
>     Hello TVARCers:
>      
>     I need to install two ground rods.  
>      
>     If anyone has any hints on doing it or having it done, I'd appreciate your suggestions.
>      
>     TNX es 73,
>      
>     Tom Menas, K3WT
>     Village of Santo Domingo (near TV Hospital)
>     Cell:  952-303-2086
>     tommenas.k3wt at gmail.com mailto:tommenas.k3wt at gmail.com
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