I am currently running electrical service to a new space in a mobile home park. This place has, supposedly, never had a mobile home in it before.

My first hint that this might moy be s completely 'new' space came when a large tree was removed from next to the power pole. Voila! - an old mast / weatherhead was found arrached to the power company's pole.

Yesterday, while trenching to the new trailer, I (naturally) ran dead-center into a buried ground rod. This ground rod - and I do mean a proper ground rod of copper jacketed steel with an acorn clamp - is only 3/8" diameter. I have no idea as to the length. I'm not sure if there is a stub of wire still attached; if there is, I doubt it's larger than #12.

My questions are: when were such rods allowed? How large a service? Why were they discontinued?

The rod might not have been used as an electrode for the service entrance. It might be a telephone company rod, I've run across them here in the Mountain State & they're usually about 4' long.

Yup,

I had one at my house connected to the Telephone Co. connection point outside.

Bill

Perhaps there used to be the old pay telephone booths there. That would explain both the service weatherhead and the ground rod.

Larry C

Standard procedure for telco grounding is a 3/8" x 5' rod if no other electrode is present. These were very common in mobile home or RV parks. Technically, they are supposed to bond it to the trailer's frame with a #6, and then run a separate conductor from the rod to the station protector. Of course, they don't really do inside wiring anymore. Today, they just bond the protector to any electrode they can find and don't mess with bonding the trailer frame.

Vote me with the others. That sounds like a telco/cable rod. My wife had several that were left behind by the telco guys. I may still have one around here somewhere. My FIL was using a couple for tomato stakes.

I have see them few of them as well they are pretty short in length useally 5 footer size. both telephone and Catv company use that for many years. but it no longer done that way so they will just tied to the main EGC rods or EGC conductor.

Merci,Marc