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What in Tarnation?
What in Tarnation?
by timmp, September 10
Plumber meets Electrician
Plumber meets Electrician
by timmp, September 10
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#187283 06/19/09 10:27 AM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,476
Likes: 3
Cat Servant
Member
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?

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Tom Offline
Member
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.


Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.
Tom #187287 06/19/09 01:02 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,158
Likes: 5
Member
Originally Posted by Tom
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


Bill
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 787
L
Member
Perhaps there used to be the old pay telephone booths there. That would explain both the service weatherhead and the ground rod.

Larry C

LarryC #187290 06/19/09 03:04 PM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 745
E
Member
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.


---Ed---

"But the guy at Home Depot said it would work."
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 10,015
Likes: 37
G
Member
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.


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 939
F
Member
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


Pas de problme,il marche n'est-ce pas?"(No problem, it works doesn't it?)

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