ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Anyone got a funny ground rod story?

I was telling some of the guys about this today, thought I'd share it with the forum...

Way back, (Ten Years) I used to work for this very soft spoken Irishman named Joe. (Uncle Joe, as he was better known, allthough he nowones Uncle...) So we arrive at the job and I'm unloading pipe and the rest of the mat's. Joe starts giving me crap about the last time I drove a rod for him it was too far away from the wall, subject to physical damage and this and that... And he starts up the hammer drill where he wants me to drive it in the garage slab.

I come back with my next load of material, and Joe says, in his Dublin drawl, "I think you're in luck, the drill went in really easy, and now you drive the rod right here!" He picks up the rod like he's going to plant it on the moon, line it up on the hole and lets go. And it's gone!

We're both staring at the hole where the rod disappeared. And, I say, "Well, I guess we're done with that..."

Joe's all taken back and tells me to go get a flash light, that maybe we dropped itno a crawl or something. (Although not very many buildings in that area have one, esspecially under a garage.)

I come back, and Joe's on all fours with the light and his eye at the hole, and says, "There's a Bar down there!"

We look for stairs, but can't find them for a while until we see some painted shut hinges in a panel wall.

We found a "Speak-easy"!

Owner had lived there for around ten years, had no idea it was there. It had a dirt floor, a old cabinet for a Bar, some tables and chairs, dart board, empty bottles, and a ground rod!

Thats a pretty cool find! I've never put a ground rod in a garage though... Some pretty strong concrete to hold up a car parked above with the void down there... How big was the room? was there power down there?
I did find a secret passage in an old early 1900's house once... I was trying to cut in an old work box for a new outlet.. I punched the cut out through & there was light! (I thought I'd cut into another room somehow!, but peeking inside, there were no finished walls) After some close searching we (the H.O. & I) found a strange spot in the wall where the edges of the door had been plastered so the seam of the door wasn't visible.... He shoved it hard enough & it opened into a tiny unfinished hall. (There was a keyless fixture on, with the lamp still working!).. followed the hall about 20' & it led to a wooden ladder which lead down to another sealed up door in the garage! (I wish I could plaster as good as the person that hid these doors!) Nothing interesting in there, but the H.O. hadn't a clue about it existing.. Kinda came in handy since I didn't have to run my NM in the attic anymore He'd lived there since the early 80's...

-Randy

PS I think Ryan's speechless about you finding his secret brewing spot

It was about 12x20, and from all appearances had not had a sole in it since prohabition ended! A thich 1/2" layer of dust on everything. It wasn't original to the house, as you could tell where they dug under the foundation to extend it down. It had a really beefy set of post and beams to hold up the garage, with 2x4 (real ones) on end as a sub-floor for the slab. The place was built pre-1906, this came later...

Yes, there was power on down there, for porcilins with white and green enamal china hats, the lights were left on, and bulbs blew long ago. Exposed K&T. No recepticals that I remember...

Just a few empty bottels, tables and chairs. Nothing fancy... It was pretty bare. I have seen a hand full of these in SF, this is the only one no one knew about. And the most primative. It's on a pretty busy street in the Fillmore, which at that time was the place to be for nightlife, I guess.

We drove the rod in the corner of it! We normally drive rods in the garage, as SF has zero clearance on Property Line on most buildings. (lucky to have a yard) For that matter most garages are add-ons in the late 40's, or old carridge stalls.

I was real fun to see it! Wish they left more in it....

I think Electricmanscott might have a funny ground rod story to tell.

e57 wrote:

Is your inspector going to want a permit pulled for the room addition?

-Randy

Here's potential for an interesting ground rod story!

-Randy

PS From http://safetycenter.navy.mil

...Now when I nod my head, you hit it...

Mike (mamills)

Wow! That's some find. The best we can do to emulate that over here are in really ancient buildings where "priest holes" were built to hide catholic priests away from the King's soldiers back in the 16th century when to be catholic here was considered treason.

Like maybe 70-year-old Scotch?

What did the owner do? Turn it into a prohibition museum? No admission fee, just knock three times and say Joe sent you...

That guy holding the rod sure is a brave soul.