It is super important to protect your house or structure from electrical surges. Using a grounding rod will protect the building by rerouting any surges away from the building. They used to call these lightning rods because they would route lightning into the ground and away from the structure to keep it from catching on fire. Before you being, you will need to ask the utility company to come out and mark other underground lines to be able to dig in the right spot without fear of electrocution or damaging other important lines.
Being by obtaining the right tools. These will include getting a shovel, a post hole digger, a driving tool, and a hammer or mallet. The rod itself is about eight feet long and made of copper. Make sure to check that it is for grounding electricity or it may not provide the protection that you need. Without the right type, you could be in danger of a house fire.
The next step is to dig the hole. Avoid rocky areas or any places that the utility company marked for other lines. The spot you pick should be between one and two feet from the building for it to work the best. If it is too close, it can reduce the effectiveness by putting the surge back into the building.
With the spot selected you can begin to dig. If you have a post hole digger, you can dig a couple of feet down easily. Using a shovel is fine, but you do not need to dig a wide hole. Dig the hole as deep as you can before moving to the next step.
After you reach as far as you can go, add some water to the hole. You don't have to fill the hole, just make it moist so you can begin pushing the rod in by hand. The water will help with this process. As you go deeper with the pole, add more water to help out. You can move the pole back and forth with the pointed end in the ground to make it easier. Once you reach the point it won't go deeper by hand, grab another tool.
After you have the rod a couple of feet into the ground, start hammering. There will be a point where it just won't go in manually anymore. If you do not have a driver, which is placed over the top of the rod allowing you to easily drive it in, you can put a board over it to make a bigger surface to hit. Keep hammering and driving it until there is just an inch or two sticking above the top of the hole.
Attach the ground wire. It is best to use the special ground clamp that usually comes with the pole. Make sure the end of the ground wire is exposed if it is a shielded wire. Give it enough slack from the electrical panel so it will not come loose if the pole or wire is hit or bumped.
Finally, fill in the hole. If the rules require the pole to be completely underground, finish hammering it down and fill it in. In any case, it is best to keep it low enough that a lawn mower blade will not hit is. If you placed it a couple of feet from the building, you might consider burying the wire until it comes up next to the building to protect it from weed eaters and lawn mowers.
Being by obtaining the right tools. These will include getting a shovel, a post hole digger, a driving tool, and a hammer or mallet. The rod itself is about eight feet long and made of copper. Make sure to check that it is for grounding electricity or it may not provide the protection that you need. Without the right type, you could be in danger of a house fire.
The next step is to dig the hole. Avoid rocky areas or any places that the utility company marked for other lines. The spot you pick should be between one and two feet from the building for it to work the best. If it is too close, it can reduce the effectiveness by putting the surge back into the building.
With the spot selected you can begin to dig. If you have a post hole digger, you can dig a couple of feet down easily. Using a shovel is fine, but you do not need to dig a wide hole. Dig the hole as deep as you can before moving to the next step.
After you reach as far as you can go, add some water to the hole. You don't have to fill the hole, just make it moist so you can begin pushing the rod in by hand. The water will help with this process. As you go deeper with the pole, add more water to help out. You can move the pole back and forth with the pointed end in the ground to make it easier. Once you reach the point it won't go deeper by hand, grab another tool.
After you have the rod a couple of feet into the ground, start hammering. There will be a point where it just won't go in manually anymore. If you do not have a driver, which is placed over the top of the rod allowing you to easily drive it in, you can put a board over it to make a bigger surface to hit. Keep hammering and driving it until there is just an inch or two sticking above the top of the hole.
Attach the ground wire. It is best to use the special ground clamp that usually comes with the pole. Make sure the end of the ground wire is exposed if it is a shielded wire. Give it enough slack from the electrical panel so it will not come loose if the pole or wire is hit or bumped.
Finally, fill in the hole. If the rules require the pole to be completely underground, finish hammering it down and fill it in. In any case, it is best to keep it low enough that a lawn mower blade will not hit is. If you placed it a couple of feet from the building, you might consider burying the wire until it comes up next to the building to protect it from weed eaters and lawn mowers.
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