That old guy who taught me about grounding rods back in 2012

Met this retired installer named Pete while running a drop in some rural area near Bakersfield. He saw me struggling with a tough ground and walked over, didn't say much, just showed me how to drive a rod without bending it by wetting the dirt first. He told me he'd been doing it since the 80s and never had a single lightning claim on his jobs. It stuck with me because he wasn't trying to show off, just passing along something practical. I still think about that moment whenever I'm fighting a rocky patch of soil. Has anyone else picked up a trick from an older installer that you still use?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan.jason3d ago

Wetting the dirt just makes the rod slip around and rot faster underground.

davis.olivia3d ago

@morgan.jason have you actually tried it yourself or just heard that from someone else?

ericcraig3d ago

Yeah I've tried it myself on a couple fence posts back in 2018 out in my back field. The dirt was already super wet from a rainy spring and I figured what's the harm. The rod did slip a bit more when I was driving it but the real problem came a year later when I pulled one out to check and the bottom 6 inches was soft and rotted, way worse than the dry ones I put in earlier. Idk maybe the moisture just gives the rot a head start even if you think you're being careful. I just stick to dry dirt now and pack it tight with some gravel around the top.