Is this a "Big Deal"

I’ve seen grounding rods much worse than this, but would the condition of this grounding rod make into your summary or would you just note it as a deficiency in need of repair?

20130816-10.jpg

Unless that’s a 10’ rod it needs to be installed flush or below the surface of the earth. Whether or not it’s actually doing much is anyone guess. I leave the reporting stuff for the HI pro’s.

Very funny Robert!!!LOL

What is so funny about Roberts’ post?

I leave the reporting stuff for the HI pro’s.

Are you?

You have a weird sense of ‘humour’! :roll:

Believe me since Robert is on other MB’s all the time I can understand why he said this.

And yet no one has answered the OP.

So what would you report? The rod is likely not down the minimum of 8’ so you could report that. If it were you wouldn’t be able to determine it’s “condition” because none of it would be visible.

You seem to have much knowledge of electrical systems. Is it functional or not?

Not being an Electrician I can’t tell you what is required in the area you are at. What I can say is here what Robert has said does apply.
Our Rods need to be 10 ft long and only the very top is showing on most Inspections.
We can’t determine how long the rod is so we can only state what should be there along with the tripping hazard if it is not placed close to the house.

Without some sort of testing there is no way to know by looking, unless of course further inspection revealed that the rod were rotted 1/2 way through, then one could say that it possibly needs to be replaced.

The point that I was trying to make earlier is that if the rod were properly installed, meaning flush or below the surface of the earth, would it get reported at all? And if it were flush would an HI’s SOP require further investigation, be it a test or by digging around it to see what it looked like?

Even on a new installation about all an electrical inspector can do is see that the clamp(s) is/are correct, that the rod’s flush or below and that the conductor is the correct size. No one would know if the installer cut the 8’ rod in half and made two rods out of it. :slight_smile:

Determining the condition of a grounding electrode can be a very difficult thing and is outside the competency level of the majority of electricians, let alone HIs. In all reality, the concern is not necessarily the condition of the electrode, provided it is not significantly deteriorated. The primary concern is the ability it has to conduct current. Believe it or not, the ground surrounding the electrode effects how well the electrode conducts. Many soil types have high natural resistance. Moisture content of the soil is also an important factor.

The best method of performance testing grounding electrodes is a method called ***"***fall of potential" testing. This test requires both specialized equipment and training. It is normally done for acceptance testing of large grounding systems or in installations where potential differences of the ground could create hazardous conditions, ie. high voltage substations where “step potential” could result in possible injury. I have also completed them for special occupancies, see Chapter 5 of the NEC for more information.

Thanks William as always you fill in all the gaps.

Ah. Thank you. Now I see where you’re coming from. My main concern is the corrosion at grade level.
I deferred it to a licensed professional for repair or replacement as needed.
Thanks again for your help.