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  1. #1
    M Kelekci's Avatar
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    Default Circuit tester and grounding rod

    I checked the circuits with my circuit tester (yellow, 3 prong tester, nothing fancy), most of the receptacles showed correct wiring except a couple of them. When I inspected the service entrance panel I noticed there was no grounding rod buried in the ground.

    Question:

    Since there is no grounding rod, shouldn't the circuit tester read "open ground"?

    Thanks a billion you all.

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  2. #2
    James Duffin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    The ground you are most likely reading is from the power company neutral. The neutral is grounded at the transformer and is bonded at the service equipment.


  3. #3
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    James, thanks for the reply.
    Just out of curiosity, why do we have grounding rods then?


  4. #4
    Richard Stanley's Avatar
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    www.theelectricalguru.com/GandB.pps

    There are several grounding methods.


  5. #5
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Did you not see a grounding conductor at the service equipment or in the panel?

    Many times I do not see a grounding conductor attached to a ground rod. Those homes are either grounded to the steel in the foundation, a Ufer ground or to the plumbing.

    The situation that James is talking about is only true at the service equipment. Once you go downstream of the service equipment the neutral and grounds should not be connected. (Neutrals and Grounds on their own bus bars, with no jumpers between them.) At this point the neutral is floating and will not have any impact on the ground readings at an outlet. Now if you have false grounds at the outlet this is a different story. The neutrals are then used to provide a "False" ground by jumping the ground and the neutral. This is how folks get 2 wire systems to show a ground, albeit a False Ground.

    Last edited by Scott Patterson; 07-07-2007 at 08:21 AM.
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  6. #6
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    What the other folks have said is dead on the mark. To elaborate on your question a bit more...if you have no other grounding electrode, (such as a ground rod, ground to the steel in the foundation, a Ufer ground or to the metal plumbing system) you will still have a grounded system as long as the neutral is grounded at the transformer. The power company normally uses a ground rod for their grounding electrode. This is what the bare copper wire you see run down the side on the pole attachs to.

    The purpose of multiple or additional grounding electrodes (such as a ground rod) bonded together is to create a grounding electrode system that does not rely on a single point that could fail with no backup. As long as one of these grounding electrodes is intact you will have a grounded system...hopefully!


  7. #7
    M Kelekci's Avatar
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Thanks for the replies.

    I didn't see any grounding electrode at the service equipment.
    I guess electrons got only one path to ground which is power company's grounded wires.

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  8. #8
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    If you have any metal plumbing, gas, or structural steel in the house it should be bonded to the power company's neutral. I provided only a answer to your question...not a answer to your potential problems. Be sure to check the electrical system very closely using your own knowledge.


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by M Kelekci View Post
    James, thanks for the reply.
    Just out of curiosity, why do we have grounding rods then?
    We have grounding rods (and other methods of grounding to earth) to deal with lightning and other high voltage accidents and to help stabilize voltage in the event of something like a poor neutral connection. The grounding rods are not there as part of the equipment ground path - there is too much resistance in the path through the earth to cause overcurrent devices (breakers) to trip.

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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Someone correct me if I'm wrong (J.P.?), but if everything else is wired correctly, your tester would indicate a "grounded" receptacle outlet even if both the house grounding conductor and the transformer grounding conductor were cut. The tester is verifying continuity between the equipment ground terminal on the receptacle outlet and the service neutral. It doesn't tell you much, if anything, about the earth ground path.

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  11. #11
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    You could very well be correct when using a basic plugin tester that does not need or use the earth ground for a reference point. The higher quality meters will note a missing earth ground I believe.


  12. #12
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    As stated above the electrodes are for keeping the house at the same potential as the earth.

    The grounded conductor from the power company 'grounds' the system.

    Pick up the NEC and read the definitions on all the different grounding and bonding terms. This may help you understand.


  13. #13
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Thank you all for great posts.


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by John Arnold View Post
    Someone correct me if I'm wrong (J.P.?), but if everything else is wired correctly, your tester would indicate a "grounded" receptacle outlet even if both the house grounding conductor and the transformer grounding conductor were cut. The tester is verifying continuity between the equipment ground terminal on the receptacle outlet and the service neutral. It doesn't tell you much, if anything, about the earth ground path.
    John,

    It does not tell you anything about the earth ground path.

    The circuits are only being tested back to the point where the neutral is bonded to ground, i.e., 'the service equipment'.

    The service equipment does not even have to be grounded to earth at all for the circuits to test out as "grounded".

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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Jerry is correct. The three-prong plug-in tester will only verify that a circuit can be completed by sending current from the energized conductor to the ground conductor. If the grounding buss is properly bonded to the service equipment at the service entrance, then it will indicate that the circuit is grounded, even if there is no grounding electrode at the service entrance equipment. Golly, I hope I got my terminology correct there.

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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Randy - Not sure if you meant to refer to the xmas-ornament type tester when you said "three-prong plug-in tester". James suggested that the more sophisticated circuit analyzers wouldn't be fooled, but that's not the case. The SureTest also doesn't tell you if a grounding electrode path is present, because that isn't the path it's testing.

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  17. #17
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    I said a higher quality meter....I did not mention the Sure test...Fluke has a variety to chose from.....


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by James Duffin View Post
    I said a higher quality meter....I did not mention the Sure test...Fluke has a variety to chose from.....
    James,

    Not unless that meter is connected to earth ground itself. Of course, that would be a bit difficult to use going around the inside testing outlets with it.

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  19. #19
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Very true.....but it is a means to check the earth ground before you use a standard tester.


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by James Duffin View Post
    Very true.....but it is a means to check the earth ground before you use a standard tester.
    If you are going to do that, I would hope you would use a proper meter 'just for that' and then report the results, in ohms resistance, and then, if greater than 25 ohms is found and there is only one driven rods, you would need to report that as a defect and report that code requires a second driven rod (to clarify, I am using 'driven rod' to mean 'made electrode', it could be a rod, pipe, or plate) be installed a minimum of 6 feet from the first one.

    Of course, checking resistance to earth ground is not a simple matter either, there is a precise method which needs to be used. Thus, I doubt any home inspector has the equipment or knows how to measure the resistance to earth properly.

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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Thank you for contacting us, but we don't have anything that will test
    for ground at the receptacle.

    Regards,
    Fluke Technical Support

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  22. #22
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Did they refer you to the Fluke sales team? I'm sure they can fix you up with what you need to be the best earth ground tester there ever was!!


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by James Duffin View Post
    Did they refer you to the Fluke sales team? I'm sure they can fix you up with what you need to be the best earth ground tester there ever was!!
    You have me confused with someone who wants to test earth ground! I'm just trying to hash out a subject that confuses home inspectors, including me, and electricians alike.

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  24. #24
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Not confused here.....sorry you are!


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    I asked an experienced electrical consultant about how to test a grounding rod systems for the required 25 Ohms some time back. He described a series of Ohm tests regarding varying distances from the ground rod location which were all dependant upon the current soil moisture content and its related affect on conductivity.

    I learned that an 8 foot hammered rod works well enough in expansive wet soil conditions but a deeper Ufer works best in drier desert soil conditions. Other utility companies (gas and water) tend to shy away from their particular piping systems being required to serve a duel purpose that includes ancillary grounding of the electrical service since there is so much plastic (an insulator) now in use with such underground piping systems compared to decades past.

    That is not to say that the bonding of above ground metallic piping systems is not potentially important even though its eventual contact with earth/ground has been minimized by recent nonconductive utility plastic pipe development!

    I am here to say that this is WAY beyond the scope of inspection for the generalist home inspector. There is either a rod/fully metallic buried pipe/Ufer system in place or there is not. The point is not to rely on the presence of a single system but to have a backup when human safety is involved.

    If you see no suitable backup system in place (driven rod/buried metallic pipe/or Ufer system) then reliance is upon the electrical system’s neutral as the sole path of least resistance back to a grounded neutral is nothing short of a leap of faith.

    If that lone path is broken, then who (or what within the built environment) becomes the next best "path of least resistance" in the event of an electrical flow to ground involving a human as the conductor?


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by Phillip Stojanik View Post
    [SIZE=2]If you see no suitable backup system in place (driven rod/buried metallic pipe/or Ufer system) then reliance is upon the electrical system’s neutral as the sole path of least resistance back to a grounded neutral is nothing short of a leap of faith.
    If that lone path is broken, then who (or what within the built environment) becomes the next best "path of least resistance" in the event of an electrical flow to ground involving a human as the conductor?
    Phillip - As I understand it, there is no back-up system to the neutral as far as ground faults go. The service neutral back to the transformer is the only low resistance path that has the capacity to protect personnel from ground faults. The grounding electrode path does not protect personnel from ground faults because it is a high resistance path back (through the earth) to the source (transformer). The grounding electrode at the house is there to protect the system and house from lightning and to stabilize voltage in the event of a problem with the service neutral. The grounding conductor and electrode at the transformer are also there to protect the transformer from lightning. Both grounding electrodes could be removed and an otherwise properly wired home would still have "grounded" receptacles that protect personnel from ground faults. Of course you would then have a home and transformer vulnerable to lightning, etc. so I'm not suggesting removal of the grounding electrodes, just trying to be clear about their purpose. The IRC and the NEC, when describing the purpose of the grounding electrode, do not mention protection from ground faults. 2006 IRC E3808.5: "Earth as a ground-fault current path. The earth shall not be considered as an effective ground-fault current path."
    I don't claim to understand all of this, so please, someone tell me I'm wrong, and why.

    Last edited by John Arnold; 07-16-2007 at 05:50 PM. Reason: added IRC quote at end of rant
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  27. #27
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    I always wondered this.

    Grounding rod and grounded wires are bonded at service entrance equipment. How come nobody gets electrocuted whey they touch the exposed portion of buried grounding rod?


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by M Kelekci View Post
    I always wondered this.

    Grounding rod and grounded wires are bonded at service entrance equipment. How come nobody gets electrocuted whey they touch the exposed portion of buried grounding rod?
    Because, not only are they standing on 'ground', all those items are 'grounded' to 'ground', i.e., there is no voltage potential difference.

    Now, *if* there was a current flowing through those grounding conductors and you were to cut one, you would become the 'conductor' between those two cut ends, and, yes, you would get a shock because that current would now need to 'go through' you to get to ground (what you are standing on).

    Just because, as John pointed out, the primary purpose of the grounding electrode system is for lightning protection and the neutral is the primary low impedance path back to the source (the transformer) that *does NOT mean* that there is *no* earth ground current back to the source. There will be some.

    Electricity, it is commonly said, takes the path of least resistance, and, while true to some extent, the reality is that electricity takes *ALL PATHS* available to it, thus, some will take the earth ground path.

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  29. #29
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Here is the scenario.

    Somehow grounding conductor becomes loose and comes off the grounding rod just above grade.
    Does a person that touches that conductor which is now hanging from service entrance equipment get a shock or electricity still will go to the source (transformer) thru grounded conductors?

    I thank you all for making me understand this.


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by M Kelekci View Post
    Here is the scenario.

    Somehow grounding conductor becomes loose and comes off the grounding rod just above grade.
    Does a person that touches that conductor which is now hanging from service entrance equipment get a shock or electricity still will go to the source (transformer) thru grounded conductors?

    I thank you all for making me understand this.
    Current will mainly return to the source (transformer) by way of the service grounded (neutral) conductor because of its very low relative resistance, but there could be, and often is, some current also trying to return by way of the grounding conductor and electrode, and in that case I would think you could get shocked, or at least tingled, in your scenario.

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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by M Kelekci View Post
    Here is the scenario.

    Somehow grounding conductor becomes loose and comes off the grounding rod just above grade.
    Does a person that touches that conductor which is now hanging from service entrance equipment get a shock or electricity still will go to the source (transformer) thru grounded conductors?
    That's the same as this (what I posted above) *IF* there is significant ground current flow.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Peck View Post
    Because, not only are they standing on 'ground', all those items are 'grounded' to 'ground', i.e., there is no voltage potential difference.

    Now, *if* there was a current flowing through those grounding conductors and you were to cut one, you would become the 'conductor' between those two cut ends, and, yes, you would get a shock because that current would now need to 'go through' you to get to ground (what you are standing on).
    Start checking the current in the grounding electrode conductor with your clamp on ammeter, you may be surprised at what some of your reading will be. I typically got virtually no reading, but occasionally, I would get a few amps, a few times over 5 amps.

    E (voltage) = R (resistance) times I (current)

    Let's "assume" the resistance is 20 ohms and the current is 5 amps.

    E = 20 x 5

    E= 100 volts dropped across the grounding electrode system.

    Do you want to disconnect a wire with a 100 volt potential and 5 amps flowing through it?

    Of course, right after you disconnect it, there is no current flow, thus no voltage.

    Now reverse the process: you start with a non-connected wire, which is ready to draw 5 amps and drop 100 volts across it ... do you want to connect the wire to the terminal (ground rod)?

    *Will* there be any current flow? Probably not.

    *Could" there be current flow? Sure.

    Like Dirt Harry asked, "Do you feel lucky?"

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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by M Kelekci View Post
    Here is the scenario.

    Somehow grounding conductor becomes loose and comes off the grounding rod just above grade.
    Does a person that touches that conductor which is now hanging from service entrance equipment get a shock or electricity still will go to the source (transformer) thru grounded conductors?

    I thank you all for making me understand this.


    Lets just say that your described scenario has the potential to cause a shock but the final answer will depend on a few other factors. If the neutral back to the transformer is working properly then there may not be enough available current flow to create a shock if you were to touch the disconnected ground wire off of the rod.

    Not that you would want to do this but, you could encourage more current to flow through yourself by lowering your personal resistance to the flow of electricity. For example, you could expect a greater potential to get a shock if you happened to have wet hands and were bare footed standing in ankle deep mud at the time. If you had dry hands and were wearing rubber soled shoes on dry ground, then your potential to get a shock would be less.

    As Jerry pointed out, electricity will take all available paths but the flow of current favors the paths of least resistance. The key is not becoming a low resistance path to ground and then touching something that has a high voltage potential.


  33. #33
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Thank you all for the posts.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Peck View Post

    *Could" there be current flow? Sure.

    Like Dirt Harry asked, "Do you feel lucky?"
    How would you check if the grounding conductor is properly connected to the grounding rod, since there is a possibility of current flowing thru? Just visual check is good enough? or you all would check it with a screwdriver?

    Thanks again.


  34. #34
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    If I can see the connection between the rod and grounding conductor, yes, I poke at it with my screwdriver to see if the clamp is loose.

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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    If I could see the connection, I always grabbed it an yanked on it to see if it was loose (yes, I did find some which were loose and pulled out). I felt lucky.

    If I could see the grounding electrode conductor but not the connection, I would yank on it and try (for a limited time) to follow it to the connection (yes, I did find quite a few which were not connected.) I felt lucky.

    A couple of times, though, I did see a spark when the conductor pulled out of the connector ... it took me a while to put 2 and 2 together and get 'Oh! Dang! That must mean there was current flowing!'. In the mean time, though, I felt lucky.

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  36. #36
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    "Sure" testing method for HI's for ground fault current.

    1) Disconnect grounding electrode conductor from grounding electrode.

    2) Remove shoes, gloves, and any other insulating material.

    3) Hold end of grounding electrode conductor in one hand.

    If you feel a tingle.....


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    Smile Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Hi Jerry,

    Came to this post, and saw you explaining to the rest of out here about how the Electrical Service ground rods work. Excellence!!!!



    /S/ Robert


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Jimmy do you have video of this test method?


  39. #39
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    In my state the State Electrical Inspectors do not alway require the ground rod to be above ground, in fact, about 90% of the one I inspect
    are driven below grade.


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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by Robert S. Mattison View Post
    In my state the State Electrical Inspectors do not alway require the ground rod to be above ground, in fact, about 90% of the one I inspect
    are driven below grade.
    Robert,

    The ground rods are not allowed to be above ground, they are required to be fully driven into the ground.

    I will clarify: They typical ground rod is 8 feet long, a minimum of 8 feet is required to be buried ... therefore none should be above ground.

    The connection, though, should be protected around and left open for inspection. This last point is arguable and some AHJ require the connection to be protected around and left visible, others require it to be exposed only for inspection, and others ... well ... Que Sera, Sera (whatever will be, will be).

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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Thanks Jerry for your reply.

    As I understand you, all ground rod need to be buried to a depth of 8 Ft.

    And if there is inpection, let the inspector see how the ground rods are
    connected to the grounding conductor. With the inpection is over, the
    electrician should then finish driven the 8 Ft. rod below grade.

    Just one question, when the NEC code refers to Grounding Electrodes,
    would a ground rod fit this definition?


  42. #42
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by Robert S. Mattison View Post
    With the inspection is over, the electrician should then finish driven the 8 Ft. rod below grade.
    No.

    The ground rod needs to be driven in full depth BEFORE the inspection, otherwise it should fail the inspection.

    After inspection, and depending on the AHJ, the ground rod connection should be left exposed and protected, or, it may be allowed to be covered over.

    Just one question, when the NEC code refers to Grounding Electrodes, would a ground rod fit this definition?
    A ground rod is one type of grounding electrodes and must meet certain requirements to be allowed to be used.

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  43. #43
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    This driven ground pipe was rusted off at grade and only took a slight pull to jump out of the ground.

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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by Vern Heiler View Post
    This driven ground pipe was rusted off at grade and only took a slight pull to jump out of the ground.
    Hey Vern, looks like an RV awning hook you are pointing with.

    Do you carry that with you all the time?

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  45. #45
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    Default Re: Circuit tester and grounding rod

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Peck View Post
    Hey Vern, looks like an RV awning hook you are pointing with.

    Do you carry that with you all the time?
    Yes, it was left at a house I rented and I didn't know what it was for years. I cut off the hook and ground it into a chisel point for probing wood, testing smoke alarms, opening cabinet doors above refrigerators, knocking dew & bugs out of bushes, fending off dogs, and other things short people need help with .


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