On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 11:39:00 -0400, Rick (W-A-one-R-K-T) wrote:

Good morning, all...

When connecting a copper ground wire to a copper-plated ground rod, is
there a compound of some kind that should be used to inhibit corrosion?

I have asked the man behind the counter at the local electrical supply
store (where I got the ground rods) and he says it's not necessary, but I
have seen references to it here and there on the net including in this NG.

I thought about maybe using some of that Butternut conductive grease that
we use on our antennas.

Noalox is a good compound for this sort of work.

For truly professional quality work:

In our commercial applications when bonding any part of the ground system,
we do it with exothermic welding, commonly called CAD WELD. We get
so-called "one shots" that are a ceramic mold and can be ordered to accept
various wire sizes and number of conductors to bond. Then the powder mix
is poured in and it's lit with a striker. One just had to be sure that
all parts are 100% dry as any moisture will cause the thing to blow apart
quite violently. A properly done CAD WELD results in a connection that
won't corrode or suffer from electrolysis.

Another permanent solution is a compression clamp, but that probably
requires a hydraulic tool.

73, de Nate

--

"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds,
the pessimist fears this is true."