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.

Thanks...

W-A-one-R-K-T wrote:
"I thought about using some of that Butternut conductive grease that we
use on our antennas."

It probably wouldn`t hurt, but isn`t required as tarnish compounds
formed naturally are sufficiently conductive for grounding purposes.

Most codes require an approved ground clamp be used to connect to a
ground rod as excessive current could cause a poor solder joint to melt.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI

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.
============================================
When connection is made and dry , I would suggest you cover with
self-amalgamating tape or a putty meant to protect coax connectors ,made
by Universal Electronics Inc - 4555/13 Groves Road , Columbus -Ohio.
The latter comes in length of 60 inches and is 0.5 inch wide.
I bought it many moons ago at a hamfest in the Netherlands.

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 11:44:04 -0500, Richard Harrison wrote:

Most codes require an approved ground clamp be used to connect to a
ground rod as excessive current could cause a poor solder joint to melt.

Right, and I have some that are approved in this area, just wanted to know
if some kind of anti-corrosion compound is desirable in addition to using
the approved clamp.

Frank's suggestion of the self-amalgamating tape sounds like a good one.

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."

(Richard Harrison) wrote in news:13824-
:

W-A-one-R-K-T wrote:
"I thought about using some of that Butternut conductive grease that we
use on our antennas."

It probably wouldn`t hurt, but isn`t required as tarnish compounds
formed naturally are sufficiently conductive for grounding purposes.

I don't know what "Butternut conductive grease" contains, but if it is
intended for aluminium, does that imply it is suitable for copper?

Such compounds often contain a grease to exclude air (oxygen) and water,
and a metal powder to break through metal oxides within the joint. If in
doubt about the compatibility of the metal powder with the metals being
joined, good quality marine grease will achieve much of the benefit
without the risk of galvanic corrosion worsened by the joint compound.

Back to the specific application to lightning conductors or AC protective
earth systems, they are usually copper conductors and copper clad earth
rods. Mechanical clamps, crimp lugs, and purpose specific welding are the
usual methods.

BTW, there are a number of reasons to avoid galvanised earth electrodes
though you will see them in use. In this part of the world galvanised
earth stakes or galvanised water pipe are used, but tests show them less
consistent than copper clad steel rods.

Owen

Owen Duffy wrote:
"BTW, there are a number of reasons to avoid galvanised earth electrodes
though you will see them in use."

Yes, their surface is zinc which is the most used sacrificial material
to protect steel. The electrolytic cell formed by the zinc and steel in
a solution consumes the zinc while protecting the steel.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI

As long as you use a ground clanp made for that size and type of ground rod
and wire, you do not need to use noalox, or penetrox.
But it may be like chicken soup is for a cold - "it couldn't hurt."


"Rick (W-A-one-R-K-T)" wrote in message
news

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.

Thanks...

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?


The best way to connect copper grounding connections is with CadWeld.

However, I find the best non-weld solution is a liberal use of a
product called " Kopr-Shield " on the copper clamps. Its pricey, but
better than any of those so called conductive grease compounds. Do a
Google search to find it.


Ed K7AAT