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I've been getting some questions about the importance of ground rods. Here you will see a ground rod and the process of driving the rod eight feet into the ground. It can also be hit with a sledge hammer, but the Hilti T675 is a super sweet power tool. It plugs in and hammers the rod down into the ground. This ground rod was run in Alameda so it went down smoothly, probably hitting sand. Ground rods ground the entire electrical system. A ground wire is attached to the ground rod with an "acorn" and then also bonded to the main water pipe, and then to the main electrical panel. This ensures that in the case of lightning or an electrical short, the over current will take the fastest route to ground. The ground rod and wire are both made of copper, which is the second most conductive metal, following pure gold. This process protects the people in the house from being electrocuted, so it is very important. Please check your house and make sure that there is some sort of grounding system in place.
