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View Full Version : House, grounding


yppiks
Jun 11, 2010, 10:47 AM
Outside my house there are 2 what seem to be grounding rods. They are located on each end of my house. The wire that is attached is broken on both rods. Are these rods for grounding of the entire house? They are located on the opposite side of the house as the electrical service connection, this is why I'm confused.

hkstroud
Jun 11, 2010, 10:56 AM
Sounds like grounds for lightening rods. How old is the house?
You should be able to trace the ground conductor from electrical panel to ground rod for electrical system.

yppiks
Jun 11, 2010, 11:36 AM
The house is 90 yrs old and so is the wiring. Is this dangerous to leave unattached and if so can a regular electrican handle this or is a construction electrian needed?

tkrussell
Jun 11, 2010, 01:37 PM
Any electrician with a valid license should be able to handle this. Without seeing exactly what you have, hard to tell for certain what the purpose of the rods are.

As HK mentions, may be for lightning.

If there is aluminum siding, could be to ground that.

One could be where an old electric service was, and the other for a new entrance location.

Best to call in an electrician to determine the purpose of the rods and connect any wiring as needed, if needed, with the proper size wire, in the proper method.

For example, lightning arrestor systems use a particular type wire of certain sizes and are installed in a very particular fashion. Not done properly will render the system useless and possibly dangerous.