[Anthony Collins]

I have an old house and would like to know if I can ground the breaker box since there is no ground at all that goes into the ground. I installed an 8ft copper rod in the ground now can I attach a ground to the breakers and run it to the rod to gground out the house?

[stanfortyman]

Sure. Use #6cu for this run.
If this is your main panel then you can put that #6 on any available spot on the ground/neutral bar.

[ballengerb1]

What are you looking at that makes you believe your home has no ground at all?

[stanfortyman]

Just so you know.
A ground rod, or any grounding electrode, is there for lightning strikes and other high voltage surges such as bad power company transformers.

They have absolutely NOTHING to do with the third hole in a receptacle or the bare wire run in NM cable.

A water bond serves a different purpose as well.

Even without any grounding electrodes, you house is still "grounded" with respect to the safety ground that trips breakers during a short circuit.
This comes from the neutral to ground BOND in the MAIN panel/disconnect.

[ballengerb1]

Thanks Stanforty, I did misunderstand what he was saying. Another thought or question, a driven ground 8' long isn't a guarantee that you will be grounded depending on the soil and water table, correct?

[stanfortyman]

The whole concept of "being grounded" is IMO almost always misinterpreted by DIYers.

Most folks think you stick a ground rod in the ground and you have a "ground". You do not.

Ground rods must meet a 25 ohm resistance. The test for this though requires a $1000 tester and I have never known an electrician to even own one. Most of us just sink two to meet codes and are done with it.

Ground rods do VERY little in a home, and have ABSOLUTELY NO effect on the functionality of the electrical system during normal operation.
This is why everything works and breakers still trip in homes with ground rods.