What wire size to connect to a 5/8" copper ground rod?

[AgroVenturesPeru]

I've got a copper ground rod that's 5/8" thick, and I want to connect all my solar components: panels, cabinet, charge controller, inverter, 4 batteries, etc to this copper ground rod via a common copper cable. The threads on the ground rod's bolt connector measure 1cm in diameter.

What size of cable should I order to connect with the ground rod?

The PVC electrical pipe that will carry this cable is 1 inch thick, and includes one 90 degree bend along its trajectory. I'm only looking for 2 meters of whatever is the correct gauge cable.

 

[Alphacarina]

5/8ths solid copper . . . . or is it copper plated steel?

Don

 

[Northernchateau]

I've got a copper ground rod that's 5/8" thick, and I want to connect all my solar components: panels, cabinet, charge controller, inverter, 4 batteries, etc to this copper ground rod via a common copper cable. The threads on the ground rod's bolt connector measure 1cm in diameter.

What size of cable should I order to connect with the ground rod?

The PVC electrical pipe that will carry this cable is 1 inch thick, and includes one 90 degree bend along its trajectory. I'm only looking for 2 meters of whatever is the correct gauge cable.

I think you will find most house wiring used 6 awg copper from the panel box to earth ground rod.

 

[Supervstech]

5/8ths solid copper . . . . or is it copper plated steel?

Don

There are no solid copper ground rods for sale at any supply house I have seen... all are zinc dipped or copper plated.

for bonding, NEC code states #6 solid, or stranded in armored case is sufficient. In NC, code says #4

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

I think you will find most house wiring used 6 awg copper from the panel box to earth ground rod.

Shoot, the engineer I was speaking with at another solar distributor was saying there's no point in adding a thicker wire to connect to the ground rod if all the other ground wires connecting my components are only 12AWG. So he suggested I save costs and stick with 12AWG to connect to the ground rod. However, I'm no stranger to the ambiguous topic of proper grounding. It seems EVERYONE has a different opinion.

According to the specs from the vendor I bought the 5/8", 2.4m long ground rod from, it says that it's 100% copper. Why is that hard to believe? I'm in Peru. There's a lot of copper mines in the country...

The price was 279PEN, which is about $75USD.

 

[Hedges]

According to the specs from the vendor I bought the 5/8", 2.4m long ground rod from, it says that it's 100% copper. Why is that hard to believe? I'm in Peru. There's a lot of copper mines in the country...

The price was 279PEN, which is about $75USD.

A few centuries ago it would have been solid gold. But not anymore!

It is illegal here to melt U.S. pennies to recover the copper (or now the zinc) which is worth more than a penny.
I bet we could set up a profitable business, you buying those solid copper ground rods and shipping them to me to sell as scrap.
It is quite the cottage industry here, lucrative for those who don't make the mistake of trying to remove wire from a 12kV circuit while its live.

 

[Supervstech]

Shoot, the engineer I was speaking with at another solar distributor was saying there's no point in adding a thicker wire to connect to the ground rod if all the other ground wires connecting my components are only 12AWG. So he suggested I save costs and stick with 12AWG to connect to the ground rod. However, I'm no stranger to the ambiguous topic of proper grounding. It seems EVERYONE has a different opinion.

According to the specs from the vendor I bought the 5/8", 2.4m long ground rod from, it says that it's 100% copper. Why is that hard to believe? I'm in Peru. There's a lot of copper mines in the country...

The price was 279PEN, which is about $75USD.

It’s hard to believe because a ground rod gets pounded 8’ into the ground... copper simply doesn’t have the strength to be pounded into most types of earth.

as for the grounding conductor... it needs to be #6 to the rod, for environmental dissipation... not for tripping potential.
True, the grounding conductor need not be larger than the ungrounded conductors for fault protection, and often needn’t exceed#10

 

[Hedges]

This table has copper ground conductor size, ranging from 8 awg to 3/0 depending on size of service entrance wires.

https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/Code-or-topic-fact-sheets/GroundingBondingFactSheet.ashx

 

[Alphacarina]

According to the specs from the vendor I bought the 5/8", 2.4m long ground rod from, it says that it's 100% copper. Why is that hard to believe? I'm in Peru. There's a lot of copper mines in the country...

Pick it up and bend it over your knee - If you can, it's 100% copper . . . . if you can't, it's copper plated steel. Ground rods are usually installed with a sledgehammer and that would turn pure copper into a pretzel

Don

 

[Supervstech]

Pick it up and bend it over your knee - If you can, it's 100% copper . . . . if you can't, it's copper plated steel. Ground rods are usually installed with a sledgehammer and that would turn pure copper into a pretzel

Don

Or, you know... put a magnet on it.

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

It’s hard to believe because a ground rod gets pounded 8’ into the ground... copper simply doesn’t have the strength to be pounded into most types of earth.

as for the grounding conductor... it needs to be #6 to the rod, for environmental dissipation... not for tripping potential.
True, the grounding conductor need not be larger than the ungrounded conductors for fault protection, and often needn’t exceed#10

??? Am I missing something? Sounds like a contradiction to me?

The whole topic of grounding in my situation reminds me of that Mike Holt youtube video I linked to in one of my other threads. My house has steel beams cemented into the earth...Every single component of my system will in some way be touching this steel.

So do I run out and buy some #6? What does #6 mean? 6AWG? Do I run out and buy that, or just stick with the 12AWG cable I have already?

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

Pick it up and bend it over your knee - If you can, it's 100% copper . . . . if you can't, it's copper plated steel. Ground rods are usually installed with a sledgehammer and that would turn pure copper into a pretzel

Don

It very well could be. There is no shortage of false advertising down here.

 

[Supervstech]

??? Am I missing something? Sounds like a contradiction to me?

The whole topic of grounding in my situation reminds me of that Mike Holt youtube video I linked to in one of my other threads. My house has steel beams cemented into the earth...Every single component of my system will in some way be touching this steel.

So do I run out and buy some #6? What does #6 mean? 6AWG? Do I run out and buy that, or just stick with the 12AWG cable I have already?

There is a difference between ground rod bonding conductor, and box to box service grounding conductor...
ground rods have a specified grounding conductor size dictated by the NEC that goes fro current source, to ground rod, and it needs to be one specific size in residential use cases dictated by the AHJ in your locale. Here in NC it is #4 solid copper, or #4Stranded armored cable...
from the breaker to the load, the grounding conductor need be only as large as the current carrying conductor up to 30A, then #10 from 30 amp to 60 Amp... from there, the chart dictates what grounding conductor size is needed between load and cid...

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

This table has copper ground conductor size, ranging from 8 awg to 3/0 depending on size of service entrance wires.

https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/Code-or-topic-fact-sheets/GroundingBondingFactSheet.ashx

It’s hard to believe because a ground rod gets pounded 8’ into the ground... copper simply doesn’t have the strength to be pounded into most types of earth.

as for the grounding conductor... it needs to be #6 to the rod, for environmental dissipation... not for tripping potential.
True, the grounding conductor need not be larger than the ungrounded conductors for fault protection, and often needn’t exceed#10

It looks like I would go with 8AWG copper wire. Although I don't recall if the document says solid or stranded. My thickest ungrounded conductors are 2 gauge for the battery-inverter and battery-mppt cables.