Chemical Ground Rod | Chem-Rod®
Chem-Rod® - Low-Impedance Chemical Grounding Electrode
A Smarter Rod for Solid Grounding to Keep You Running Through the StormThe Chem-Rod® grounding rod solves problems found with conventional grounding rods by requiring less real estate and fewer electrodes to meet specified resistance. Each Chem-Rod creates an optimal electrical connection to earth with a large conductive surface for enhanced grounding rod lightning protection.
The Chem-Rod ® is a Patented Product and a registered trademark of Lightning Eliminators & Consultants, Inc. in the United States of America.
How the Chem-Rod Works
The Chem-Rod solves problems found with conventional ground rods by requiring less real estate and fewer electrodes to meet specified resistance.Each Chem-Rod creates an optimal electrical connection to earth with a large conductive surface. The earth/electrode interface is further enhanced by conductive backfill and electrolytic salts, ensuring a consistent path to ground.
Engineered to meet applicable design and safety standards, the Chem-Rod is uniquely suited for both general grounding and as the foundation of a complete lightning protection system.
Chem-rod Key Features and Benefits
The Chem-Rod uses advanced engineering to achieve a consistent, low-impedance electrical connection with the earth, even in unfavorable and varying ground conditions (like permafrost).
- Large surface area: The wider 25/8 inch diameter provides a larger surface area for a better connection to the earth.
- Electrolytic salts: In the presence of moisture, these salts dissolve and seep out of leach holes along the electrode. The salts continually increase the soil’s conductivity, further reducing impedance and resistance. The performance actually gets better over time due to the conditioning factor while conventional rods degrade over time.
- Soil augmentation: Ground Augmentation Fill (GAF) is a combination of organic soil materials which optimize the conductivity of the soil around the Chem-Rod. Increasing the amount of GAF can decrease the overall system resistance, increasing the system efficiency.
- Easy refills: Every Chem-Rod comes with a standard removable cap and access cover for easy maintenance of the ground salt charge.
- Optimized pigtail: The 2-foot long, 4/0 AWG stranded pigtail is exothermically welded to the body of the Chem-Rod.
CHEM-ROD SPECIFICATIONS
The Chem-Rod Difference – Ultra Efficiency for Fewer Rods
The ultra-efficient Chem-Rod has been used to replace as many as 10 conventional rods (conversion depends on soil conditions and other factors.)Using Chem-Rods in place of traditional rods often results in lower overall costs and improved protection, especially in areas with limited earth available for grounding. As grounding standards have evolved to require lower resistance levels, better electrodes are needed.
While old methods may have been adequate for grounding to 25 ohms, using the same methods to reach 1 ohm or even 5 ohms can be impractical if not simply impossible. An optimized grounding electrode like the Chem-Rod can reach lower resistance levels with fewer electrodes than traditional methods, making it a more effective solution. A recent NEGRP study tested 15 different types of grounding electrodes including the horizontal Chem-Rod and vertical Chem-Rod. The test included 8 years of analysis at five U.S. sites, with results verifying that the Chem-Rod consistently provided the lowest resistance of all models tested. The Chem-Rod was the only method that improved over time.
Chem-Rod Installation
The Chem-Rod achieves superior results wherever it can be buried in the earth: indoors or outdoors, in sandy soil or permafrost, even in or beneath concrete slabs. The vertical Chem-Rod is installed in an augured hole. Where auguring deep holes is impractical, such as in rocky soil, the horizontal configuration is installed in a shallow trench. Both configurations come filled with electrolytic salts and, as a final step, are backfilled with a mixture of GAF and native soil to achieve the maximum electrical connection to earth.A Systems Approach
The Chem-Rod is an essential component of your lightning protection system, working with grounding and surge suppression to achieve complete protection. A typical system includes:- The Dissipation Array System® (DAS®), available in a range of configurations for almost any structure.
- A low-impedance grounding system using chemically charged electrodes (Chem-Rod®).
- Transient Voltage Surge Suppression (TVSS) to protect against transients traveling through data lines and other conductive paths.
- Modular strike prevention devices (SBI™) to supplement the Dissipation Array’s area of protection as needed.
Consulting & Technical Support
Lightening Eliminators is a full-service firm aligned to solve your most complex challenges in grounding, surge suppression, and lightning protection. Our integrated approach weighs all of the factors affecting your exposure to lightning and ensures the resulting solution brings the risks within your acceptable range. Our services include:- Risk assessment
- Advanced and traditional ground resistance testing
- System design and specification
- Expert consulting, engineering and support
