Hello, everyone.
This is Enta.
Here's a story that really shocked me the other day!
That was a total shock, lol.
I wrote a similar article before—do you remember it?
This is it.
I was talking with an electrician (a true professional with the proper certifications) about installing a 200V power supply at my house.
Me: "For the ground wire, should I just get a long grounding rod?"
Electrician: "Well, the rebar over there will do just fine."
Me: "Huh? Whaaaaaat?!"
Electrician: "Huh??"
Me: "Is rebar really okay?!?!?!"
Electrician: "Yes, there's no problem. As long as the power is turned on."
Me: "Is that okay from a construction standpoint?? Is it okay even if it's not a grounding rod??"
Electrician: "It's fine. Grounding rods are actually just round rebar coated with copper, so they're the same thing."
"It's just round rebar with a copper coating!!"
Me: "So does that mean regular rebar is fine, then!?"
Electrician: "Yes. That's fine, but it can't rust. So, since copper plating develops a blue patina and doesn't corrode, it's acceptable."
"So, even with the galvanized material over there, as long as it meets the resistance requirements, there's no problem at all."
Me: “So then, what was all that about when the general contractor’s safety department got mad at us for wrapping ground wires around rebar and driving them into the concrete? lol”
Electrician: "I think it's probably just a lack of knowledge, combined with instructions to use a grounding rod—specifically one with 'grounding rod' in the product name, lol."
Electrician: “We use rebar for temporary installations, and we use it plenty for permanent installations, too.”
Electrician: "Plus, you can't drive it in unless the core is made of iron! If the grounding rod is made entirely of copper, it'll snap right away, lol."
Me: "Exactly~~~~! lol"
That's what it seems like.
Well, apparently it's preferable, if possible, to drill a hole in the top of the rebar so that the ground wire can be securely inserted.
If possible, it seems that welding, brazing, or soldering the ground wire is the best option. (I think this is the key point.)
Even if the rebar were processed in that way, I’m told there would be absolutely no problem even if the Labor Standards Inspection Office were to come by.
Apparently, there are also grounding wires used in electrical work, and the conclusion was that as long as you can achieve the required resistance through surface area, it’s not a problem.
Ultimately, rather than using a standard thin grounding rod,
Using thick, irregularly shaped rebar with a large surface area ensures a more secure ground connection.It seems that's how it will turn out.
It was a real eye-opener—or maybe I was just lacking some knowledge, lol.
Well, we're not electricians, so take this with a grain of salt, but the point is that even major general contractors' safety management practices aren't necessarily always correct.
I learned a lot from this experience.
But since it’s such a pain to pull out non-standard rebar, round bar is definitely the way to go, lol.
Since we can use round steel that’s been galvanized, I think we’ll move in that direction from now on.
So that means there's no need to use that unnecessarily expensive grounding rod! (Not that it's that expensive, though lol)
Next time, I'll make something really nice and show it to everyone!
See you later.
As the electrician said, all we need to do is use a rust-resistant material that meets the resistance requirements.
However, this “rust-proof” claim is a bit of a catch—if we leave it up to individual judgment and it ends up rusting, that would be a huge hassle.
It’s entirely possible, for example, that the piping suffered from electrochemical corrosion simply because the ground connection was made in the wrong place, or that it deteriorated abnormally quickly and lost its function as a ground connection within a few years.
For this reason, as part of the standardization process, we’re standardizing the requirement to “use a dedicated grounding rod.”
(I suspect they’ll be very particular about the construction methods to ensure a certain level of performance.)
After all, the best way to prevent accidents is not to rely on individual skill.
You're absolutely right.
Standardized products are more reliable than individual skill, and there are no excuses, lol.
But that really blew my concept of "Earth" out of the water, didn't it?
As they say, leave it to the experts.
Here's a story about Earth that I found very enlightening.