How to stop screw together earth stakes unscrewing as you hit them.

[Paul P]

As the title suggests.

 

[D Skelton]

Why you're not using an SDS to drive the rods in the ground is a little confusing though, haven't seen a club hammer and the like used for bloody years now!! lol!!

Doesn't make any difference, I use an SDS max earth rod driver with my demo hammer and the couplers still come loose without brazing.

 

[Guest55]

fit a check nut to each section of the rods, screw rods into coupler then tighten lock nuts onto coupler

OR drill cross hole through rod & coupler & drive a tapered pin through. (not very practical on "twigs though)

OR use Loctite?? (may affect RA)

i thought about thread lock but it takes hours to cure.......

 

[PEG]

Solder works,although not as strong as loctite,which would not unduly affect resistance between rods. If you use a decent pair of stilsons,and a mans' set of arms...drive them in with a Hilti breaker on Rota-stop mode,that way you can keep a turn on the top rod to take any slack up. This obviously only works if you use a threaded driving nut and adapter. I have an old TE 72 which is like Terminator,in its' quest to complete a mission...:icon12:

 

[Geordie Spark]

i thought about thread lock but it takes hours to cure.......

Aye .... and then there's the issue of it maybe having slight insulation properties that I'm not sure about.

Rommel's idea about brazing is probably the best and is one I thought of but wondered if a brazing torch, brazing rods & flux was something a spark would carry.

 

[stevethesparks]

Rarely use couplers as we tend to use 2.8m rods, and bored holes filled with Bentonite or Marconite.
On occasions we do use couplers on driven rods, we braze the couplers to the rods. I'm sure a couple of pairs of stiltons to tighten couplers to the rods should be enough for those 1.2m rods you use in the UK.... Why you're not using an SDS to drive the rods in the ground is a little confusing though, haven't seen a club hammer and the like used for bloody years now!! lol!!

I find that cheese too soft and doesn't give that much grip :icon12:

 

[PEG]

Oh dear,now you've done it...:icon12:

 

[NDG Elecs]

You should have been in Stockton the other week then, the first rod was pushed most of the way in by hand then I stood on it. The second rod was tapped in, the third was when I got the mash hammer out

I had a beauty couple o months back in Cleadon near Boldon Flats (local area of wetlands). Drilled down a metre and when pulling drill bit out of the concrete mud oozed up through the hole. 4ft rod: Ra 15 point summat. Coupler n second rod got it down to 4.6. First time I have met max Zs on a lighting circuit with TT!

Like the solder tip, might have to give that a try sometime.

 

[Knobhead]

Loctite?

What’s the easiest way of getting a bolt out that’s had loctite on it, simple answer, hit it.

Now how were you going to put these rods in?

Loctite is an insulator, we found that out when one of our highly skilled (idiot) electricians got it all over a busbar connection.

 

[Marvo]

Soldering sounds good.

i thought about thread lock but it takes hours to cure.......

The thread is pretty course so I was thinking maybe a few drops of superglue. If it's done after it's been wrenched up tight it shouldn't affect the resistance of the joint.

 

[PEG]

Loctite?

What’s the easiest way of getting a bolt out that’s had loctite on it, simple answer, hit it.

Now how were you going to put these rods in?

Loctite is an insulator, we found that out when one of our highly skilled (idiot) electricians got it all over a busbar connection.

Morning sir...Loctite is not what i would have a preference for,in this instance,but the OP was asking for a way of ensuring tightness. There would be ample galling of thread contact surfaces,to ensure electrical contact,which would be reduced in due time on a loose joint,by corrosive action. The Loctite product in mind,is released using heat,not impact,as it is used in applications where vibration and impact forces,are the reasons for applying it. I am guessing the "engineer" you mention,was applying Loctite to a busbar connector,if this ended up as an insulator...he patently did not purchase the Loctite himself,as pound for pound,it is dearer than heroin! :icon12:

 

[Knobhead]

Loctite doesn’t like longitudinal compressive stress which it’s going to get plenty of driving the rod

 

[JD6400]

Morning sir...Loctite is not what i would have a preference for,in this instance,but the OP was asking for a way of ensuring tightness. There would be ample galling of thread contact surfaces,to ensure electrical contact,which would be reduced in due time on a loose joint,by corrosive action. The Loctite product in mind,is released using heat,not impact,as it is used in applications where vibration and impact forces,are the reasons for applying it. I am guessing the "engineer" you mention,was applying Loctite to a busbar connector,if this ended up as an insulator...he patently did not purchase the Loctite himself,as pound for pound,it is dearer than heroin! :icon12:

Whenever I have to refurbish one of our moles , it is this stuff that is needed on the threads to stop the buggers falling apart when in use .
If I remember I will have a look at which "code" Loctite it is next week when I go back down to the yard again .
And yes it was a ferkling lot of money !

 

[uksparks]

I heat it up with a torch and fill the gap with solder.

Sounds like a good idea, I've got one proper solder, it must be a good 3 or 4mm diameter, lead all the way, it must be 50 years old too.

 

[davesparks]

I use the same 60/40 flux cored solder I use for everything from XLRs to socapex and big lugs, I do add extra flux in to the joint first though.