Old timer told me to use a fish stick as a grounding rod. I laughed.

Guy been doing this since the 80s. Said in a pinch a wet metal fish tape works just like a ground rod. I thought he was messing with me. Tried it on a sketchy attic run after my actual rod broke. Thing worked. Got the signal clean. Has anyone else tried something that sounds stupid but actually worked?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_reed13h ago

Read an old building code book from the 70s once. Had a whole section on using copper plumbing as a ground path. Said it was standard practice before plastic pipes took over. Makes sense though. Copper is copper. Doesn't matter if it's a pipe or a rod. Ground is ground. The wet rag trick just adds surface contact. Old timers weren't stupid. They just worked with what they had.

gavin8015h ago

My uncle used to keep a wet rag in his van for grounding on old houses. Said it worked in a pinch if you wrapped it around a copper pipe. I laughed until I saw him do it and the lights stopped flickering. Still feels wrong but I guess the 80s had some weird tricks that stuck.