PSA: Check the grounding on older commercial buildings in Phoenix

I was out at a strip mall near Camelback last week doing a service call and noticed the grounding rods on like 4 units were totally corroded. These places were built in the 80s and nobody ever checked them. One of them had a ground reading over 25 ohms which is just asking for trouble with today's electronics. Has anyone else run into this issue on older properties in their area?

2 comments

2 Comments

murray.spencer22d ago

Alright, 25 ohms might've been the standard when disco was still popular, but that was also the same era where we thought shag carpet was a great idea. Honestly, I've tested enough of these old Phoenix grounds to know that 25 ohms is actually the "good" reading for a rod that's been baking in the desert for 30 years - I've seen 50+ ohms on some of these places where the soil's basically turned to concrete. My meter practically laughed at me last time I tested one of those dry, cracked rods out by the airport, and I think I fried a multimeter once because the resistance was so bad it just gave up. So sure, maybe it worked back then, but my car's computer stuff is way more touchy than an old cash register, so I'd rather not test my luck.

emmaj3322d ago

I get what you're saying about old grounds, but 25 ohms isn't really that bad for a commercial building from the 80s. Most equipment back then was built to handle way more variance than people give it credit for.