Ground rod in trench with service?

[haveissues]

Any reason my ground rods can't be in the same trench as my service? Not layed horizontal but straight down with a foot or so of cover over the top? Doing so would save me 10ft or so of 4ga wire with how my job is layed out.

 

[Bert_]

That's how I always do it

Ground rods only need #6

 

[Duke74]

That’s how we do it too.

 

[haveissues]

I'm doing a 320 amp service so I think I need 4ga to the meter pan?

 

[Bert_]

I'm doing a 320 amp service so I think I need 4ga to the meter pan?

Ground rods never need more than #6

 

[Terry D]

Ground rods are #6 copper, you can run bigger, but you are wasting money. Your Grounding electrode conductor however is sized per your size of your ungrounded service entrance conductors. You would use table 250.66 of the NEC to find your size. There are columns for both copper and aluminum. What size is your service entrance conductors?

 

[haveissues]

Ground rods are #6 copper, you can run bigger, but you are wasting money. Your Grounding electrode conductor however is sized per your size of your ungrounded service entrance conductors. You would use table 250.66 of the NEC to find your size. There are columns for both copper and aluminum. What size is your service entrance conductors?

It's a meter on posts next to my transformer so I only have 2 ground rods. I have to re-read the utilities handbook. I feel like they require #4 for services greater than 200 to ground rods but I may have read that incorrectly.

 

[Terry D]

It's a meter on posts next to my transformer so I only have 2 ground rods. I have to re-read the utilities handbook. I feel like they require #4 for services greater than 200 to ground rods but I may have read that incorrectly.

If that what your handbook says, then that is what you go by. The NEC only requires a #6

 

[sparky 1971]

Some places claim to require a #4 if any of the copper is exposed outside. They are afraid a #6 will get destroyed by a weed eater. I've never checked for an amendment, just gone ahead and done it.