Wish I hadn't laughed at that old timer about grounding rods

I been doing this for about 6 months in the Phoenix area and thought I knew it all. This older guy at the supply house told me to always check my ground rods with a clamp meter before leaving a job. I kinda blew him off thinking it was extra work. Last week I came back to a house where the internet kept dropping and found the rod clamp totally corroded. Customer was pissed and I lost a whole afternoon fixing it for free. Now I check every single time and it takes like 2 minutes. Has anyone else had a simple thing like that bite them later?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_uma29d ago

That line about the clamp meter thing. Reminds me of when I ignored a guy telling me to silicone the weatherproof covers on outdoor outlets. Told myself it'd be fine. Next rainstorm, zap. Customer's dog got zapped. Not a good day.

baker.ben28d ago

Gotta push back a little here. That old timer's advice might save you a headache but honestly how often are ground rod clamps actually failing bad enough to cause real problems? Corrosion buildup over a year or two rarely makes enough of a difference to drop an internet signal. Plus spending two minutes on every single job adds up fast when you're trying to make money on volume.