This isnt just a write up on long theory about earthing material. We all know the importance of eathing material in the construction of a building, ok a quick summary for the newbie in this area, as a child growing up, i remember whenever it was raining cats and dogs with thunder and lightening we were under strict order to always turn off every electronics as it could get damaged by mother nature furious rage, in my latter years i learnt that the house was not earthed . in a more technical terms it is providing an alternative path for fault current to flow so that everyone and everything is safe so what is this write up all about?
This is just a little ride to take you into the behind the scene of earthing material in our todays market. Earthing material consist of, earth rod, copper tape,Thunder arrestor, copper nails, copper clips, tape joints, copper mats, earth clamps. Copper is a good conductor of current, the best in town. so we assume that most of the earthing materials should be 100% copper, but a cat is not always a cat in a country like ours. So lets take a dive at what is obtainable in our markets.
For convenience sake i will categorize them into grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3.
Grade 1; these are 100% copper, when u cut these to bits, you get pure copper inside and outside, these are usually the best used in earthing material as they perform the job which it was designed for.
Grade 2; these are 50% copper and 50% iron, the best word to describe these is, "copper coated with iron inside" why on planet earth would someone come up with such as a product , that is an act of "deception" they do not serve the purpose for which it was intended for.
Grade 3 : these should not be in the market in the first place, This is just iron painted with copper. OMG, some one needs to call the cops
let us take a look at the prices of each of this grade for a 14mm 4 ft earth rod.
grade 1= 4500 grade 2 =2800 grade 3= 500
This is where one needs to be totally careful, imagine asking a dodgy electrician to provide u with grade 1, you give him money for grade 1 and he supplies you with grade 3 at the cost of grade 1?
The use of Magnet can sometimes used to differentiate a 100% copper from a mixture of copper and iron, as copper do not attract magnet while a mixture of magnet and iron will attract but one needs to be careful in using this method as a determing factor, as a copper painted one might also not attract magnet. Visual inspection also works but you need some bits of experience to tell the difference by this technique
i will end this by saying, sometimes the wise pretends to be a fool so that the fool can think he has become wise and smart. i rest my case
Are you looking for 100% copper earthing materials for your building ?