My experience was similar to Ted's.  I built a major
addition to my home two years ago.  It required a major
(read - expensive) electrical upgrade replacing a 200 Amp
meter base with 350 Amp system.  

The old "cold water pipe" ground system was cut out and
replaced with two eight foot, galvanized rods driven at
least three foot apart and connected to the meter box
neutral bond point with #4 AWG bare copper wire.

I also have another eight foot ground rod back at my amateur
radio room which serves for lightning protection and noise
ground but it does not connect to the electrical system
neutral in accordance with local codes which permit only a
single point ground to the electrical system at the entrance
panel(s).

Incidently, the preferred ground rod for heavy duty service
around here is not copper, but galvanized steel - eight foot
long by about 3/4" diameter.  To drive them in the local
soil which is hard, yellow clay (sometimes called
'hardpan'), about the consistency of soft sandstone) one
takes a Coke bottle of water and jabs the rod into the
soil(?) a few inches, fill the hole with water and keep
jabbing.   

	Bob Smith


ted@.......... wrote:
> 
> We just upgraded our home electrical service from 60 amp to 200 amp, put in
> new meters, new breaker box, and so on.  Code now requires that the meter
> box be separately grounded outsided the house via its own ground wire (bare
> copper stranded, very heavy maybe #4?)  to two six-foot copper rods in a
> daisy-chain arrangement.  Driving these was a chore - they don't call this
> the Granite state for nothing.
> 
> This is in addition to the normal ground to the water pipe inside the
> house.
> 
> Could this lead to the same kind of voltage drop you mentioned?
> 
> Regards, Ted Blank
> 
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Robert L. (Bob) Smith			Smith Machine Works, Inc.
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