Grounding electrically is an integral component of any industrial setup. Be it heavy equipment, transformers, data centers, or control rooms, a proper earthing system is a must to guarantee safety, avoid damage, and provide system stability. But how do you select the correct earthing rod for industrial applications? With GI rods, copper bonded rods, and solid copper rods to choose from, it becomes bewildering. In this blog, we’ll explain the key factors to consider when selecting the best earthing rod for industrial applications.
Why Earthing Rod Selection Matters
An incorrect or poor-quality grounding system can lead to:
✔Equipment malfunction
✔Electrical fires
✔System outages
✔Dangerous voltage surges
Choosing the right rod helps in safely dissipating fault currents and lightning surges into the earth, protecting both equipment and personnel.
Factors to Consider While Choosing an Industrial Earthing Rod
✅ 1. Soil Type and Conditions
The composition and moisture content of the soil influence its conductivity of electricity.
For corrosive soils (saline, acidic, or damp), copper bonded rods are best since they do not rust easily.
For regular or dry soils, galvanized rods may be temporary, but still not equal to the life of copper rods.
✔ Best Option: Copper bonded rod for all soils
✅ 2. Electrical Conductivity
Industrial systems produce excessive fault currents. Your grounding rod should effectively channel these currents into the earth.
Copper has better conductivity compared to zinc (employed in GI rods), so excess current can be discharged speedily and in a safer way.
✔ Optimum Choice: Copper bonded or pure copper rods
✅ 3. Rod Length and Diameter
Based on the electrical load and soil resistance, the length required can differ. Industrial-grade rods are commonly between 2 and 3 meters in length and 16 to 25 mm in diameter.
Higher-length rods are preferable for high-resistivity soil.
Wider rods are preferable for heavy-load installations.
✔ Tip: Always refer to your site's earthing calculation report.
✅ 4. Corrosion Resistance and Lifespan
You need a rod that will last 15–30 years, not one that you need to replace every couple of years.
Copper bonded rods provide better corrosion resistance and are perfect for long-term reliability.
GI rods corrode more quickly, particularly in industrial conditions with chemicals or water.
✔ Best Option: Copper bonded rod
✅ 5. Compliance and Certifications
For industrial applications, you need to comply with safety and quality requirements such as ISI, UL, IEEE, or IEC.
Certified rods promote safety during auditing, quicker approvals for projects, and long-term operation stability.
✔ Select a supplier providing certified rods
Conclusion
Selecting an appropriate earthing rod is a very important choice for any industrial installation. The type of soil, conductance, resistance, and certification should be given a thought. From the list of available rods, copper bonded earthing rods are commonly perceived to be the most efficient and resilient option to use in the industrial sector.
If you need ISI-approved, high-grade copper bonded earthing rod, then Pioneer Power International is a name to rely upon in the field of electrical grounding. They test, certify, and rely on their products in different industries in India as well as other countries.