Hammerlock

Electrical utilities and other industries are discovering significant cost benefits when high-quality electrical grounding systems are installed. Many are specifying low-resistance grounds along their transmission and distribution networks.

These low-resistance electrodes limit neutral-to-ground voltage, improve safety and provide better protection against lightning damage. In fact, the savings realized from reduced equipment damage and the decrease in service interruptions have prompted many utilities to undertake large-scale grounding improvement programs.

The three main components of the grounding system are the grounding connector, grounding conductor and ground rod. They are all equally important to the performance of the system. A loose or corroded connection will render the grounding system ineffective. While acorn clamps are still the connector of choice, many installers recognize the serious deficiency in their performance and the risks associated with poor-quality connections. Many acorn clamps are loose the day they are installed.

In order to install an acorn clamp effectively, it is necessary to know the proper torque level for the bolt. Since acorn clamps don’t come with instructions and most crews don’t have or wouldn’t use a torque wrench, many are broken or installed incorrectly. The cost of replacing damaged equipment, and the labor associated with doing so, quickly puts the cost of using inferior connectors into perspective.

Acorn clamps are utilized because they are inexpensive. They were developed before the proliferation of expensive electronics, at a time when the demand for electric power was lower and before power quality was a serious consideration. 

The HAMMERLOCK, on the other hand, was designed to meet the needs of today’s modern grounding programs. Therefore, an upgraded or perhaps more aptly stated, updated, grounding program specification should require a quality connector and exclude the acorn clamp.