Old Copper Lightning Rod?

[ianSF]

Howdy all-

Just rented a cabin on a horse farm out in the country. Place is a mess with junk and scrap metal. Owner said I could clean the place up and "recycle" what I want, doesn't care, wants the "junk" gone. Going to scrap the hell out of the junk and make dump runs with the rest. There's two large old school aluminum satellite dishes with electronics and a huge pile of aluminum siding for starters.

One barn has a ton of old steel pipe with brass fittings. Is this called "red brass"? Keep separate?

There's a huge pile of pvc pipe too. Any scrap value in that?

In a pile of pipe behind the barn I found what I think is some sort of lightning rod, perhaps for something huge, like a power station. It's a solid rod of copper, 3/4" in diameter, 8 feet long, with a copper loop on the end. Weighs over 20 lbs. May have more value sold on craigslist or somewhere. Already filled a gallon bucket with bare copper wire I've picked up around the property.

[hypoman]

That's a pretty good score. Especially that lightening rod. If you could post a pic of the brass, we could with definiteness what it is. Yellow brass is usually what is used on fittings like that and red brass would be what your old garden hose nozzles are made with. I would definitely keep the two separate.


Oh yeah- there is no scrap value in pvc pipe.

[clovis97]

Are you sure that the 'lightning rod' is solid copper, and not a copper plated steel ground rod?

[wayne1956]

Are you sure that the 'lightning rod' is solid copper, and not a copper plated steel ground rod?

Thats a good question, you need to take a magnet and test it just to make sure.

[goffe]

....I'm in scrap in Jamaica... re the lightning rod... use a magnet on it ..we bought a lot of these , only to find out they were plated copper !! As to the PVC pipe... I'm into micro-hydro...look up a few hydroelectric forums.. or advertise in local paper... hydro people are always on the lookoout for pipe !! There is NOTHING that does'nt have value to SOMEONE !! ...The key is to know who, where and when ...!!! take care, tony in ja