Do not install ground rods near water lines or milking sheds to avoid inducing an electrical charge in water lines or milking equipment.

Use heavy duty leadout cable (insulated / coated wire) and good quality connector clamps to connect ground rods to the electric fence energizer.

If you have very dry sandy soils, drill large holes in the soil that you can fill with packed clay, then embed your ground rods in the clay. Ensure that your ground rods are placed in a moist area, or water the area around your ground rods during dry weather. during a dry year or in extremely sandy soil), your ground rods will begin losing their ability to pull electrons up from the soil. If the moisture level in the soil is too low (i.e.

Ground rods need good contact with the soil to work effectively.

An image and full discussion of this ground rod pattern is found on page 70 of my book, Grass-Fed Cattle: how to produce and market natural beef.

The most effective ground rod layout is the crow's foot pattern.

Ground rods should be spaced at least 10 feet apart.

Rust is a very poor electrical conductor, thus preventing your ground rods from being able to gather electrons from the soil. Copper ground rods will react with your galvanized steel wire, causing electrolysis, which will corrode the contact between the wire and the ground rods.

Only use galvanized steel ground rods.

Each ground rod should be at least 6 feet long.

You need a minimum of 1 ground rod for every 2-Joules of power output from your electric fence charger.

A permanent electric fencing grid requires a minimum of 3 ground rods.

So, creating an effective earth-ground system is about building an effective electron collection system. If the earth ground system is incapable of instantly collecting a huge number of electrons from the soil, the full charge on the fence will not be released when the cattle touch the wire. When cattle touch your electric fence installation, they will only receive a shock if the earth-ground system is capable of instantly replacing all the electrons that escape to the soil from the fence. The earth-ground system draws electrons back up from the soil to replace the electrons lost from the high tensile wire, thus completing the electrical circuit.Ĩ0% of all electric cattle fencing problems are caused by poor grounding. But when cattle touch the wire, electrons in the wire are able to escape to the soil. Your electric fence installation is an incomplete electrical circuit.

Barbed wire fence 7 days to die