dpb wrote:
On 7/12/2012 10:39 AM, wrote:
I have a piece of rebar, 36" long, 1"dia. that I want to use as a
grounding rod for an electrical fence.


This rod has a lot of rust on it so my questions are, should I wire
brush, or sand this rust off, so as to maximize conductivity?

How deeply should I bury the rod?
...

'Pends on where you're located--if it's only 3-ft, drive most of it,
anyway. If it's enough, you'll know it when you grab 'hold the fence to test it...

The minimum you can get by with (but why worry about it, anyway; it's a
trivial exercise) will depend on how damp a climate you're in so how much
the top of the ground and how deeply the ground dries out to the point of
not having good enough conductivity. Here it needs to be pretty deep for
mid-summer when things get very dry, but 3-ft will generally work even then.

Secondarily, how much ground you need depends on the length of wire, the
power of the charger and what you're trying to keep in as well as the
ground conditions. If it's very dry the critters don't has as good a
ground, either...when it's damp they'll get a much better jolt.



It would not not be power or wire length, it's high voltage low current.
It's not how deep, but how good a ground. The critter is only on surface
level the current must travel through the ground to get any shock. Nec
guidelines apply to high current safety.

You don't pound ground ground rods unless you hit thin rock, and can get
stuck, and have to cut off and work another if it was not deep enough.

Greg

On Jul 12, 4:25*pm, gregz wrote:
dpb wrote:
On 7/12/2012 10:39 AM, wrote:
I have a piece of rebar, 36" long, 1"dia. that I want to use as a
grounding rod for an electrical fence.

This rod has a lot of rust on it so my questions are, should I wire
brush, or sand this rust off, so as to maximize conductivity?

How deeply should I bury the rod?
...

'Pends on where you're located--if it's only 3-ft, drive most of it,
anyway. *If it's enough, you'll know it when you grab 'hold the fence to test it...

The minimum you can get by with (but why worry about it, anyway; it's a
trivial exercise) will depend on how damp a climate you're in so how much
the top of the ground and how deeply the ground dries out to the point of
not having good enough conductivity. *Here it needs to be pretty deep for
mid-summer when things get very dry, but 3-ft will generally work even then.

Secondarily, how much ground you need depends on the length of wire, the
power of the charger and what you're trying to keep in as well as the
ground conditions. *If it's very dry the critters don't has as good a
ground, either...when it's damp they'll get a much better jolt.

It would not not be power or wire length, it's high voltage low current.


So, the same charger that puts out say 3000 volts
at 5 milliamps on 5 miles of wire will have the
same effect as a charger that puts out 3000 volts
at 20 milliamps on 200 ft of wire?


It's not how deep, but how good a ground. The critter is only on surface
level the current must travel through the ground to get any shock. Nec
guidelines apply to high current safety.

You don't pound ground ground rods unless you hit thin rock, and can get
stuck, and have to cut off and work another if it was not deep enough.

Greg- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If you don't pound ground rods unless they hit a
rock, then how are you supposed to get them in?
Talk to them?

" wrote:
On Jul 12, 4:25 pm, gregz wrote:
dpb wrote:
On 7/12/2012 10:39 AM, wrote:
I have a piece of rebar, 36" long, 1"dia. that I want to use as a
grounding rod for an electrical fence.

This rod has a lot of rust on it so my questions are, should I wire
brush, or sand this rust off, so as to maximize conductivity?

How deeply should I bury the rod?
...

'Pends on where you're located--if it's only 3-ft, drive most of it,
anyway. If it's enough, you'll know it when you grab 'hold the fence to test it...

The minimum you can get by with (but why worry about it, anyway; it's a
trivial exercise) will depend on how damp a climate you're in so how much
the top of the ground and how deeply the ground dries out to the point of
not having good enough conductivity. Here it needs to be pretty deep for
mid-summer when things get very dry, but 3-ft will generally work even then.

Secondarily, how much ground you need depends on the length of wire, the
power of the charger and what you're trying to keep in as well as the
ground conditions. If it's very dry the critters don't has as good a
ground, either...when it's damp they'll get a much better jolt.

It would not not be power or wire length, it's high voltage low current.


So, the same charger that puts out say 3000 volts
at 5 milliamps on 5 miles of wire will have the
same effect as a charger that puts out 3000 volts
at 20 milliamps on 200 ft of wire?


It's not how deep, but how good a ground. The critter is only on surface
level the current must travel through the ground to get any shock. Nec
guidelines apply to high current safety.

You don't pound ground ground rods unless you hit thin rock, and can get
stuck, and have to cut off and work another if it was not deep enough.

Greg- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If you don't pound ground rods unless they hit a
rock, then how are you supposed to get them in?
Talk to them?

An electrician showed me, at least near Pittsburgh. You pour water down
working the pole up and down with your hand !!! As the pole goes deeper,
add more water. It goes right down. I've done 6 foot rods. One got stuck
couple feet from top. Used sledge to get in a little deeper.

I'm sure I'll get at least one comment on this one !

Greg

On 7/12/2012 8:06 PM, gregz wrote:
" wrote:


An electrician showed me, at least near Pittsburgh. You pour water down
working the pole up and down with your hand !!! As the pole goes deeper,
add more water. It goes right down. I've done 6 foot rods. One got stuck
couple feet from top. Used sledge to get in a little deeper.

I'm sure I'll get at least one comment on this one !

Greg


I knew an older fella that installed radio and tv antennas and maybe
even c-band satellites that all needed grounding rods.

He told me once about 15 years ago he always used water to soften the
ground then push the grounding rod (usually galvanized piping) into the
soft spot. I thought it strange then.

On 7/12/2012 7:06 PM, gregz wrote:
" wrote:
On Jul 12, 4:25 pm, gregz wrote:
dpb wrote:
On 7/12/2012 10:39 AM, wrote:
I have a piece of rebar, 36" long, 1"dia. that I want to use as a
grounding rod for an electrical fence.

This rod has a lot of rust on it so my questions are, should I wire
brush, or sand this rust off, so as to maximize conductivity?

How deeply should I bury the rod?
...

'Pends on where you're located--if it's only 3-ft, drive most of it,
anyway. If it's enough, you'll know it when you grab 'hold the fence to test it...

The minimum you can get by with (but why worry about it, anyway; it's a
trivial exercise) will depend on how damp a climate you're in so how much
the top of the ground and how deeply the ground dries out to the point of
not having good enough conductivity. Here it needs to be pretty deep for
mid-summer when things get very dry, but 3-ft will generally work even then.

Secondarily, how much ground you need depends on the length of wire, the
power of the charger and what you're trying to keep in as well as the
ground conditions. If it's very dry the critters don't has as good a
ground, either...when it's damp they'll get a much better jolt.

It would not not be power or wire length, it's high voltage low current.


So, the same charger that puts out say 3000 volts
at 5 milliamps on 5 miles of wire will have the
same effect as a charger that puts out 3000 volts
at 20 milliamps on 200 ft of wire?


It's not how deep, but how good a ground. The critter is only on surface
level the current must travel through the ground to get any shock. Nec
guidelines apply to high current safety.

You don't pound ground ground rods unless you hit thin rock, and can get
stuck, and have to cut off and work another if it was not deep enough.

Greg- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If you don't pound ground rods unless they hit a
rock, then how are you supposed to get them in?
Talk to them?

An electrician showed me, at least near Pittsburgh. You pour water down
working the pole up and down with your hand !!! As the pole goes deeper,
add more water. It goes right down. I've done 6 foot rods. One got stuck
couple feet from top. Used sledge to get in a little deeper.

I'm sure I'll get at least one comment on this one !

Greg


ya, that might work on the beach. Not in dirt or clay.

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email

"Steve Barker" wrote in message
...
An electrician showed me, at least near Pittsburgh. You pour water down
working the pole up and down with your hand !!! As the pole goes deeper,
add more water. It goes right down. I've done 6 foot rods. One got stuck
couple feet from top. Used sledge to get in a little deeper.

I'm sure I'll get at least one comment on this one !

Greg


ya, that might work on the beach. Not in dirt or clay.


I am not sure what kind of dirt that we have in the middle of North
Carolina, but I was told of the same way to sink a gound rod. I have put
down 3 rods at my house in "dirt" and they went in fine. Dig a hole about 2
or 3 inches deep and acouple of inches in diameter, fill with water. Then
by hand start pushing and pulling on the rod. YOu may need to add water as
the rod goes down. When the rod is a couple of feet in, pull it out and
fill the hole with water. Put the rod in and repeat. Soon the 8 foot rod
is all the way in. I did use a pair of vicegrips to get a beter hold on the
rod.

Part time electrician friend of mine has used this method many times.