Would a concreted in RSJ gate post make a good fencer earth?

[exmoor dave]

Just setting up a mains fencer, before I go off digging in a metal post out side the building and wiring back to the energizer,

Would a RSJ set in concrete right next to the energizer work as a earth?

I don't know if the RSJ is set in the soil then concrete just on top or fully encased in concrete.

TIA

 

[crazy_bull]

Attach it up, then go pee on the fence at the furthest point, see if it works.


C B

 

[cotswoldcs]

I'd say yes but would advocate the method above for testing for complete piece of mind.

 

[Nearly]

Attach it up, then go pee on the fence at the furthest point, see if it works.


C B

Save yourself a walk and pee on the closest end.

 

[gatepost]

Not taking the pee route, but wouldn't be rather cumbersome to move every time you put the fence up some were else?

 

[milkloss]

Attach the earth and pee on the rsj

 

[multi power]

It obviously didn't work, I couldn't hear any foul words shouted

 

[crazy_bull]

It obviously didn't work, I couldn't hear any foul words shouted

have you not seen his avatar picture, how do you think he ended up like that!!

 

[neilo]

If it's fully incased in concrete, then no, it wouldn't be very good as concrete isn't a great conductor. If the bottom of the RSJ is pushed 3' into the wet clay underneath, then it would be better, but probably not as good as a few poles pushed right in properly.

Where we had a mains fencer at home, we pushed several scaffold poles in as far as we could behind the building, with a telehandler, then joined them all up with galvanised wire & bolts. Worked well for 20 odd years, and I suspect it still is.
At another set of buildings, we had a small mains unit just powering the fence across a small self feed silage pit. The shed staunchion was used as the earth there, which would have been connected to all of the other staunchions round the barn.

 

[multi power]

have you not seen his avatar picture, how do you think he ended up like that!!

Good point

 

[Bob c]

Go and buy some copper eating rods 1 meter long
3 or 4 linked together

 

[exmoor dave]

Go and buy some copper eating rods 1 meter long
3 or 4 linked together

Ohhhhhh. ...... I have a stash of copper rods....... that the electric board yum .... "left behind" yonks ago

About a meter long, 12-15mm thick I reckon.

Been saving them for years "just incase"

Thats why nothing should be thrown away....ever

 

[exmoor dave]

Not taking the pee route, but wouldn't be rather cumbersome to move every time you put the fence up some were else?

Yeah I know.....Esp as it has a 14'x 12' door attached to it!


Going to be a permanent installation, trying to power a fence to keep deer out

 

[Bob c]

Ohhhhhh. ...... I have a stash of copper rods....... that the electric board yum .... "left behind" yonks ago

About a meter long, 12-15mm thick I reckon.

Been saving them for years "just incase"

Thats why nothing should be thrown away....ever

got this bit as well

got two mains fencers both earthed with copper rods

but a earth stake for mains fencer is galvanized,........but they corrode

 

[exmoor dave]

got this bit as well

got two mains fencers both earthed with copper rods

but a earth stake for mains fencer is galvanized,........but they corrode

What's the next best way of joining the earth terminal to the first bar?
&also joining each bar?

3mm mild wire wrapped around?

 

[Bob c]

wrap it round will make it spark then burn though,......been there

daisy chain along from one bar to the next using the clamp above
i used some copper earth cable

 

[redcoo235]

Been pricing up a main fencer and both Trutest and Gallagher have advised that for every Joule your fence unit has of power you should have a meter of galv earth rod. The 36 joule we looked at needed 18-2m earth rods knocked in to a permanently wet bit of ground 3m apart.

 

[Bob c]

tried galv with 7 rods was ok when first put in ,.... 3 years it was crap

the copper earth pegs been there about 8 years now

 

[Bob c]

http://www.discount-electrical.co.u...rcl58-copper-standard-earth-clamp-16mm--5-8--
must be a electrical wholesaler down you way

 

[M-J-G]

Onto a gate post isn't great, stock can get a shock from the area around the earth, so the gateway could potentially be difficult to get stock through.

The best results I have had with electric fence earths have been buried crash barriers or better still, a buried galvanised gate.

Make sure the cable going to the earth is heavy. There on point having half a tonne of steel truck into the ground and a piddly little wire to carry it.

More elaborate setups have an earth fence, where the bottom strand of a fence is attached to earth spikes at various points around the electric fenced area.