Electric Fence Grounding

[gk351]

As you can see I’ve been a member for over a decade, so I don’t want this post to be pushed off as a novice question or homeowner seeking answers instead of calling a professional.

Anyway, my FIL bought a new electric fence. It says in the manual that you can’t place the ground rods for the fence energizer within 50’ of a facility or utility ground system. Can anyone have a logical explanation for this? I would think that if they were close, wouldn’t you want to bond the two together? Any insight would be helpful. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Galt]

Can I ask what kind of livestock is involved? We install them in dairy barns. We hang a t shaped piece of metal above the cows front shoulders so when they pee or poop they back up and the excrement falls into the gutter.

I always thought it odd that a farmer could bring a law suit against an electric co. because of a volt on the neutral. then hang a cow trainer above a cows back with 5000 volts on it. and it is never discussed .

 

[gk351]

It’s for cattle in an open pasture, maybe 2miles of fence total...probably not even that. He mounted the energizer by his utility pole because that’s where his recepts are....but the instructions state the 50’ sep from utility ground....just curious of why


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LarryFine]

My guess is that neither output terminal of the energizer is grounded to the electrical supply, only voltage between them, so the resistance of the earth is necessary to avoid overloading the energizer.

A schematic of the energizer would help.

 

[ptonsparky]

We have noticed that keeping them away lowers or removes the impulse that appears on anything attached to the grounded conductor on the secondary of the transformer.

Moving the rods away from a dairy building removed the impulse from the metal side of the building to earth. IDR the voltage now.

The one we put up for my brother suggested thee galvanized rods. Done properly 20 miles of fence was doable and they would burn though weeds that happen to grow up into it.

I havent ran ran into the cow trainers yet.

 

[romex jockey]

Fencers are SWER

~RJ~