Livestock feed lot question.

[Rsteenson]

Hello guys and gals,
I am in the process of planning a project in a large feed lot. I have never worked around a livestock farm and am a little clueless on common practices. The customer is requesting electric cable heat in the concrete around all of the "waterers" (the water dispensing trough for the cattle) and I am curious if this is actually legal? None of the concrete on site at this time has re-bar in it, but instead some kind of fiber mesh to strengthen it. Is this a common practice in livestock areas, so as to avoid equipotential grounding requirements? Any other tips to look out for through this project that you have would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Ryan

 

[Cow]

I do a lot of equipotential plane grounding for the dairies I work for. We're doing a large one now. Where are you located, for all I know you could be in Canada under the CEC and a different set of rules.

 

[kwired]

fiber mesh may be more for corrosion resistance then the idea of avoiding equipotential grounding.

If you just put rebar in the slab you don't have proper equipotential bonding, it needs to slope deeper at the approach, which is in every direction from most water tank slabs, to create a voltage gradient "ramp" as the animals approach.