Need advice on ground rod placement

[Finnie]

I must be overthinking this, because apparently nobody else on the internet has asked this question.

Don't I need to place it in a spot where it won't trip people or get run over with the mower? How do you all who have built your fences decide where to place the grounding rods? I have read and watched many instructionals on how to install them, but very little is said about where the most efficient place is for them. I just worry about it being in the way in the future that I should have foreseen ahead of time.

Is it ok to place it really close to the fence?

And while I'm at it, should I pound it in low to the ground, or keep it up high so it's more visible? Should I bury the wire that leads to the charger? (Solar charger placed on a t-post) I don't want to trip over the wire any more than the ground rod. People on YouTube look like they just pounded theirs in Willy nilly any old place. Then they have a 2 foot gap with a wire draped across at waist height.

See. I told you I was overthinking it.

Thank you to anyone who can help me get over this hurdle.

 

[Latestarter]

Depending on how wet the ground is, you should use 6' rods, driven down to just below the ground surface, spaced 9' apart. Real wet/small area enclosed, you can probably get away with one rod. Real dry/large area contained, you may need three or more. Place the first one (normally) right below where the charger is located hence no need to bury a long length of cable. You will of course need to bury any cable running between additional rods used. You can also connect the ground wire to the fencing itself. Just make sure the hot wire is tight, where it can't come in contact with the fence and ground out.

 

[greybeard]

It don't matter where you put the ground rod except that it needs to be away from buried metal water, gas, and electrical lines and conduits and away from any building's ground rod.
I want mine tho, within a couple 3 feet of the energizer (charger) so I don't have to run a long ground wire.

As far as "efficiency' goes, unless you have some really oddball and very varied soil type, it probably won't matter where you put the rod.

I've never buried a ground wire that runs from charger to rod..never saw a need to but I don't have to mow anywhere around my hot fences.....that's what the cows are for.

Yes, it's better to pound/drive it in deep than it is to leave most of it sticking up out of the ground, especially if it is a permanent installation. A lot depends on your soil, how much moisture is in your soil (soil electron conductivity) , tho here, I usually only drive them in about 2 1/2 ft deep.

 

[Finnie]

Place the first one (normally) right below where the charger is located hence no need to bury a long length of cable. Y

Yes, it's better to pound/drive it in deep than it is to leave most of it sticking up out of the ground,

Thank you both, this is perfect! I had no idea it was ok to pound the whole ground rod into the ground, or that it could be that close to the charger. I knew it had to be away from utilities and other ground rods. Somehow I got the idea it had to be 10 feet away from the fence as well.

I'm pretty sure my soil is moist enough for one rod, but if not, I can add more. Now that I know I can keep it all below mower height, it won't be a problem any more.

No cows here. I'm just running some hot wire around my chicken pen area to hopefully deter predators.

Thanks!

 

[Latestarter]

As an aside, I've read that a galvanized rod should be used vice aluminum or copper. And the connecting wire should be shielded and made for the purpose, not bare wire or standard copper house insulated wire. I know Greybeard extensively commented on this on another thread regarding installation...

 

[greybeard]

As an aside, I've read that a galvanized rod should be used vice aluminum or copper

Unless, Finnie is using Aluminum wire for her fence. Most ground rods are steel with an external coating, usually copper or galvanize. The rod is 'supposed' to be coated the same as the fence wire is. This is to prevent dis-similar metal corrosion. Aluminum fence wire gets an aluminum ground rod. Galvanize steel fence wire gets a galvanized steel rod. Most people do not use copper wire for their fence, (copper oxidizes rather quickly when exposed to moist air)so the generic copper coated steel rod you see used as grounding for your house would not be the best choice.

I once used a shiny stainless steel rod, just because I had some stainless rod and it worked great with galvanized steel fence wire. (stainless is painless)

 

[Finnie]

Somewhere along the line I read about the need to match the rod to the wire, so I returned my copper ground rod and bought the galvanized one. (Tractor supply)

 

[Rammy]

I have a galvanized 6' rod about a foot away from my fence and its about 2' high with the rest buried. I have just hotwire attached to it from the grounding attachment. Cows say it works fine.