# t-posts/grounding rods



## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Ok I have a VERY strange question. Can T-POSTS be used as grounding rods for an electric fence? Just wondering.


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## Koolio (Apr 7, 2010)

No. Your grounding rods should be galvanized steel or copper. The t-posts will rust and they will be very difficult to get into the ground far enough. You want to put your grounding rod down around 6-8' into the ground and leave less than 12" sticking up above the ground. This would be incredibly hard to do with a T-post, especially if your ground is hard or rocky.

Follow the manufacturers instructions to the letter when you get your fencer. Fur optimum performance it needs to be properly grounded and wired.


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Koolio said:


> No. Your grounding rods should be galvanized steel or copper. The t-posts will rust and they will be very difficult to get into the ground far enough. You want to put your grounding rod down around 6-8' into the ground and leave less than 12" sticking up above the ground. This would be incredibly hard to do with a T-post, especially if your ground is hard or rocky.
> 
> Follow the manufacturers instructions to the letter when you get your fencer. Fur optimum performance it needs to be properly grounded and wired.


 Ok thanks.


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## backyardhorse (Feb 22, 2013)

Seems like a logical idea, doesn't it? The fence needs to be grounded, and you've got all these hunks of metal, so it _should_ work......
Had the same idea myself years ago, so I tried it.
*Problem #1* The paint or rust on the T posts acts like an insulator, so it doesn't ground. Being a stubborn person by nature, I sanded off paint where I planned to attach the ground wire, leading to 
*Problem #2* T posts are painted all the way to the top and bottom, so the paint between where I had sanded and the part that was going into the ground _still was _aninsulator. Hadn't had enough yet, so I sanded the entire bottom of the T post, and then planted it, leading to
*Problem #3* The T post only goes into the ground about 15" (as mentioned above). In order to get a good ground, moisture is essential. Just to prove that my Tpost idea was "do able", I dumped out the water buckets on the T post/ground rod. It _did_ work, but what a PITA, dumping the water on the post day after day.

So, although _this_ idea was a "no go" for you, keep asking questions---one of these days you'll probably discover something that never occurred to anyone else before!


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Yes it could work but like mentioned, they are painted and the ground needs to be moist. 

When we go camping and set up a corral, I use a long screwdriver for the ground because I'm not going to pound a 6' rod in the ground. We don't always camp in the same spot. Once in the ground, they don't come out easy.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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