Need help with electric fence installation options

I'm a new beekeeper, and I know we have bear in the area.

I'll be electrifying a chain-link fence with electric fence tape. I'm using the tape because it's in common use here, and many bear already know to avoid it. I'm using T-posts to install the fence, with the proper insulating clips.

My problem is grounding. It's not possible here to install the grounding rod 6'-8' deep. I've been checking online, particularly YouTube videos. It looks like I have two options. I can bury the grounding rod horizontally 1' deep. Though one video wondered if the rod would still work in frozen ground. That's a concern as I'm in southern Vermont, zone 5b.  Or I can alternate hot and ground tape/wire strands on the fence.

Are either of these valid options? If I bury the grounding rod, how do I attach it to the rest of the system? If I alternate between hot and ground strands, I've seen I can use a grounding rod installed 2' deep. Is that right? Can I use the tape for both the hot and ground strands, or do I need to get wire for the ground strands?

And then there's the charger. How many joules of storage do I need? I've seen I need 0.7.  The company I bought my hives from sell a charger with 0.5 joules.  Which is right?  And how much voltage do I need? I've seen 3000, 6000, and 10,000 volts recommended for bear.  We have black bear here.

Electric fences are new to me and I'm trying to learn what I need to know. I would appreciate all the help I can get!

I guess do the best you can with the ground rod. If there is an electrical service nearby you could use that ground. If the ground is frozen or snowy an earth-ground system may not work so well anyway.

If the fence is bare metal, not coated in plastic, I’m wondering about using the fence itself as a ground. In theory that could work year-‘round.

Try the tape I guess, although I wonder if a high tensile wire on top would be less likely to break.  

Google says at least 5000-6000 volts, and at least 0.7 Joule.  

You might want to brace the T-posts so the bear can’t push it over as easily.

Diane Schips wrote:

If I bury the grounding rod, how do I attach it to the rest of the system?

Basically wire all the grounds together. Wire all the hot wires together. Insulate the two from each other.

Diane Schips wrote:
If I alternate between hot and ground strands, I've seen I can use a grounding rod installed 2' deep. Is that right?

Sounds fine.

Diane Schips wrote:
Can I use the tape for both the hot and ground strands, or do I need to get wire for the ground strands?

Either way should work I think.

I just use a Gallagher S 100 solar energizer made for bear and other animals grounded with a portable 3 ft push in ground rod. It is kind of a long galvenized rod with T shape handle. It pushes in or you can hammer it in gently.Its easy to pull back out to move it.  I use one or two strands of very visable  polywire on portable fiberglass posts each spring and take it down when they hibernate. The bear don't ever come back after a shock.They seem to tell eachother about it too.  I think your ground rod will work just fine sideways in any season and your polytape will zap them. You will need to make absolutely certain every night no grass or weeds ever touch the live polytape or its not going to shock. I used to worry about the deep copper ground rods but all that didn't need to be done in my experience.Ive got two big ground rods I don't need since using the little portable 3 footer does the job.  I've had my solar charger 8 years and the bears are terrified of it. Black bears are easily trained to stay away. I Hope you figured it all out for your bees.

How  many hives do you have?  If practical, you could just lay some metallic mesh of some sort or another on the ground around the hives, in front of the electrified wire or mesh.  Anything walking on it and then touching the wire will get a pretty good jolt as it completes the circuit from feet to snout or paw...  

To be clear, you will probably need to use some sort of 'staples' to  hold/pull the mesh down unless it is something relatively heavy like scrap hog panels.  I think the staples that ae sold for drip irrigation systems would work. They are about 6 inches long. You could also make them out of wire hangers or any stout wire.

In case it isn't clear, you attach the grounding lead to the mesh I am suggesting you place on the ground.  So you don't ground it, per se, in the ground. Again, something walking on the mesh establishes contact with this 'ground' and completes the circuit, getting a jolt when it then touches the electrified net, wire, or tape.

What do you mean by electrifying a chain link fence? I'm not sure you want to do this. Construct the electric fence as new and don't convert the chain link would be my thought. Chain link isn't designed to function as an electric fence, although it is metal and will carry a current, but I have doubts it will carry the current the way you want it to.

I'm not a fencing expert, but I do a lot of rotational grazing planning ant that requires a lot of fence, which is often electric. For the ground rods (yes, plural) I do believe that installing multiple ground rods vertically can be done when ground rods cannot be installed to the recommended depth. The sum of the depths of the multiple ground rods I believe should equal or be greater than the depth of the single ground rod buried to 'X' feet. You get the same effect if you are burying the ground rod horizontally at one foot which is why you got this recommendation. I would contact your Gallager sales rep on the ground rod, appropriate charger, and the appropriate fence (not chain link).

did we pm before?