Making an electric fence ground connection to a 6" pipe

[Ed K]

I have an old oil well pipe that has been unused for years that runs along the stream. The pipe is 6" diameter is rust covered but with no flakey rust and the stream keeps it and the surrounding soil nice and moist.

I'd like to use it as my ground for an electric fence but I'm not sure how to hook up to it. Here's some of what I thought of:

I considered brazing a lug to it but I'm kind of fearful in case there's flamable residue inside the pipe

I could probably get some kind of steel saddle. I know I'd have to clean all of the rust off of the connection but I'm worried that the rust would come back inside the connection

Could something as simple as a stainless steel band clamp (hose clamp) around the cleaned up steel work? How would I keep corrosion from invading that connection?

Thanks

[kmorisett]

Does rust stop the connection? Maybe you could use a good coating of oil. Many metal parts are shipped with oil on them to inhibit rust.

Kim

[francismilker]

Edd, take a cordless drill, a driver, and a self-tapping metal screw and run it into the pipe. The self-tapper will drill through the rust and into clean metal while it's drilling and you can leave it sticking up a bit to attach your ground wire too. Otherwise, most electrical hardware stores have ground lugs that can be attached to most any metal surface via metal screws.

[agmantoo]

Provided you have an open end on the pipe get a beam clamp and attach same to the open end. Get an additional nut the size of the screw in the beam clamp and install the nut as a locking nut to the existing nut and you can mount the ground wire between the two nuts.
http://www.drillspot.com/products/42...7PL_Beam_Clamp

[Ed K]

Originally Posted by francismilker

Edd, take a cordless drill, a driver, and a self-tapping metal screw and run it into the pipe. The self-tapper will drill through the rust and into clean metal while it's drilling and you can leave it sticking up a bit to attach your ground wire too. Otherwise, most electrical hardware stores have ground lugs that can be attached to most any metal surface via metal screws.

Francis,

That does sound very simple. I didn't want to accidentally leak anything into the stream although I guess whatever was there to leak probably leaked out years ago and the screw should fill the leak I make anyway

Thanks

[Ed K]

Originally Posted by agmantoo

Provided you have an open end on the pipe get a beam clamp and attach same to the open end. Get an additional nut the size of the screw in the beam clamp and install the nut as a locking nut to the existing nut and you can mount the ground wire between the two nuts.
http://www.drillspot.com/products/42...7PL_Beam_Clamp

Agmantoo,

I don't currently have an open end of the pipe

Thanks

Ed

[Ed K]

Originally Posted by francismilker

Edd, take a cordless drill, a driver, and a self-tapping metal screw and run it into the pipe. The self-tapper will drill through the rust and into clean metal while it's drilling and you can leave it sticking up a bit to attach your ground wire too. Otherwise, most electrical hardware stores have ground lugs that can be attached to most any metal surface via metal screws.

Initially I didn't prefer this solution because I was worried there might be some gunk left in the pipe. Turns out I was upstream and saw a section where the pipe rusted out long ago so I went with this solution. Simple and effective

Thanks

[francismilker]

Anytime! That's what we're all here for. I've found a lot of very effective advice from my fellow HT dwellers over the past few years.....