Installing Electric Fence Posts, cont’d.
Plan on using a high-strength concrete mix (cement mixed with crushed rock) that should be available locally in 60 or 80 pound bags. Do not use the quick-setting type unless that is the only kind available. Mix up two batches of cement, one a soupy mixture and the other a mixture with a jelly-like consistency almost like peanut butter. Use the soupy mixture to fill the hole to a few inches above the rocks if the hole is 3 feet deep, or to a depth of a few inches if the hole is two feet deep.
Then return the post to the hole and use moderate-size rocks to secure it firmly in place until it can stand on its own, keeping the post as close as possible to the center of the hole. Take a carpenter’s level and place it against the side of the post to make sure the post is straight up and down; adjust as necessary until the post is vertical. Put some of the smaller rocks (golf ball size) into the hole to fill in some of the spaces between the larger rocks, and fill the hole to the top with the firmer cement mixture. Now take another level measure to ensure that the post has not shifted. Let the cement set for 12-24 hours if the temperature is above 60º F, or for 24-48 hours if the temperature is below 60º F (it is not advisable to do this work if the temperature is below freezing).
Post Spacing: The proper spacing of electric fence posts depends on a lot of factors including the types of posts and conductors used, the number of conductor runs, the height of the fence", the holding power of the soil, and the windiness of the site if wide polytape is used. Generally a spacing of up to 40 feet is workable if one is using plastic step-in posts with tent pegs to build a short portable electric horse fence or paddock. When the fence is longer and T-posts are needed on the corners, whether the line posts are fiberglass ones or plastic step-ins, the line post spacing should be reduced to a maximum of 25 feet. When the fence becomes permanent, and when more substantial posts are used (thick fiberglass posts, steel T-posts, vinyl-covered steel T-posts, or wood posts) the interval between line posts for most projects can be increased to a maximum of 35 feet. This is true even when one is installing a 6-foot electric horse fence with up to 5 runs of polyrope or polybraid–not just because the line posts are sturdier but because the corner, end, and gate posts are hefty and will be sunk deep, perhaps put into concrete footings, and perhaps supported by braces or earth anchors to whatever extent is needed to manage the tension required to prevent the conductors from sagging.
The only exception to this 35-foot maximum comes when one uses multiple runs of wide (1.5 or 2 inch polytape), because then the tape and fence must contend with the stress imposed by wind. In a case where the fence is 6 feet tall, 5 runs of 1.5-inch polytape are used, and high winds are common, the distance between posts should be reduced to 15 feet. This distance can be increased to 20 feet where high wind is not frequent.
Steel T-posts and Vinyl Sleeves: If one is installing a 5-foot horse fence with vinyl-clad T-posts, it makes sense to use painted rather than galvanized T-posts. That’s because the vinyl sleeve and cap (product 09-94T) will keep out rain, and nothing will break the painted surface. So the painted T-post should have a long and productive life, and its lower cost will go part of the way toward paying for the vinyl sleeve.
