Making use of salvage

The pole with the flag is the one being replaced.  Replacement unit is behind the white bucket.

I mentioned that I needed to replace one of the poles that supported the feed-wire to the electric fence. Mrs ERJ suggested that I install a lightning rod since lightning is the reason most electric fence chargers go tango-uniform.

Casting about for tall, sturdy poles I asked my friends at coffee for suggestions.  Fast Eddie suggested that I use one of the posts commonly found in portable basketball hoops.  You have seen them, they have a large, hollow plastic base that you fill with sand or water.

Just so happened that Fast Eddie had one in stock.  Eddie specializes in salvage.  He gave it to me.  It is four inch square, steel tubing and the piece is 12' long.

U bolt on top (left) and smashed down the end and through bolt on bottom.

I happened to have a 10' piece of galvanized, electrical conduit in my stock.

I had to buy a bag of insulators for the fence wire.

Looking down the length of the assembled post/lightning rod.  I suppose it could have been straighter and I suppose the lightning won't care.

Two feet down with the auger.  Then dug out around the top to provide room for a concrete collar.  This is a great place to throw old steel wire and such-like.  I lost style points here because it is a proven fact that 16" pieces of steel rebar are the optimum reinforcement.

My major concern at this point is whether I find it on the ground this morning.  We are expecting twenty mph winds with gusts to forty mph.

The top of the whip is 19' above the ground.  At least it is in this photo.  I moved the location of the support so it was in line with something I already have to mow around.