We here at AGI are big advocates of saving time. Seriously, if time is money—then we’re serious penny pinchers. That said, we’re always looking to pass on time-saving tips to you! Today we’re showing you a couple of quick tips that can save you a couple of minutes on the field. Particularly, these tips are focused on electrode preparation and removal. You may scoff at saving a few minutes, but here in the Texas sun—a few minutes is the difference between a suntan and sunburn!

Tip 1: Getting the stakes installed correctly will save you troubleshooting time later

• Make sure your stakes are hammered deep into the ground. The crossbar should only be 3-4 cm over the ground.

• Wetting the ground around the stakes with water (especially salt water) will improve contact resistance, as we’ve mentioned in previous AMA webinars. You can also use a foil pit, bentonite, or local mud to help with contact resistance.

Increase contact resistance with water, saltwater, bentonite, or foil pits. 

Tip 2: Quickly Installing Electrodes into Stakes:

The spring clip that holds the electrode in place can be a little tricky to work with. In order to always install quickly (and without pinching your fingers), you should clip the spring in place and then slide the electrode into the crossbar.

Clip the spring in place first, then slide in electrode.

Tip 3: Quickly Removing A Line of Electrodes:

It’s natural to want to do the reverse of the installation when picking up your line (i.e. removing the electrode cable first, then removing your stakes). However, picking up in that order could result in lost stakes—especially if your line is in tall grass or dense vegetation where it can be hard to see your stakes.

Imagine trying to find all of your stainless steel stakes in this

Instead, pick up your stakes first, and then pick up your cable afterward. This is because your cable will be easier to see than your stakes (especially if you’re using AGI cables which are a bright safety-yellow!)