Sod Staples for Above Ground Installation

The following should tell you everything you need to know about the benefits of installing the boundary wire of your fence system above ground (as opposed to burying it) and the procedure for doing so. Please do not hesitate to contact us at help@acornpetco.com if you need to know anything not covered here.

A long-standing and common misconception is that the boundary wire which makes our outdoor fence systems work must be buried underground in order for the system to perform properly but this simply is not true. This understandable misconception often scares pet owners away from enjoying the freedom that these fence systems provide both you and your pet. An above ground installation WILL serve as a permanent installation. Many many of our customers have installed their systems above ground and none have reported any problems as a result of having done so.

There is no need to spend a weekend burying the wire underground or paying a professional installer hundreds of dollars to bury your boundary wire for you when you can easily install it yourself above ground in only a matter of an hour or two.

Using wire pegs (sod staples), you can "staple" the wire to the ground. Within a matter of 7 to 14 days, the root system of your lawn will grow over the wire and hide it completely from view, essentially "burying" it into the lawn. Not only does this make the installation of your new pet containment system hassle-free but it also eliminates any potential loss of signal that may result from burying the boundary wire under several inches of dirt, not to mention the backaches and blisters doing an above ground installation will save you.

The average installation time with staples is about 1.5 hours whereas without staples (burying the wire), it can be as long as 1.5 days. Furthermore an above ground installation makes it easier to find and fix potential breaks in the wire which can affect the signal. In areas where moles and other burrowing rodents chewing through the wire could be a problem, an above ground installation will eliminate the potential headache of having to dig up the wire to find the damaged portion. Finally, making changes to the boundary layout is as simple as picking up the wire and moving it - certainly something to think about especially if there is a possible move in your future.

We recommend a wire staple every 5 to 6 feet so, once you've selected the appropriate size installation depending on the amount of boundary wire and boundary flags you will need for the containment area you wish to create, you will have a pretty good idea of how many boxes of staples you will need to do the job. If you are unsure of how much boundary wire you will need, then please feel free to make use of our Wire Calculator to help you determine how much for your size installation. You will need approximately one box of sod staples for every 500 feet of boundary wire.

Alternatively if you already have a physical fence or hedges, etc. (where the wire is not going to get damaged) surrounding the part of your property you would like to establish as a containment area for your pet(s), another possibility is to just attach the boundary wire to your existing fence and it will work just fine with no staples necessary.

We highly recommend that all of our customers strongly consider the merits and ease of doing an above ground installation.

The procedure is simple:

Step 1:

1) First run your twisted wire from your transmitter out to the beginning of your boundary.

2) Now staple the twisted wire to the ground by hammering in a wire staple every 5 to 6 feet. (Please be mindful that we've found that, if you use a hammer, you can restrict the flow of the current through the wire if you inadvertently pinch or crimp the wire by exerting too much force so hammer gently.)

3) Now stop and look at the wire. Is it completely flush to the ground all the way to the start of the boundary? If not, go and staple any raised areas before proceeding to the next step. The wire MUST completely touch the ground.

Step 2:

1) Next, place a staple where the twisted wire and the beginning of the boundary meet. (If you have a splice in this area, please dig a small hole about 2 inches deep and bury the splice. Then place a staple in the front of and behind the splice to relieve any pressure on the splice).

2) Now walk the wire to the first corner of your boundary and staple it to the ground. Repeat this step for all 4 corners of your boundary.

3) Next go back just as you did with your twisted wire and staple any raised areas down until they are completely flush with the ground.

You are now done!!! It is that simple.

You have no need to worry about people tripping over the wire because it is completely flush to the ground and will be completely hidden within 7 to 10 days. You also do not need to worry about your lawnmower cutting the wire as the blades will never get anywhere near the wire. Nobody cuts their lawns to shorter than an inch, with the vast majority of people keeping them at 2 to 3 inches; the wire is flush to the ground and cannot be cut.

There are really only a couple of instances where burying the wire is preferable.

1) If you are putting a fence into a pasture area where livestock such as horses or cattle will frequent, then you will want to bury the wire as their hooves will create breaks. In this case you will want the wire at least 8 to 10 inches underground.

2) If you frequently have your yard aerated, you will want the wire at least 5 to 6 inches in the ground. Although if you do an above ground installation, you can simply avoid the exterior boundaries when performing the aeration.

3) If you will be driving a tractor or other heavy farm machinery with knobby tires over the wire. This would apply equally to ATVs and dirt bikes.

There will be no additional charge for shipping of any number of lightning protection modules, boxes of sod staples for above ground installation or additional collar/receivers as long as they are shipped together with one of our fence systems. Stand-alone orders for any of these items will incur a shipping charge.

If you are ordering one of our fence systems and you've decided to save yourself the expense of hiring a contractor or the time, hassle and back-breaking labor to bury your system's boundary wire underground by also getting our sod staples for above ground installation, please find the radio button (which corresponds with the number of boxes of sod staples for above ground installation you will need) at the top of that system's page in order to have your boxes of sod staples for above ground installation shipped along with your fence system thereby avoiding any additional charge for shipping. If ordering separately (a stand-alone order), please find the radio button (which corresponds with the number of boxes of sod staples for above ground installation you will need) below.

Again please contact us at help@acornpetco.com with any questions or for more information. Thank you.