Solar Fence Trouble Shooting

texasjohn · May 2, 2015

describe what you mean by looped system. My fences are all a line from the charger with branches off of it running to a termination/end point....none circle back into the line at a different point. I dunno, likely would work, just never thought about it.

TomSeller · May 3, 2015

texasjohn said:
describe what you mean by looped system. My fences are all a line from the charger with branches off of it running to a termination/end point....none circle back into the line at a different point. I dunno, likely would work, just never thought about it.

I have a few that loop back to the charger and connect in both directions. If I want to leave a gate open at the far side , I still have a hot wire both directions. I suspect the meter isn't going to care, it should see current flow, no matter the configuration.

dwilliams35 · May 3, 2015

TomSeller said:
I have a few that loop back to the charger and connect in both directions. If I want to leave a gate open at the far side , I still have a hot wire both directions. I suspect the meter isn't going to care, it should see current flow, no matter the configuration.

Yes, it'll work: the current arrows become a little more important than with a non-looped fence, just since you don't know which direction the current is coming from without that feature ...

redman135 · May 5, 2015

Assuming you have a tester that shows the direction of the fault, just turn off one side of the loop so it is a one way system. Faults can be easily found like this.
NB make sure the OTHER people helping you know you have a loop system. A map is a good idea, it make it easy to explain,especially if you get sick.

EddieWalker · May 5, 2015

For the electric fence to work, you have to have a good ground. Almost every problem with an electric fence has to do with ground. Either not enough of it because the ground rods are not deep enough, or spread out enough. Three ground rods that re 6 feet deep in the ground and ten feet apart is probably the minimum needed. If you have really bad soil, you can run an additional line from your ground rods along the fence to the halfway point on your fence and add more ground rods there.

You also have to be absolutely positive that your hot wires are not grounding out. Moisture in plants will carry the charge from the wire into the ground. Wire mounted to wood when it gets wet will carry the charge into the ground. You have to have plastic insulators on all your posts, regardless of what they are made of.

I have a cheap tester that just shows voltage with some lights that light up. It goes up to 7,000 volts and as the power surges on the line, the lights will go on and off. It works good enough that I know the fence is working, but nothing like the one they are talking about.

Eddie

texasjohn · May 5, 2015

Eddie, you are correct.
FYI...I usually go with "not fancy" for lots of stuff because fancy is seldom used. However, the kind of fence tester we have been discussing is an exception...the "fancy features" are ACTUALLY extremely useful...I could not believe how it leads you to the short on a fence in minimum time...whether it be an extremely wet plant, wire wrapped around something, or an underground short in a "insulated" wire. I wish I had just bought it when I first installed an electric fence...but I didn't know about it at the time, thought the multi light testers such as you have were about the best you could get....but, I now know different. Money very well spent, saves hours in finding fence problems.

redman135 · May 7, 2015

One of THE most frustrating shorts to find are underground cables with a failed insulation. Even double insulated can fail. I recently had just that , and the testor unit pinpointed the problem in about 7 minutes. Without the "short" direction indicator I would have taken much longer.
These days I lay conduit to protect the cable and can also lay a water pipe through the same conduit if it is big enough. I have had a cable cut by stones laid in the gateway and no conduit.

farmer2009 · May 7, 2015

That's a nice tester. Will have to look into one. For the ground here we're recommended to have 2 8 foot ground rods. Driven atleast 6 feet deep. We use copper rods and copper ground clamps. Just like for a service entrance. Some even say to mix up a salt water solution and pour over each rod every few years. I don't do that.

I run the underground double insulated wire in 1/2" conduit. I found that direct burial of it only lasted a couple of years.

texasjohn · May 7, 2015

Yep, ground buried double insulated cable has failed me on multiple occasions. I now put it into a black plastic pipe and make sure both ends are well above ground level and folded back on the pipe. This keeps mice and insects out of the pipe....otherwise, mice enter and gnaw the insulation and a short ensues during heavy rains.

The fence tester finds these complex situations quickly, as others have testified.