!!Electric Fence Help!!

motorjock · Dec 31, 2004

I put up 3 runs of a product like electobraid rope on a straight run about 700 ft. long. I purchased a solar powered charger that's good for 3 miles. I placed a rod in the ground for my ground, ran a wire to the ground screw on the charger. I placed a connection on the top strand of rope making sure it was in contact with some of the wires and attached it to the charger. Here's my problem. Ropes 2 & 3 are not even hooked up at this time. Sometimes I can grab the top rope and not feel anthing, sometimes I can barely feel a pulse but not enough to make me let go. But if you touch another part of your body on strand 2 or 3...You will get a shock off the top strand to make you let go. What did I do wrong. I should be able to grab just the top strand and get a wallop. Any ideas??? Thanks for your help. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Gfsimon · Dec 31, 2004

I don't think you did anything wrong...I suspect that whatever shoes you are wearing are acting as an insulator between you and the ground. When you touch wire 2 or 3, that's a better ground so you get a "better" shock. Try touching the top wire in your bare feet /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

motorjock · Dec 31, 2004

Thanks for your help. I'm new at all this electrical stuff. I hope you get a smile on your face to close your eyes and imagine me out there bare-footed when I touched that top wire and got the c-r-a-p not out of me. Anyway, its working....didn't realize how good your shoes insulate. Anyway, thanks again and I hope this electrical twitch wears off by the time I got to my neighbors new years eve party.
Have a good one... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

cowboydoc · Dec 31, 2004

Man you are brave!! I hate touching electric fences. They make a $5 fence tester. You put one end in the ground and the other end you touch to the fence. It has a meter on it that will tell you how strong your fence is. I don't think there's anyway I would grabbed that fence in bare feet!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

AndyMA · Dec 31, 2004

What I think is actually happening is that conductors 2 and 3 have a capacative coupling to ground and when you touch conductor 1 and either 2 or 3, you need to charge the dielectric(air) between 2 or 3 and ground hence completing the circuit path. As others have said, you are probably too insulated from ground with your shoes on. It you want a real jolt, try putting one hand on the ground and grabbing wire one. NOT

Andy

Cliff_Johns · Dec 31, 2004

( Man you are brave!! I hate touching electric fences. )

Isn't the trick to testing fences to grab someone else just before you hop in the air and touch the fence? I think you should try that.

Cliff

rambler · Jan 2, 2005

( I put up 3 runs of a product like electobraid rope on a straight run about 700 ft. long. I purchased a solar powered charger that's good for 3 miles. I placed a rod in the ground for my ground, ran a wire to the ground screw on the charger. I placed a connection on the top strand of rope making sure it was in contact with some of the wires and attached it to the charger. Here's my problem. Ropes 2 & 3 are not even hooked up at this time. Sometimes I can grab the top rope and not feel anthing, sometimes I can barely feel a pulse but not enough to make me let go. But if you touch another part of your body on strand 2 or 3...You will get a shock off the top strand to make you let go. What did I do wrong. I should be able to grab just the top strand and get a wallop. Any ideas??? Thanks for your help. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif )

1. Do _not_ believe those milage ratings on the fencer boxes. That is _just_ like the hp ratings on air compressors these days - a make believe number which is not real. Any fencer rated less than 5 miles is not worth bringing home, in my opinion. You got a real weak shocker.... It is basically telling you it bcomes worthless at 3 miles, and you have 2100 feet of wire - electro braid is thin filiment so it does not carry juice as well as #12 steel wire - all in all, you are over 1/2 way to having a worthless fencer. It will test pretty weak under the best conditions.

2. You need a real good ground. Did you drive the rod 6-8' deep? Really should have 2-3 rods that deep, and in dry conditions they should be watered so there is good contact. So many fencing problems come back to a poor ground. People don't believe it, but the ground rod is as important as the wire, gotta be good. Deep, damp, tight.

3. In dry conditions your livestock will be insulated just like you; hooves & hair are good insulators. A good setup with multiple wires like you have is to make every other wire 'hot' and the others (or a middle one) tied into the ground. As the animal touches 2 wires, it will get a jolt even if it is standing on glass. Much less worry about the ground rod this way.

4. I believe you have created situation #3 with your setup, wich isn't bad. I'd run 2 hot wires and only 1 ground wire, but good job - even if it wasn't intended. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

--->Paul

rockinmywaypa · Jan 2, 2005

Every word is good advise, can I add that before you bring your fencer home pick up one of the voltage/current meters. These things are a blessing when it comes to checking grounds, faults and resistance in wire. Last season I had a particularly perplexing problem. Serched and searched for problem, kept adding ground rods which kept increasing voltage readings but still had a fault I couldn't find. Went and got a current meter and in first 5 mins walked straight to a line end insulater that was cracked and was leaking into corner post.

MikePA · Jan 3, 2005

I test my electric fence by using my AM radio and earphones. If I hear clicking, the fence is working. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif As others have said, there's no way I'd check a fence in my barefeet.

Soundguy · Jan 3, 2005

( 2 and 3 have a capacative coupling to ground and when you touch )

I think you are right on.

Also.. watering the ground will help as well. And yes.. shoes and boots insulate well. I can hit my fence while wearing my rubber boots.. cow nose's on the other hand elicit a loud moo and a 3' jump! ( my fencer is a 10 mile job. I've measured up to 6kv on it.. )

Soundguy