electric fence not acting right!!!

[Bigk56]

I built a five strand electric fence using hi-tensil wire. It takes in about an acre and a half. This fence is about 100' from my shop where the ac charger is located. It is a parmak mark 6. I bought the double insulated underground wire to go from the shop down to the fence. I also ran this same wire to 3 6' long ground rods that I drove in at the drip line of my shop. Just to be clear the ground rods are about 100' from the fence. All five strands are hot. I have weedeated under bottom strand and checked for a short to a t-post. Here is the problem, I can stand next to the fence with my boots on and grab the wire. I can barely feel the pop pop. Now, I stick my tester with the lights on it and it lights up 5000 volts. If I stand on the ground with my sock feet the fence will bust you. If I grab a t-post with one hand and grab the fence with the other it will bust you. I saw my dog yelp three different times he touched the fence. My friends say their fence will bust even with your shoes on so I don't know. Is it normal for the fence not to hurt with your boots on? If not then what could be wrong?
Thanks, Ken

 

[SnowRidge]

Sounds like you have well insulated rubber soles and heels on your boots.

 

[bjcsc]

It's the ground. You're in a drought, remember? I just got back from Perry, GA and boy was GA dry! I also run a Parmak Mark 6, also with three ground rods, except my ground rods are 10' long. These chargers will charge right through heavy brush/grass. Is your needle pegged to the right? Are your connections at the ground rods good and solid? You wouldn't grab my fence, boots or not (well, you might - once!)...

PS. Next time, save some money. You don't need to run insulated wire for the grounds. You can just use the fence wire...

 

[SteelDust]

Luckily livestock doesn't wear boots with rubber soles. Keep in mind that some work boots are actually rated to lessen electrical shock. If you are showing 5k volts on the tester, it's enough to keep an animal off of it.

Just for reference, if I have my rubber Muck boots on, I don't really get shocked by my fence, should I touch it. If I have my hiking boots on and touch it...it knocks the crap out of me.

All depends on the insulating effect that your boots have.

 

[dubba]

I unknowingly bought "electrical hazard protection" boots a few years ago. Now I seek them out. The definition of "electrical hazard protection" from a random website..

f you work around electric power, you will want to select a work boot from this selection. Here are the standards followed:
ELECTRICAL HAZARD: Protective footwear constructed or manufactured with electric shock resisting soles and heels capable of withstanding an application of 14,000 volts (root mean square (RMS) value) at 60 Hz for 1 minute with no current flow or leakage current in excess of 3.0 milliamperes under dry conditions.

 

[Bigk56]

Just to follow up, I did go and buy 2 8' ground rods today. Now I already have 3 6' ground rods in the ground. Anyway, I moved over about 12' and drove in one rod all the way. Hooked it to the other 3 rods and went and touched the fence. It seems to have a little more snap with my boots on but not much. I was too tired to drive the other rod in today. Let me say again, the dog won't come near it and the goats haven't got out so I know its working pretty good. With the drought this just may be as good as gets right now. I am going to put the other rod in tomorrow though. As far as the boots, my wife can grab it with her tennis shoes on and she barely feels it. (But I do have one hot wife!). Oh, the needle on the parmak is pegged all the way to the right.
Thanks guys, I'll keep you all posted.
Ken

 

[Jimbrown]

I really think that you have a short. I have never seen a fence with all five strands hot. Around here we make one or two hot and the others are grounded. That way if you touch two wires you have touched a hot one and a ground. If you really want all five hot. Try disconnecting one at a time and see if it does not pick up shock when one of them is out of the circuit. If it really is the ground and it can be. Try making every other wire hot and ground the others. That is the way the ranchers do it who have 50 miles of fence.

 

[texasjohn]

It is as good as it gets.... whenever you test it without any insulated device (boots) it works.... 5000 volts will turn whatever you want turned... does your tester go above 5000 volts...you may be getting even more volts than that... if it is keeping goats in, that is perhaps the best test there is... they are light on their feet (thus poor ground) and can slip thru stuff without much pressure on the fence (thus making poor contact thru their hair).

If you want to make sure that you have a ground, take the 2nd wire from the bottom and wire clip it to all the T posts... and to the ground rod you have... this will give you lots of ground points. Also, it makes a quick ground to anything that attempts to get between the low hot wire and your 2nd up ground wire.. which is where goats are likely to be sticking their face....

Last suggestion... invite your neighbors over to grab the fence .... when they do, watch their faces... that should tell you if it's working

You wanted to know what is normal... I'll tell you...

IT'S NOT NORMAL FOR A PERSON TO KEEP GRABBING THE FENCE... USE AND TRUST THE TESTER!

 

[shvl73]

Now, I stick my tester with the lights on it and it lights up 5000 volts. If I stand on the ground with my sock feet the fence will bust you. If I grab a t-post with one hand and grab the fence with the other it will bust you. I saw my dog yelp three different times he touched the fence.

Sounds normal to me. My fence is the same way. The cows seem to respect it so, good enough.

 

[chucko]

take off your boots ant try it again or grab a blade of grass with your free hand