Help me out with a choice on electric fencing

[Raul-02]

I own an older plenty powerful 12 volt Agway fence charger. Bought it in the early 80s. It will run off a 12volt automotive battery. When I got it I ran it off a battery with a battery tender, the tender ran off line voltage.

Now I will need Solar to be the battery tender.

Do you have good experience with a solar panel that will be keeping a 12Volt battery topped off on a continual bases?

I am also concerned that I may need two batteries in parallel so as to keep the fence running through the night time. What do you know about that sort of thing?

 

[Roadworthy]

I have no experience but a suggestion. Do not worry so much about the solar panel in question but concentrate on a solar battery maintainer. The panel will charge whenever the sun is out, potentially over charging the battery. A maintainer or tender will help keep the battery from cooking. If your system works with one battery now that should continue to be true, if not you may need a second tender as well as a second battery.

 

[jaxs]

Aaahh the old battery powered fence chargers with a gizmo similar to turn signal flasher that gos clunk-CLUNK,clunk-CLUNK. Many factors play into it but the small, continuous oscillating power draw "can possibly" play havoc with a smart charger/maintainer. In order to do it's job,the maintainer must be very sensitive to the voltage and amps being fed into. That type fencer is in a constant state of on-off cycles that minutely change static power stored in battery. I wouldn't hook my best charger to it. I would opt for a non-regulated solar charger. Not knowing how many amps the fencer uses,I wag 1-2 amp charger. If you put a 1 amp on it then test state of battery charge after a few days,you will get an idea of what it will take. At worst battery should still have 1/2 charge after a week and can be switched out and taken to house for recharge.

 

[skipmarcy]

I've been using a deep cycle Interstate battery on my fence for over 5 years now with a 10 watt panel with charge regulator I bought off Amazon. It's on for about 8 months out of the year and has worked very well, even thru many days of cloud cover in between. I bring it inside the shed for the winter months and keep the battery on another 10 watt solar panel w/charge controller along with the battery out of my ZT mower. I cannibalized an old Gallagher solar fence charger to get the panel out of and bought one of the charge controllers off of Amazon and it works great with the panel propped-up in a SW facing window in my insulated shed.

 

[Hay Dude]

I went with these and they work great. This picture was taken in April, before my roses flowered. Since then they flowered and the deer left them alone.