voltage for electric fence?

[Sigarms]

About 180'x200' electric fence, two rows of wire.

Two ground rods, first one about 15' away from the "fence controller". Using a zareba A5 fence controller. Controller plugged into an outlet out by the shed, pretected from the elements. I'm only running about 950 volts on the wire line at all areas on the fence, and from the fence controller (disconnected from the fence line), I'm only pushing out 950 volts as well.

Had a smaller fence contoller, but took it back because that wasn't pushing out over 950 volts, and they didn't have the same model in stock, so went with the A-5 (good for 5 miles, compared to two miles or so with the other one).

Tech at zareba said I should be pushing out a minimum of at least 2200 volts (even on the unit that I first had that was "lower" in ratings than the A5), averaging around 2500 volts (which I wasn't coming close to).

Used two different electrical testers, one at another feed shop.

Driving home, checked out my neighbors fence to see what he was getting on his line, and it was over 4,000 volts, so I know the tester I'm using isn't "bad" as far as stopping at a certain reading.

Dogs can "wiggle" under the gated area under the electrical wire with no problem and seem not to notice any electrical current.

I find it hard to beleive that I got to bad fence controllers. Same token, eveything on the fence line seems right and see no issues there (and figure so becuase what I'm pushing out at the controller is what I'm reading along the entire fence line).

Bottom line, only 950 volts from the fence controller.

This happen to anyone else? Just getting peturbed from taking some days off, running back and forth to the stores, getting another fence controller and then needing to check to make sure the fence tester is reading correctly.

 

[MikePA]

I had a problem with similar symptoms, perhaps it applies to your situation. I have a tape fence from horseguardfencing with a solar controller. Typically, the meter on the controller would peg with each pulse and I thought I knew everything was working correctly if I could hear the clicking the controller made.

One day, after a hard rain, I was working at the barn, listening to an AM station using headphones. I noticed I wasn't hearing the clicking, which the radio on AM would pick up. I checked the meter and it was no longer pegging with each pulse, rather it was only moving about 25%. The controller made an audible click, but since it wasn't sending electricity down the tape, the AM radio wasn't picking it up.

I walked the fence line looking for places brush was too close and cleaned that up. No difference. Checked the connections at the controller and tightened them. No difference. Checked the grounding rod connection and tightened. No difference. When I disconnected the fence from the controller, the meter pegged.

One gate we usually kept open, i.e., left the tape lay on the ground without problem, was now making excellant contact with the now wet ground. Lifted the tape off the ground and the rest of the fence began working. So, I set up a little hook to hang the tape gate on, problem solved.

So, my fence problem was a direct short to ground. I also no longer trust the clicking sound to signify a working fence, I look at the meter, and keep the tape gates off the ground.

 

[randy41]

sounds like you have a grounding somewhere. a wire touching a wet wooden fence post?

 

[Jimbrown]

Have you checked the electric outlet to be sure that it is delivering 120V?

 

[Sigarms]

Let me ask you guys this, what voltage should/are you getting out of your fence controller, and what is your reading on the line? How do the manufactureres rate what voltage you should be getting and using compared to what animals you're trying to keep in?

Randy41, EVERYTHING looks ok as far as the fence and the ground (seriously) on the fence line.

Gound rods are really underground as well as the ground wire. There is an water spigot (sp?) about 20' feet away that goes 2' deep, but I'd figure I'd get stray voltage from the fence to the water source (metal pipe).

Outlet is good.

Mike, 45 to 62 "clicks" per minute, light is on, pushing close to 60 clicks a minute (not exact numbers but it's on the high end per the manufacturer).

 

[OakHillFarmer]

I get over 5,000 volts at the fence but I never checked it right out of the controller. It does seem like it's grounded out. Maybe you have a bad insulator and you're getting a partial ground through a post? My insulators are metal screw encased in plastic so if the plastic was cracked, it could find ground through the screw. If you had some wet wood or metal fence posts and a bad insulator, you could have a problem.

-Mark

 

[Sigarms]

I get over 5,000 volts at the fence but I never checked it right out of the controller. It does seem like it's grounded out. Maybe you have a bad insulator and you're getting a partial ground through a post? My insulators are metal screw encased in plastic so if the plastic was cracked, it could find ground through the screw. If you had some wet wood or metal fence posts and a bad insulator, you could have a problem.

-Mark

Heading up to Pa tommorow, so it will have to wait, but I'll check it again (if I start tommorow, I may never leave).

What has me perplexed is that I can take the controller off the fence line, take it to the house, re ground it, and still only 965 volts or so from the controller (at the feed store as well with a different tester). Again, this would be the second "new out of the box" controller.

Then again, perhaps I am doing something so incredibly stupid that I haven't caught it yet.

I

 

[OakHillFarmer]

Hmm. If that's the case, you probably aren't grounding out somewhere. I'd take the controller back to the store with your tester and show them what is going on. Maybe something obvious is being overlooked but maybe not.

If you end up with a new controller, definitley check the voltage output before you leave the store. Keep us informed as you work to figure things out.

Have a good weekend.

-Mark

 

[JoeR]

Maybe a bad batch of fence chargers or they have the wrong capacitor built into them. My 3 mile solar charger puts our 1500 to 2500V and my 10 miles charger puts our 5000V.

Hope you find a good one. Nothing better than forgetting the wire is hot! I foolishly was sitting on my riding mower and for some unkown reason grabbed the wire. I had little to no feeling in my thumb for about 10 minutes. Anyway, I think a fence tester is a better way to test the fence.

Joe

 

[Sigarms]

Mark, thats what I did with the first one (which the guy even told me that they get some "bad ones"). However, I can't remember when the guy used his tester (same as mine) if the second controller was pushing out 3,000 or 4,000 volts (I'm thinking it was borderline at 3,000). However, at another store (closer feed store that I didn't think about at first), his tester (again same as mine) only read 965 volts or so just like mine did, again, on the second tester.

I figure you'll have some different readings depending on the tester, so right now it's two to one that the unit does not seem like it's pushing out enough volts for some reason.

I checked the fence last night and there seems to be no loose contacts anywhere.

JoeR, I think I may spend a little more money and get a better tester for this fencing, and agreed, as a little boy, I once did pee on an electric fence, which I learned never to do again