Help with electric fence

[shelljo]

We've got a pasture that was fenced with smooth wire, used for horses before we bought it. We have goats.

Two years ago, we electrified the fence--two strands. Worked like a charm. But for some reason, this past fall, it quit. I've walked the fence, it's not grounded anywhere. The line is intact. The charger still clicks, but the fence isn't hot.

My questions: Could the charger be bad but still click? And, would tall grass/weeds ground the fence? Those are the only two areas where I think we could have failure.

Gotta tell you, the goats know when that dang fence isn't working. I ran them back in several times this weekend.

So, any electric fence experts? Thanks for your help!

[Alice In TX/MO]

Check again. Check every post, every inch of the wire. Yes, grass touching the fence will ground it out. Remove ALL vegetation that touches the fence wire.

Check your fuses in the charger.

[caberjim]

Do you have a fence tester? That would help troubleshoot the problem. Use it to test the fence first, then the charger itself. If the charge is putting out the voltage, then it could be as simple as a wire loose. Either the hot wire or the ground wire could have come loose and so there is no circuit completed. Make sure the hot wire from the charger is securely attached to the fence and the charger. Make sure the ground wire is securely attached to the grounding rods and the charger.

If you have tall grass/weeds laying on the wires, that could take away from the charge. You should still have something measureable, tho. Always keep your fenceline trimmed.

[uncle Will in In.]

If it's clicking, it is most likely working. If it is hooked to any steel posts, it can sometimes be very hard to see where it might be shorted out. Grass and weeds will also short out many chargers. A poor ground connection near the charger can also keep it from working. You need a little tester that you can use to check it anywhere from the charger to the far end.
I had nearly five miles of electric fence for over ten years. It would get shorted for different reasons I've listed. To ease the finding of a short, I made places where I could unhook it. With the tester it was easy to tell which section was causing the short. This way I didn't have to search the whole fence to locate the problem. The testers aren't real expensive.
The best ones have a row of lights showing how hot the fence is at that location.

[homebirtha]

What do you mean about "it's not grounded anywhere?" It has to be grounded to work. Do you have grounding rods put in? Maybe you need more?

If the fence is getting absolutely no charge at all, I would think a loose wire would be the most likely culprit.

I agree with caberjim, get a fence tester. They're cheap.

[shelljo]

Hadn't heard of a fence tester. Will invest in one. Our connections all seemed good--from the ground at the charger--all the way around. We've got a mixture of t posts and wooden posts. Fence is nice and tight. DH and I wondered about the grass--so we can clear that up. Thanks folks!

Now if you all could figure out how to electrify around the quonset for the other pasture... or if someone else would just "do " it!

[Hammer4]

I use a tester like this, only $10 or so but it works well.

http://www.shop.com/op/aprod-p181708...ver?sourceid=3

I always start by disconnecting the fence from the charger and testing the charger. If it works, I hook the fence back up and start testing sections until I find the one that is dead. I have jumper wires at the corners and gates I can disconnect to identify the bad section.

By 'not grounded out' I think the original poster meant the fences isn't grounded where it shouldn't be. i.e. No extra strand of wire crossing the hot wire and touching a fence post or the ground by accident.

Since the fence has worked in the past I assume it is grounded at the charger properly. But since it's having problems now, check that connection as well.

[arabian knight]

Also Check to where the wire from the Ground side of the charger connects to the grounding rod. Make sure it did not break off or corrode etc. And make sure that there IS A good ground. I made sure by getting a 6 foot long copper rod and pounded that into the ground instead of using just those 2 foot grounding rods. That barely reach moist earth if in a dry area.

[homebirtha]

We use a couple of grounding rods, all at least 6 or 8 feet. If the ground is really dry, you may not be getting a good ground, especially if it was only a 2' grounding rod. That would never work in our ground.

[ET1 SS]

I don't use a store bought 'tester' I grab up a green peice of grass, and I feel a slight tingling in my fingers as I drag the grass along the wire.

[thedonkeyman]

Does your charger have a flashing light, if it is NOT flashing then you have a ground some place and if your using those older white porcelian insulators, they crack and short out. Use plastic or even plastic pipe sections.

[Jillis]

Did you pay the electric bill?



Okay, I'm kidding!

[Ole Man Legrand]

One of those metal fence post could be the culprit. A bad insulator on a metal post takes the charge right to ground. Touch each metal post to see if they have a charge on it. Jay