grounding rod for electronet

lasergrl · #1 06/10/08, 01:54 PM

I bought a roll of electronet. I took a trip to TSC for a charger. Seems this model may b the best bet:
zereba 3 mile solar fencer:
"Electric Fence Controller; DC, Solar Type; 6-V, 4.5 A Battery; 0.05 Joule; 3 miles Coverage Limit; Black Color; For Light Weed Conditions; For Controlling All Animals Including Predators"
The lady then tells us we need this 8 foot long grounding rod. I dont know how we'd be able to get that in the ground, where we want the fence has some leach bed under it (dwarf animals only) and how in the world would that make our fence portable?

Is there any other way to ground this net fence, or should we be looking at different chargers? This one seems the easiest and least expensive though. The net fence is only 154 feet long if that helps.

agmantoo · #2 06/10/08, 03:16 PM

All chargers will need either a ground rod or a ground wire. The charger you referenced above is not IMO worth carting home. You need a higher output charger and for a 154 feet fence a lesser ground rod will suffice, particularly if there is some moisture in the soil. Buy a ParMak charger that is made in the USA.

FreeRanger · #3 06/10/08, 05:42 PM

I will second the statement The charger you referenced above is not IMO worth carting home. If you are keeping in horse maybe, if you are keeping in livestock NOT enough output in Joules.

To make a portable ground rod try this. Purchase a cattle panel or hod panel (this is the heavy metal fence panel about 16 feet long usually and 3 to 4 feet tall. Lay it in the grass next to the fence. Then attached the positive side of the charger to the electronet and the negiative side to the cattle panel. Drag the panel around as needed with the fence.

I did this one summer with the 20B battery charger from Premier1. Worked OK for sheep as long as the ground doesn't get too dry. Of course even the 120Volt chargers won't work if the ground is too dry under the livestock feet.

Back to the output again...0.05 Joule is so little!....try finding something at least 1.0 Joules for your electronet IMHO. Just ask Premier1

cathleenc · #4 06/10/08, 05:54 PM

just bought electro netting from Premier and their support literature goes to great length explaining how the size/depth of the grounding rod determines the amount of joules delivered. That a short length will turn a powerful charger into a small charge. Premier's lit recommends no shallower than 3' - but prefers 6'.

They also have something in there about placing consecutive rods in a row to get the same grounding effect if you are using large joules or can't get deep enough into the ground.

yeah, that part of the portable fencing issue really caught us off guard. We live in a very rocky place!

Premier also said to avoid copper ground wires or copper ground rods.

Alice In TX/MO · #5 06/10/08, 06:09 PM

That charger is not strong enough.

lasergrl · #6 06/10/08, 06:10 PM

Thanks this is Electro-Web electric netting brand, not premier, and it came with NO instructions or support literature at all. I'll bet the premier poles arent made of jello like these flimsy things.

lasergrl · #7 06/10/08, 07:37 PM

OK, how about this model?
http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/...=2&pf_id=12153

Parmak® Solar-Pak #DF-SP-LI (6 volt)

I like the idea of the cattle panel grounding. Anyone had problems with using that method? Will stepping on the panel by accident jolt you?

roc-n-goats · #8 06/10/08, 07:49 PM

you will not get jolted from standing on the panel. just don't touch the pos.
side at same time.
I've used as little as 2 feet of rod and still got good ground. not the best, but worked.
My goats and cows have such a respect for the wire now, I can leave it off for day or two and they won"t test it. Need lots of joules for goats, half as
much for cows.

agmantoo · #9 06/10/08, 08:31 PM

If you had access to 120 ac this would be my choice. Parmak® Model SE-4 Super Energizer (110-120 volts) Any chance you could put the charger where you have AC and then run a hot wire to the fence?
If the above does not work and you can use a 12 volt car battery and have a charger for same consider this unit Parmak® Mag-12-UO (12 volt) This is a hotter output unit and is cheaper than a solar.
I have owned the Parmak® Solar-Pak #DF-SP-LI (6 volt) but I was disappointed but to be fair I was electrifying a lot of fence. I sold the 6 volt to a horse person and got the 12 volt version. The 12 volt unit has performed admirably.

lasergrl · #10 06/10/08, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agmantoo

If you had access to 120 ac this would be my choice. Parmak® Model SE-4 Super Energizer (110-120 volts) Any chance you could put the charger where you have AC and then run a hot wire to the fence?
If the above does not work and you can use a 12 volt car battery and have a charger for same consider this unit Parmak® Mag-12-UO (12 volt) This is a hotter output unit and is cheaper than a solar.
I have owned the Parmak® Solar-Pak #DF-SP-LI (6 volt) but I was disappointed but to be fair I was electrifying a lot of fence. I sold the 6 volt to a horse person and got the 12 volt version. The 12 volt unit has performed admirably.

doesnt that seem like overkill for 154 feet of net, for two lambs and a goat though? No access to AC unfortunately.

agmantoo · #11 06/10/08, 09:31 PM

An electric fence works by impregnating the "shock" on the animals brain. Once it gets a proper shock it will respect the fence. A lesser shock only re-enforces in the animals mind that if it can tolerate this minor shock for a brief time it can be on the other side of the fence. The animal then becomes an escape artist even with a proper fence charger once it learns the trick. With the proper charger the consequences of testing the fence are worse than than the benefit of escaping and therefore the animal will not repeatedly attempt to escape.