Electric Fence Question

[NWMO]

I am frustrated! I bought a small "4 D Cell" battery electric fence charger. It says a "10 mile" range and I am just using it to keep some ornery calves in my pasture and not my neighbors.

The charger is grounded to a small metal rod that I have placed in the ground. I am running some "poly" tape (for horses) off the charger......I get some light "shocks".....and then nothing.......have toyed with the tape connection....have toyed with the connection to the ground.......but can not get a consistent "power" through the poly tape.

What else can I do? (other than repair the original fence!)

Ideas? Trouble shooting? I don't know how to proceed......one time when I touched the thing, I got a good jolt......but that was it....nothing more......the ground is very wet where the metal rod is anchored.

[agmantoo]

Take the unit back and get a refund. Then buy a real fence charger. Expect to pay at least $50 for one that will work on a small enclosure.

[fishhead]

I would check every single insulator to make sure your wire is insulated. Also I would get a $10 tester and do some checking. The mileage rating does not guarantee a hard shock. I have 2 with the same mileage rating and one tests 600 volts and the other at least 4650 volts. Look for one with a rating for large animals and predators and can shock through weeds.

[rambler]

Fence charger ratings and air compressor hp ratings are, basically, lies.

As mentioned, you need to spend a few bucks to get a good charger. 110v units are often a lot better; solar units are good if you have no power source; battery only units you need to buy a pretty good one, 12v battery, for it to keep up for any length of time.

I suspect your cheap unit will short out easily, as it has very little push. So you need to check every insulator very carefully - even a spider web with a little dew will stop it from sparking.

The short answer is you need a better unit.

Poly tape also comes in different qualities; those little wires tend to break, and then it doesn't carry the electricity. I got some cheap stuff one time, didn't last 2 weeks out in the elements. I'm much more careful now on what I buy, needs to be good.

Calves. Ah, fun. They won't really care about the shock anyhow, they just run. Good luck.

--->Paul

[GoatsRus]

I agree with getting a better unit, but you also need to make sure that your metal rod in the ground is at least 4 feet long, on top of that, if you put 2 or more in the ground and connect them, you get more shock.

[kyJeeper]

Grounding is key. Make sure your wire to the ground rod is clamped, crimped or what ever, very tightly. Just rapping it around the rod causes a poor connection. As mentioned earlier adding ground rods getts a better zap!

[Carol K]

I believe the recomendation for ground rods is 3 of them, 10 feet apart, 6" down. You say you have a small metal rod as a ground? Maybe that's your problem. I also believe if you are using poly tape you need a low impedence fencer.

Carol