My first DC fence charger

[HilltopDaisy]

I just bought a DC fence charger. Any words of wisdom from you folks with experience? Thanks!

[Blackbird]

Pound in a good 8 foot ground rod. Battery fence chargers are typically not as powerful as AC ones, so a good ground is essential. I put in a longer ground rod this spring and it noticeably improved how my battery unit worked.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by Blackbird

Pound in a good 8 foot ground rod. Battery fence chargers are typically not as powerful as AC ones, so a good ground is essential. I put in a longer ground rod this spring and it noticeably improved how my battery unit worked.

Is it important to drive the grond rod where the soil is not prone to being to dry? I thought I heard that.

[Blackbird]

Originally Posted by Rick

Is it important to drive the grond rod where the soil is not prone to being to dry? I thought I heard that.

You want good electrical conductivity between the rod and the soil. Some moisture helps that. If the soil is pretty dry all the way down to 8 feet, then you may need additional rods to get the best conductivity. If you have a choice between very dry soil and a wetter spot, go for the wetter spot.

[rambler]

Originally Posted by HilltopDaisy

I just bought a DC fence charger. Any words of wisdom from you folks with experience? Thanks!

Don't pea on it. You'll regret it.

--->Paul


What kind/ how strong/ what type of fencing you going to energize?

[HilltopDaisy]

I'm replacing a small solar charger so already have ground rods (but I picked up another one while I was there ~ TSC). This charger is good for 25 miles, and I bought a 12 volt battery. I'm using it on 14 gauge wire, way out in the back of the property, the perimeter, through a hilly, kind of scraggly area. Fencing in a few sheep and a few dozen goats. Oh, and one strand around the top of another few pastures, to keep the horses from hanging over the woven wire fence.

I'll read the booklet today. I was hoping folks would explain how they set theirs up.

[Blackbird]

Sheep and goats are tough to fence in. Especially (in my experience) with a battery charger. So first of all I'd make sure that you have a good ground and that your hot wires are well insulated to make sure that your fence gives as much of a jolt as it's capable of giving. With sheep and goats you'll need all the help you can get. Once you get it set up, check it often and if the delivered voltage goes down (as shown on the charger's meter or display), look for possible leakages to ground.

I think the best setup for sheep and goats has alternate hot and grounded wires spaced close apart. If it looks to the animal like it can get through quickly with maybe just a single quick jolt, they may try to escape--especially if there's something attractive on the other side. The pasture we originally used for our sheep was fenced in with a few strands of barbed wire strung on wooden fence posts. We replaced them with seven strands of high tensile wire most of them on the outside of the posts but with a single hot strand on the inside, about nose high. Two of the strands on the outside were hot.

Well, at first the lambs we got respected the fence, but then they discovered they could squeeze through quickly and got out all the time. I put up two or three more strands on the inside of the post, all hot, staggered in spacing compared to the wires outside the posts and made sure that the non-charged wires were well grounded so that, even in dry conditions, if they try to stick their head through the fence they will have to come into close contact with at least one hot wire and one grounded wire and get a shock.

I think the fence I just described is a bit of overkill, but my conclusion is that you need to make sure that down low, where the sheep will be looking through the fence, it will see tight spaces and to get out it will have to wriggle through, not just dash through quickly. And if it pokes its head through it will get a shock, preferably on its snout or nose where it will remember it, so that it will decide that it's just not worth it.

Hope this helps.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by HilltopDaisy

I'm replacing a small solar charger so already have ground rods (but I picked up another one while I was there ~ TSC). This charger is good for 25 miles, and I bought a 12 volt battery. I'm using it on 14 gauge wire, way out in the back of the property, the perimeter, through a hilly, kind of scraggly area. Fencing in a few sheep and a few dozen goats. Oh, and one strand around the top of another few pastures, to keep the horses from hanging over the woven wire fence.

I'll read the booklet today. I was hoping folks would explain how they set theirs up.

...................The closer you get the charger too the section of fence in question the stronger the shock value applied too wayward animals , and , the LESS work you have too do in keeping them fenced , IN ! So , I'd say look into acquiring a solar panel and charge controller that will keep the battery charged . , fordy

[fordy]

Originally Posted by Blackbird

Sheep and goats are tough to fence in. Especially (in my experience) with a battery charger. So first of all I'd make sure that you have a good ground and that your hot wires are well insulated to make sure that your fence gives as much of a jolt as it's capable of giving. With sheep and goats you'll need all the help you can get. Once you get it set up, check it often and if the delivered voltage goes down (as shown on the charger's meter or display), look for possible leakages to ground.

I think the best setup for sheep and goats has alternate hot and grounded wires spaced close apart. If it looks to the animal like it can get through quickly with maybe just a single quick jolt, they may try to escape--especially if there's something attractive on the other side. The pasture we originally used for our sheep was fenced in with a few strands of barbed wire strung on wooden fence posts. We replaced them with seven strands of high tensile wire most of them on the outside of the posts but with a single hot strand on the inside, about nose high. Two of the strands on the outside were hot.

Well, at first the lambs we got respected the fence, but then they discovered they could squeeze through quickly and got out all the time. I put up two or three more strands on the inside of the post, all hot, staggered in spacing compared to the wires outside the posts and made sure that the non-charged wires were well grounded so that, even in dry conditions, if they try to stick their head through the fence they will have to come into close contact with at least one hot wire and one grounded wire and get a shock.

I think the fence I just described is a bit of overkill, but my conclusion is that you need to make sure that down low, where the sheep will be looking through the fence, it will see tight spaces and to get out it will have to wriggle through, not just dash through quickly. And if it pokes its head through it will get a shock, preferably on its snout or nose where it will remember it, so that it will decide that it's just not worth it.

Hope this helps.

..................Sheep come equipped with a natural insulated layer of wool that preempts them from feeling the full shock value of an electric fence . , fordy

[watcher]

With sheep and goats you might want to alternate a few grounded wires on the fence as well. That way you can be fairly sure the critter will be grounded if he sticks his head through the fence.

[OkieDavid]

I second the alternating hot and grounded wires. Spacing is as important- if you have wide enough spacing for them to stick their head through, a lot of times the animal will just lunge forward when shocked. Ideally you want to hit them between the eyes and nose to trigger them to back up.

[ghmerrill]

Yep.... Either do it right the first time, or spend the time and money to do it right later. I had to put wires 6" apart, alternating hot and ground. Did that for the first 3', then went 10" apart for a couple more hot wires to give it some height. Not a single escape from sheep or goats.

[sdnapier]

[QUOTE=rambler;5081101]Don't pea on it. You'll regret it.

--->Paul


Experience?????