DYI Fence Charger

Silvercreek Farmer · #1 01/18/12, 10:47 AM

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It...e-Charger.aspx

Anyone ever try something similar? (I am NOT referring to nor advocating the potentially fatal practice of hooking up household current to a fence)

Also wonder if there is a certain brand of commercial charger that facilitates DYI repairs by supplying repair components ect. It appears Parmak does not even sell parts retail, they probably would cite liability, but it probably just comes down to $.

OkieDavid · #2 01/18/12, 01:41 PM

Don't know the exact setup that was used but an old co-worker had a homemade rig. The system was in operation for a couple of years. One day he heard the dog barking in the back yard and went out to find his 5-7 year old son electrocuted.

BarbadosSheep · #3 01/18/12, 01:47 PM

I had one of the older Parmak chargers repaired....it only cost me $55 including shipping. It had been hit by lightning and was black inside. I doubted it was even fixable but they do free quotes and will return the charger if you aren't happy with the qoute. I am really glad I went ahead and got it repaired. I would never DIY a fence charger. It's just not worth the risk.

Bret · #4 01/18/12, 01:48 PM

I have the least costly charger I could buy at TSC a few years ago...for a back up. Once I installed a lightning arrester, I have not had to get the back up charger out of the box.

It probably was less than $30.00.

I love to tinker...but not with volts and amps.

BarbadosSheep · #5 01/18/12, 01:55 PM

Bret, what lightning arrestor do you use? I bought one at TSC but have not installed it yet. I need to get on that before the charger gets hit again.

plowjockey · #6 01/18/12, 01:58 PM

Electrical current from a car battery, can certainly kill too.

I'm a big believer that "time is money" and i don't have a lot of time, so kludging together a fence charger, verses just investing into a good one, does not make sense, at least to me.

Although some like to poo-poo them, I have a Zareba, that has worked fine for six years, so far. I believe that it has replacement parts available.

ace admirer · #7 01/18/12, 02:13 PM

yeah,,, i built about 5 of the mother earth systems. the relay contacts were a little too small for the current load to the automotive coild...just used a higher amp coil....they worked and were great for short runs, i guess what would be call by the industry as a 5 mile fencer.....

all of the cheaper fencers run almost the same circuit but with different (variations) components. components used to have open source coding and could be easily replaced...not its hard to know what your dealing with when looking at a part number. the chargers i use now run around $400 each.....gooood chargers,,,,but i have to have a bank loan to get one.......

**highlands** · #8 01/18/12, 02:45 PM

I replace one or more fence energizers every year it seems. We have several going at once for different areas of the farm, all with heavy duty lightning arresters both on the fence and power main sides as well as very good grounding.

We're just in a bad lightning area. The lightning evaporates fencing, sugaring lines, explodes rock, trees. Nasty stuff. The energizers for the fences higher up the mountain (longer perimeter run) get the most damage.

I like the Zareba energizers (TractorSupply & Kencove.com).

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa

Bret · #9 01/19/12, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarbadosSheep

Bret, what lightning arrestor do you use? I bought one at TSC but have not installed it yet. I need to get on that before the charger gets hit again.

I can only say that it is white ceramic.

Please, pardon my interuption here.

BarbadosSheep · #10 01/19/12, 03:44 PM

That may be the same one I bought from TSC. I am going to get it installed this weekend. thanks!

heavyrebel · #11 01/20/12, 08:44 AM

Well, thats a pretty simple design and concept. You could certianly make it more than a 5 mile fencer with the use of a higher performance coil. I would play with it, but have no want or need to run a charger off a battery. But if I were using that setup now, and lost a charger, I would make one to try out. There is no way it could harm you, besides dropping you to your butt, maybe, assuming your not running a pace maker I suppose...lol.

foxtrapper · #12 01/20/12, 10:07 AM

Agreed, it's a pulsed auto ignition coil. No more dangerous that conventional chargers.

It's an interesting exercise in construction. When one looks at a comperable cheapie charger, really not very fiscally effective. But that's kinda beside the point.

A more mechanically fun way to go with it is to use an electric motor and contact points instead of the circuit board.

Lenape Sadie · #13 01/20/12, 10:17 AM

I'm planning on installing eletcric fencing next month, but I'm pretty sure I won't be rigging up some car battery. I will just stick to the store bought variety! But I guess if a person had electrical experience they might do that.
Side note: Zarebra seems to be getting good reviews and lightning protection. Hadn't thought of that, obviously a sound plan.
Sadie

agmantoo · #14 01/20/12, 10:51 AM

I have a 55 gallon barrel with a lot of Zareba chargers thrown into it. I do salvage parts from defective units and use the parts to repair salvageable energizers. Personally my luck has not been consistent with what others have enjoyed. I no longer buy Zareba products. I have also made a charger using automotive components. The charger did work but does not work as well as the new high impedence units. If you have a lot of fence and are in a lightning prone area eventually the charger will get hit and man has never designed an electrical devise that can tolerate a hard hit. An energizer can get hit from the fence side or from the mains side. I have reduced the number of hits from the fence side but grounding the top fence wires. I also fuse the fence side of the charger output. This fusing does not stop damage but it does seem to reduce the level of damage. I also have an adjustable air gap on the hot wire(s). This air gap is from the hot wires to earth ground. This is the concept for the small ceramic devices sold and for the adapter that Zareba sells. Again this helps but the energizer will take a knockout hit. On the mains side I use a surge protector. This helps and spikes that lightning induces to the incoming power lines are minimized. Next I will buy a whole house surge protector. As I stated before, I figure that having a working energizer cost me the number of days the unit is warrantied divided into the cost. I keep a new energizer on hand for the day the installed unit gets hit.

PS....foxtrapper a vehicle turn signal flasher can be used to trigger the firing of a homemade charger, cheap and simple and at the right timing. Roughly 60 times a minute.