Problems with solar fence charger (cross post)

How many and how deep are your grounding rods? Take the hose and let the water run over the ground where they are pounded in till the ground is nice and soaked. That will help you get a better jolt. We have three grounding rods.

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Did you try the tester on the CHARGER by itself? (disconnected from the fence)

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Ok......I meant to get back here for an update yesterday and spaced it.

Anyway, I think it's working.

I went down there yesterday morning and checked the light on the fence charger. There is a good, strong, blinking signal.

I watched the goats when they were down there yesterday and I actually didn't see them go anywhere near the fence, although I'm not sure if that was because they just weren't interested in anything on the other side at that particular time or if they knew the fence was hot.

I still can't feel anything through a blade of grass (could that be because of my rubber boots?) and I can't get a signal with my tester (but I think there's a possibility it may be defective).

We're entering into a very wet weather pattern so it's unlikely that the goats will get that far from their shelter (because, you know, rain hurts if you're a goat ), so I'm probably not going to have to worry too much for a while about them testing the fence. But I'm wondering how often I should bring that battery in for recharging without having to wait until the goats are out for me to know it's time?

BFF: How would I test the battery with my fence tester? I have one of these:

Dare Products Inc 460 Electric Fence Tester

The battery has the connections that plug into the fence charger but I'm not sure how I would get that tester over the positive connection thing.

Shayanna: wet ground should not be a problem. We've had a tremendous amount of rain since the middle of October (I think something like 15 inches).

I will also be adding two more ground rods over the next week or so - after I have an opportunity to go to town.

Anyway, thanks for all the help and suggestions.

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Whatever floats your goat!

Kitten season is here. Please spay and neuter. You'll save lives.

"Suckie gallagers?" LOL

If this thing stops working altogether, or continues to be a pain in the butt, I will have to rethink my fencing options for that part of my property.

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Whatever floats your goat!

Kitten season is here. Please spay and neuter. You'll save lives.

There is a punctuation issue in the quoted material.

Very similar to this one.

Let's eat Granma.
Let's eat, Granma.

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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus

LOL It still took my going back and re-reading that several more times before I understood what you were getting at.

I thought "suckie gallagers" was some specific slang term for something that, well, sucks.

I didn't realize that "Gallagher" was a brand name for a solar fence charger:

Gallagher S17 Solar Fencer Gallagher (Electric Fencing - Chargers)

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Whatever floats your goat!

Kitten season is here. Please spay and neuter. You'll save lives.

now my coworkers are wondering why I am crying at my desk.

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Hey! This getting old is a real suckie gallager!

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Whatever floats your goat!

Kitten season is here. Please spay and neuter. You'll save lives.

Sorry i was on my phone but i do have issues with grammer there should have been a , between thr 2. 3 ground rods are highly important for it to work. Don't woss out they dont put out a huge shock just touch i

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I'm a goat person, not a people person,
De @ Udderly Southern Dairy Goats
we will be adding a new breed in the spring

Thanks you all for making me laugh!

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LOL

That's ok. I think most people would have "gotten it," but I find myself having more and more of these "senior moments."

The other day, the girl was here helping me with hoof trims and some of the cats were running around out there. She asked me what the name of one of them was, and for the LIFE of me, I could not remember his name.

I even texted my son and asked him, "What is Butterfly's brother's name?"

He texted me back with the name, but because he spelled it wrong, I still didn't get it (the sun was creating a glare on my cell phone screen, though - at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

Scares me a little, actually.

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Whatever floats your goat!

Kitten season is here. Please spay and neuter. You'll save lives.

Same as teasting the fence, but you disconnect the fence and use the posts on the charger instead.

The bad part though is your tester doesn't tell you the voltage, but only that it works or not.

It's best to have one with multiple lights, or a gauge so you can take voltage readings at various places on the fence.


Either of these would be much better, even though they cost more:
Zareba® Digital Electric Fence Tester - 3600134 | Tractor Supply Company

• Quote:

  Combines digital accuracy with ease and convenience Rugged easy-to-carry pocket-size case made of heavy duty ABS plastic Digital accuracy from 500 to 9,900 volts Large easy-to-ready LCD display volt battery operation (battery included) Automatic on/off that prolongs battery life

Electric Fence Line Tester | QC Supply

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ok, now that I have time to read the thread, I personally think it would be wise to invest into the solar charger panel and use a deep cycle marine battery. Granted you can use one of those small solar chargers to recharge that little battery but its not going to last.
You do need to let those batteries charge for 24 hours before using them, and if the solar panels are not an affordable option, or gets too complicated then yes, get another battery and swap them out after several cloudy days.

I am not a fan of the solar chargers period, I used underground wire to run mine the distance when an extension cord wouldn't do.

My old E-fence put out 9,500 vt imagine touching that by accident while your 9 months pregnant, the poor kid bounced all day but was perfectly fine.

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I'm a goat person, not a people person,
De @ Udderly Southern Dairy Goats
we will be adding a new breed in the spring