fence chargers for predators (and goats)

[chris30523]

I am finally getting my high tensile fence in. WooHoo What chargers do ya'll use and why. I know I don't want a solar charger. I am looking for the pros and cons . Need enough to power about 20 acres of fence.Not that much yet but eventually. Will one charger do it or will I need more??

[HazyDay]

One should do the job, My fencer says it will fence 50 miles of straight pasture. Just a 50 mile line. But I onlt use it for 1/2 acre.

[fishhead]

I replaced mine last year with one that says it's for large animals and predators. They both said they charged the same miles of fencing. The first one only put out 600 V. The one I replaced it with maxs out the tester (4650 V).

This weekend I found where something tangled with the fence and whatever it was yanked the post out of the ground and worked the fence wire out of the insulators. I push my posts into the ground by hand so they aren't very tight. I'll bet there was some serious yelping.

The goats were fine.

[topside1]

Chris, I run this model and love it. Here is a couple of reasons; 1. It is fused, just replace the fuse as needed. 2. Bought through Jeffers @ a excellent price. 3. Lightning warranty. 4. Digital read-out on voltage 5. Never have dogs or deer or for that matter anything un-wanted in my two 8 acre fields. 6. I'm running 4 and 5 strand around my two paddocks and believe me the goats and steers respect it. 7. It's made by Parmak a serious leader in electric fencing....TJ

SUPER ENERGIZER 4
50 Mile Range

Model SE 4
Low Impedance
110-120 Volt A.C. Operation

Available at your leading farm supply store.
A powerful model designed for today's large pastures. Ideal for single or multi-wired high tensile fences.
The Super Energizer 4 does everything a fence controller should do - it just does it better!!!
Super Energizer 4 is equipped with a built-in DIGITAL performance meter which tells you the exact condition of fence.
Shocks through wet weeds and brush.
Over 8,000 volts of holding power with 500 OHM load.
New color coded fence and ground terminals. Red to the fence and Black to ground.
The Super Energizer 4 controls both predators and livestock, including sheep.
Fuse protection with built-in lightning arresters.

Full 1 year warranty - From date of retail purchase - Covers damage caused by lightning.

Indoor installation.

UL listed (US & Canada).

Effective applications:



FENCE LOAD OUTPUT VOLTAGE OUTPUT JOULES
Open Circuit
500 ohms
100 ohms
50 ohms 11,000
8,750
6,300
4,300 High 9.11
Low 2.58
===|===|===|===|===|===|===|===|===|===|===|===

[hoofinitnorth]

MILE RATINGS MEAN NOTHING - IGNORE THEM. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS LOOK AT JOULES!!!!

Here's how you figure out what you need. Add up how much LINEAR feet you have. Multiply that by the number of strands you have running that distance. Then divide that by 31,680 lineal feet (this is based on 1 joule per 6 miles so 6 x 5,280). That is how many joules you need. As an example, let's say you are going 5,000 feet with 3 strands. So 5,000 x 3 = 15,000 lineal feet. Now divide that by 31,680 lineal feet, which tells you that you need 0.47 joules (and some change).

Now go out and buy a low impedance, pulsing charger that has AT LEAST that many joules - ignore all others that don't have this on them! Make sure that it puts out at least 5,000 volts and has a pulse length of under 0.0003 seconds if you can find it. You will be VERY glad you did this and it will save you a lot of headaches and $$$ in the long run.

MOST American-made chargers don't have enough joules to do a big job, you may have to buy a Gallagher or New Zealand type charger. However, I once had a 9-joule charger, which should have done about 54 miles of fencing (including all strands) and that might get you around 20 acres.

Don't forget to ground the HECK out of the fence, with multiple, deep ground rods (steel works best, copper is commonly used). Space them properly and have them near the charger. For fencing 20 acres, you're going to want at least one more set of ground rods about halfway down your fenceline from the charger - AT LEAST ONE MORE SET. The more grounds you have, in the wetter the soils, the better your pop will be on the fence. You may want to run a ground ALL THE WAY AROUND THE FENCELINE and tie it into those various sets of rods as you go.

Space your wires as recommended by the manufacturer or local wildlife office to both keep your critters in and predators away. Don't take shortcuts when you're trying to keep predators OUT.

Remember - DOUBLE YOUR JOULES, DOUBLE YOUR SHOCK!!!

Good luck!

[topside1]

4. Q. What is a Joule?
A. The joule is a measurement of heat in British Thermal Units (BTU's) or Foot-Pounds Energy. The distance a given weight can be moved in a unit of time, or the amount of heat that is generated for a specified time, equals a joule, (i.e., a joule is equivalent to .7378 foot pounds of .0002778 watt-hours (approximately 1 watt second).

Back to the FAQ List

5. Q. How does the joule relate to the performance of an electric fence charger?
A. In our opinion, It doesn't. It would take a ten page letter to explain all of the factors which make an electric shock effective. The joule does not measure the effectiveness of electric shock. The joule is a mathematical equation of Voltage x Amps x Time. The longer the "on-time" of the pulse, the higher the joule rating will be and the longer the "on-time" the less safe the fencer is to use and the less effective.

The joule does not consider peak current value or "on-time" which are key factors in the effectiveness of a fence charger, therefore, the joule cannot define true shock effectiveness or fencers safety.

What controls livestock is voltage and amperage. You must have voltage in order to force electricity through the conductor (fence wire) as well as vegetation touching the fence, etc., and you must have current in order for the livestock to feel that shock.

The most effective fence charger will have the highest, safest power (voltage and amps) possible with the shortest on-time possible, thereby allowing the fence charger to develop a shock which is more effective in controlling livestock and at the same time is safe to use.
Example of how misleading the Joule rating is: The Parmak model Pet Gard is a continuous current, non-pulsing type charger designed for very small animals in backyards, gardens, etc. Using the joule rating (Voltage x Amps x Time) the Pet Gard (PG-50), because it is a continuous current fence charger, would have an unlimited joule rating making it the most powerful fencer, which it is not.

In summary, it is important to point out that Underwriters Laboratories (U/L) or Canadian Standard Assoc., (CSA) do not recognize the joule as a measurement when applied to electric fence chargers.

[Liese]

We went to a Parmak SE 4 also and have found it very good. At this point we have run 5+ miles of wire for our 5 strand fence design. I like the read out feature. Didn't know about the fuse system but that's good since we also have A Zareba unit Bob picked up on special, when it stopped working we opened it to find only boards - not very DIY friendly. Fortunately Bob works with a Russian electronics genius who fixed it. We still don't know what was wrong since Valerie's English isn't always the easiest to understand! The down side of the SE 4 is that adding wires t the terminals can be a little touchy they way they screw on but it is a minor complaint.

[topside1]

Liese, the fuse holder is on the top of the charger....I think it requires a 2amp fuse...Yes I do agree adding extra wire is touchy...Otherwise it works great.

[hoofinitnorth]

topside1 - that's the first I've heard about that on joules - interesting! The west coast universities and Department of Ags would probably still disagree though - my info. came from compilations from several engineers testing fencers in real-life situations.

Now I have to go read more...

I can tell you though that when I followed joules and nothing else (and still did the minimums suggested), I had the hottest fence ever (still do).

[chris30523]

very interesting on the joules. I was getting confused reading in the catalogs the different ratings on the chargers.Thats why I wanted to know what was in use and how it was working. We do have a lightning problem here. My back pasture is the highest point in the immediate area. DH is getting the pulls in and driving the posts (would have been easier before the drought). Goaties are looking foward to new browse.

[topside1]

Heather. Not trying to contradict you or your research, just trying to shed light on different opinions. It's my belief that the higher the voltage the higher the joules. This particular unit is rated @ 9 joules and 11000 volts in a perfect setting. With goats and cattle electric fence has been an economical choice. Chris let us know which unit you choose. Staying confused is half the fun.

[Mr. Dot]

I also use the Parmak SE 4. Every living creature on the place who has come in contact with it (including me) exhibits a deep respect for those 9 joules.

[hoofinitnorth]

Topside1 - No not at all, I am glad to be brought up to date! If my info. is wrong, I want to learn what's right! 9 joules is awesome - I had one like that myself from Parkmak and it warded off brown and black bears (I watched them run after getting shocked).

I have a smaller charger now at this place and it works GREAT - it's a 12v model too. 5 strands alternating colors of electric tape fence (only Safe Fence or Horse Guard is quality for my use IMO/IME). High tensile, if done right, is a dandy fence for cattle!!

[Liese]

Originally Posted by topside1

Liese, the fuse holder is on the top of the charger....I think it requires a 2amp fuse...Yes I do agree adding extra wire is touchy...Otherwise it works great.

Thanks!