Electric Fence Charger



Posted: Saturday, April 10, 2010

by Keggy Cass

Are you building an electric fence to control your livestock?

Your Electric Fence Charger is most important for a successful fence that will keep your livestock penned where you want them. You will need one strong enough to teach the livestock to respect the fence after their first contact. The correct height for the hot wire is shoulder high for the type of animal you are trying to control. This height will result in the first shock almost always being the nose and they will back away and respect the fence from then on.

Another important feature to work with your electric fence charger is a good ground. This can be accomplished with three good ground rods placed about 3 feet apart and driven down to a depth of year around moisture. They are then connected together and hooked to the ground terminal on the charger.

Most good electric fence chargers will be equipped with a meter to help you identify a short or weak signal somewhere along the fence. Most of the time a weak signal or no signal indicates the fence is shorted out and usually from an unwanted ground. You will need to trace the fence line from the charger until you find the cause for the weak signal. Look for grounding where the fence is tied to the many posts if they are of conducting material and also look for weeds or other material growth touching the fence. Snow drifts and or high water will also ground it out.

An electric fence charger will help you create a good fence for controlling your livestock but in most cases it should be considered as a temporary or movable solution. Unless you go with a multiple wire high tensile fence it is not a good idea to rely on electric for your boundary or perimeter fencing. Animals that become excited can easily get started running towards a one or two strand fence and once they hit it there is no more control. Any permanent fence needs to also give some physical control in addition to the electrical shock.

For temporary fencing usually two wires or ribbons with the top one at shoulder height are adequate to control most livestock once they learn to respect the hot wire. A ribbon of about one half inch width in a highly visible color will increase your chance for good control because they can see it better than a small wire.

If you have need for an attractive perimeter fence for a short distance like around the farm yard it can be built with cross posts set up in a teepee fashion and connected with cross posts or logs. Cedar is a choice material for this type construction. After the wooden part is finished you can add one or two hot wires for the added control. You will want to use a small diameter wire and install the electric fence charger out of site for maximum beautification.

The above ideas and a high powered Electric Fence Charger will get you off to a good start with your first electric fencing project.

More information available at http://www.electricfencecharger.net.

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by david from winfield, ks 1 year 155 days ago.
Good post, However, 3 grounds 3 feet a-part,, sorry in poor ground conditions yes mutable grounds are a must! 2 to 3 ground rods, 10 feet a-part, with 12 ga. copper wire, use clean connections and proper ground clamps, which have to be cleaned like once a year, if they get corroded then, you do not have a good enough ground. in rocky area's that can not have ground rods driven down,,, then you can use the ground rods, bending the end 90 degrees, and put them in a trench but you will be better off, soldering the copper ground wire from the controller to these ground rods, and make them like a wagon wheel, we do this at my place, and on communication towers for lighting protection,, hope this helps,, pioneer
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