Electric Fencing

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Electric Fencing
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Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 8:35 am Post subject: Electric Fencing

I think I am probably repeating myself here but I can't find my original post in 19 pages that mention fencing!

I use electric tape to divide up the fields but I can't get a very good current to run through all of it so last night my daughter's horse nearly strangled herself and Alan by twisting it round her neck (how?!) then spooking and ripping several hundred meters off before galloping off down the field trailing it all. Fortunately Alan ducked

So the set up is - mains current attached to double strand around small paddock. Leading off this is a buried cable under the gate leading down to divide the other two fields. It's the one leading down that is weak and ignored

It's earthed with an iron rod stuck into bog! Any one any ideas- I am going to have to spend the day repairing the fence I think, when I really wanted to go riding.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 8:48 am Post subject:
Too busy trying to kill each other

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 8:56 am Post subject:
This one? https://forum.downsizer.net/about17646.html&highlight=fencing

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 8:58 am Post subject:
No I thought I had already asked about this prob. Or had I and you are going to highlight my ageing brain by posting them all one at a time

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 9:00 am Post subject:
https://forum.downsizer.net/about17634.html&highlight=fencing ?

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 9:03 am Post subject:
You have been on here to long when you just know whats coming

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 10:23 am Post subject: Re: Electric Fencing

ruby wrote:

It's the one leading down that is weak and ignored

It's earthed with an iron rod stuck into bog! Any one any ideas ....

My practical experience with electric fencing is very limited, BUT *iron* sounds like a *bad* material for this.
It will rust. The rust will act as an insulator. The insulator will have a high electrical resistance and therefore reduce the current that can flow. The reduced current will produce less 'sting'.
Rust where the wire attaches to the rod, and rust on the underground part of the rod will both act as insulators.

I thought copper was the usual material?

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 10:28 am Post subject:
Dougal It was copper 'til I tripped up and managed to snap it

guyandzoe

Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 78

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 1:02 pm Post subject:

I suspect you have either a earth leak from the buried section or, more likely your earth return is inadequate. It could be because of deteriation as Dougal suggests but more likely the single post earth is just not good enough. Have you more earth posts you could attach or perhaps bury a length of wire to form a good (long) earth. Try the earth in the middle of the fence rather than at one end. Link yor multiple earth points with undergraound wire.

There really is little that can go wrong in a simple leccy circuit. If the mains unit is functioning then the most likely defect is an earth problem - not a good return or returning before your troublesome fence length. You say you have the earth in the 'bog'. Water is not a good conductor and wet ground is a cause of bad current returns.

Are all the connectors firm?

Good luck.

guy

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 1:10 pm Post subject:
I think we have 4 earthing poles in a series, if that helps, on our mains system.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 1:49 pm Post subject:

guyandzoe wrote:

...You say you have the earth in the 'bog'. Water is not a good conductor and wet ground is a cause of bad current returns.

Really???

I thought that it was *dry* ground that led to problems.

Quote:

f you have a light soil that is free draining, such as pumice, volcanic ash or sand, your soil conductivity will be low and you will need to use a Fence Earth Return to ensure a good circuit. For more conductive heavy soils, such as clay, the Ground Earth Return is sufficient.

When farming on peat the solution is not quite as simple, for while peat retains water, in the dry of summer it can dry out if it is not connected to the water table. The choice of grounding system will depend on whether there is an area that is damp enough all year round to use the Ground Earth Return.

https://www.rd1.com/web/content?in_section=3&in_item=399&in_page=1226

Returning the system to its original configuration (with a copper spike) has to be the first thing to do.
*Then*, if the problem persists, look for other problems, and system improvements to overcome them...

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 4:25 pm Post subject:

Wheeeeeeeeee - just got back from a fantastic fast ride - to find all this useful help. I was thinking about what you said Dougal - but the first bit of fence is so electrified that the indicator tester thingy lights up before I even put it on the wire but I suppose teh further away it gets then the weaker the current. Why oh why didn't I ask more questions in physics.

However I will try all your suggestions thank you. I have just made it all "safe" for now as there is no point in putting it all back together until I can run enough electricity through it to work properly. Mind you - the horse is now very respectful of it - bout time too.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 5:54 pm Post subject:

A few things you can try.

For running long runs out to the tape either use proper elec fence wire (dont be a cheap skate & use normal house hold / auto wire as it will leak at the voltages used) or use bare metal elec fence wire run along the fence post tops in insulators. If I remember right the metal elec wire can be over 100 times longer than tapes & poly wires due to much lower resistance. Dont ever use tapes & polywire to run long distances the voltage drop will stop it working. If you look at the fence unit specs it will say how many km,s of metal wire you can run & the how much poly tape & last how many meters of netting.

Make sure all joins are very tight. I use a galv bolt & washers to make all joins. Twisted wire will work to start with but corosion soon set in.

Use fence isolator switches to turn off areas that are not needed.

Make sure vegitation is kept off the fence (prob not a problem for horses but for pigs where the wire is much lower it is, as is the pigs covering the wire with soil).

Justme

pricey

Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Posts: 6444

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 6:41 pm Post subject:
Only just seen this, sorry. Deffo your earth, earth rods from a elec wholesalers are 2 quid each, get 4 or 5. The more earth the better. The wetter the ground the better the earth, we used to have to pee on the rods in the summer when we did rewires, so it would Mega out properly. Water and gold are the best conductors for elec.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 07 6:42 pm Post subject:
Funny that - yet I asked this morning because I saw you were on here Wonder what you were doing?

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