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16 TROUBLESHOOTING FENCES
www.premier1supplies.com• 1-800-282-6631
Troubleshooting
Electric Fences
Is it the energizer or the fence that’s the problem?
1. To check—turn off the energizer.
2. Then disconnect the wires going to the fence and ground
rod system.
3. Turn the energizer back on.
4. Then measure the voltage on the energizer between the 2
terminals (fence and earth) with a digital fence voltmeter or
other fence testing device. Touch one end to the “–” earth
terminal and the other end to the “+” fence terminal.
5. If the tester reads under 4000v, the energizer (or possibly the
battery if it’s a battery energizer) is the problem.
6. If the tester reads more than 4000 volts, the fence is the
problem and the energizer is working properly.
If energizer is at fault…
110 volt plug-in unit 1. Check that the 110v outlet is “live” with a test light. 2. If the test light works and the energizer does not, call Premier. We are happy to help and will act quickly. DC battery unit First determine whether it’s the battery or the energizer that’s not working. 1. If it’s a 12v energizer, carry it to a nearby vehicle. Attach the input cords carefully to the vehicle’s battery. 2. If the energizer works, then the energizer’s battery needs to be recharged or replaced. 3. If the energizer does not work when attached to a vehicle battery, then you should call Premier about the unit.Energizer testing mistakes
• Some testers require batteries. If the tester’s battery is low,
no reading or a misreading (sharp contrast in consecutive
pulse voltage) will occur.
• Fault finders are unable to test fence energizers.
• If a battery energizer’s light is pulsing but less than 3000v
is measured across the terminals, check the battery charge
level (with a multimeter). Energizers with undercharged
batteries may produce an insufficient pulse.
HotShock 600 110v plug-in unit. If test
light is not functional, check the fuse.
Electrified fences in contact with waterers
When this occurs the waterer may shock you or your
livestock. An electrified tank of water is a hazard to
both animals and humans.
Poor choice of fence
Using fences that don’t match your species/climate.
Example: HT fences with 2 to 3 strands may work
for sheep in the damp Northwest US, but they are not
effective for sheep in the Midwest when feed is short.
Inadequately training animals to the fence
Animals may run through electric fences. This is
more common with energized steel wire fences—
because livestock may have encountered nonenergized
wire fences that did not cause pain.
That’s why it’s best to build a short training fence
inside a pen next to a physical barrier fence. If it’s steel
wire, add ribbons to the energized wire for visibility.
Attract them to the “hot” wire with hay or grain.
Common design errors
• Angles formed by horizontal bar, end post and
brace wire are wrong.
Result? The end post lifts up as
you see above. Solutions? Either lower the brace bar or
use a longer cross bar (10 ft or more). We now use an 8
ft long post as a brace bar as the horizontal but we set it
only 36" above the soil. The brace wire attaches at the
same 36" point.
• End post too small and/or not buried deep enough.
For fences 3 to 4 ft tall, use 8" diameter end posts. Drive
or set them 4 ft deep.
• Using floating braces.
Regrettably we tried this
design. They all ultimately failed.
• Live wires touching brace wires.
When this occurs as
it does when posts move (like those shown above have
done), contact will occur and the fence will short out.
H Brace Mistakes
(above) Cross brace too short and set too high—allowing end post to be
pulled out of the ground.