2016 Premier Fence

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The size of the pulse that travels from
an energizer’s fence terminal varies in
volts and joules according to the sum
total of the resistances in the path
between the 2 terminals.
These resistances in ohms (Ω) include
all of these “numbers”:
a. The resistance of wire/rope/polywire/
tape (100 to 10,000 Ω/mile).
b. The resistance of the animal at the
point of contact (50 to 2,000 Ω).
c. The internal resistance of the animal’s
body, hooves, hair (100 to 500Ω ).
d. Resistance at the point of contact with
the soil (grass, leaves, wet vs dry soil).
e. Resistance of the soil (20 to 50,000Ω ) if
it’s not a Pos/Neg-wired fence system.
f. The resistance of the ground rod
system and the soil around it.
g. The resistance of weeds (25 to
50,000Ω). It operates in “parallel”
with b, c and d.
What’s total fence circuit resistance?
The total circuit resistance of a fence
varies enormously by the hour, day and
week. The key factor is the moisture in
the soil, air, plants and the animal’s nose,
hide and feet. They depend on changes in
dew, rain, type of vegetation, wind, etc.
The only constant is the conductor.
Therefore, the total resistance of a mile
of single-strand, weed-free cattle/deer/
horse fence may vary from 600 to 10,000 Ω
throughout the season. But an extra mile
may add only 10Ω to either total (because
the other factors do not change).
The circuit resistance of 1500 ft of
weed-free, temporary electric netting
varies from 200 Ω to 10,000Ω depending
on the soil moisture. Again, adding an
extra 1500 ft of ElectroNet may add
only 50Ω .
A Pos/Neg fence (alternating hot/
ground) is a wise option when the soil
and animal resistances exceed 5,000Ω.
1. Impedance type (wide or low)
A simple way to indicate which units
are more capable of responding to
challenges of drier soils, snow-covered
soils, and pushing energy through
animals with high internal electrical
resistances (deer, goats, rabbits, poultry
and small sheep).
2. Peak output (in joules)
Guide to an energizer’s ability to cope
with high levels of green vegetation
contacting the energized wire. Higher
numbers are better.
3. Joules at 5000 ohms
The ohms refer to total circuit
resistance (see below). Units with larger
numbers can energize more fence when
soil is dry (not arid) or snow-covered.
4. Pulses per minute
More is better. Less time between
pulses means it’s more likely to stop
untrained animals.
5. Battery input
This column describes the battery
input required by each energizer.
6. Fence load LED lights
Not the same as a simple “on” light.
These indicate if voltage and energy
levels are enough to stop most animals.
If not lit, check the fence for problems.
7. Minimum ground rods (ft)
Normal total ground rod requirements.
More may help in certain conditions.
8. Draw in watts/hour
Expected AC draw in watts.
9. High-low output
If there is a switch to reduce output
energy and battery input demand.
10. Battery amp draw per hour on
clean(c) and weedy(w) fences
Expected milliampere (mA) drain from
battery per hour at high output levels for
clean or weed-laden fences.
Predicts size of battery needed (or solar
panel) and how often you will need to
recharge it. Large numbers mean larger
panels or more frequent recharges.
Note that mA draw of Patriot units
is the same for both clean and weedy
fences. For IntelliShock units, when
a fence is clean (no green weeds), the
mA draw is low. If a fence is weedy, the
mA draw of IntelliShock energizers is
higher. Thus battery and solar panel
requirements (columns 11 and 12) are
higher and lower.
Use Deep Cycle (DC) instead of
automotive batteries. Why? Automotive
batteries can only be drawn down 5%
before they lose recharging ability. DC
batteries can be drawn down 60%. DC
batteries recharge slowly (1 to 2 amp/hr).
Do not go below a 40% charge on a DC
battery whether in use or in storage.
11. Days between recharging for
clean(c) and weedy(w) fences
Predicts when a 12v 100 amp hr deep
cycle battery will need recharging under
clean (no weeds) conditions. Assumes
being drawn down to 40% between
recharges. (An equal size vehicle battery
must be recharged 3X more often to
prevent damage to battery.)
12. Solar panel for clean(c) and
weedy(w) conditions
Predicts solar panel size (in watts)
advised for each energizer under clean vs
weed-laden fence conditions.
The low number of a range assumes 6
average solar insolation hours per day
(southern US or summer in north).
The high number assumes only 4
insolation hours per day. Using a larger
panel allows a smaller battery to be used
and vice versa.
Energizer Chart Data
Explanation of columns and values (see chart on pp. 96–97).
What is heavy weed load?
Grass growing up to and onto the
conductive strands of the fence (this
drains the pulse strength). Green
(moist) grass drains a fence; brown
(dry) does not. (Also see p. 109.)
Does the length of the grass
stems reaching the fence make
a difference?
A big difference. The longer the stem
the less energy leakage will occur.
Why should I care?
More resistance and weed drain = a
weaker pulse. Livestock and predators
will not be stopped by weak pulses.
Wide-impedance vs low-impedance?
Wide-impedance energizers offer
higher pulse strength when the soil is
dry and grass is brown.
Low-impedance units excel when
soil is moist and grass is green.
ENERGIZER CHART DATA 95
Note regarding 10, 11 and 12: Clean (c) fences
have no contact with green/wet weeds. Wires in
contact with green weeds (w) 6" from soil cause
7 times more energy drain than wires contacting
weeds 30" from soil.