November 29, 2013

Tips to Keep Your Electric Fence in Good Working Order

Tips to Keep Your Fence in Good Working Order

For a safe, dependable electric fence, we recommend you follow these helpful hints:

•	Use a voltage tester to check your fence line every day. You'll want to know about any problems before the animals do.
•	If you install your fence controller outdoors, make certain you cover it and protect all electrical connections from moisture.
•	Use 20,000-volt hookup wire to connect the fence controller to the fence line; standard 600-volt wire lacks adequate insulation.
•	Install your ground rods at least 50 feet away from any utility ground rods, buried telephone lines, or buried water lines. These may pick up stray voltage a deliver a shock to spigots and water tanks or cause interference with phones, televisions, or radios.
•	Use only high-quality insulators and connectors. Cracked, poor-quality, and makeshift insulators (such as water hoses) will degrade the performance of your fence or cause it to fail completely. Do not connect electrified wire directly to wood or steel posts.
•	Most damage to fence controllers result from power surges and lightning strikes. Zareba designs its fence controllers to withstand power surges caused from most lightning strikes. However, lightning is so powerful that nothing can give 100% protection. To reduce the chance of damage from lightning, lightning diverters and surge suppressors offer some added protection.
•	If you know a severe thunderstorm is imminent for your area, you may wish to disconnect the fence controller from the power source and the fence line to prevent possible lightning damage.
•	If you have long fence lines, keep a spare bag of each type of insulator on hand to quickly replace those that may become damaged.
•	Use a ground-rod clamp to securely connect the ground wire to the ground rods. Do not use hose clamps or wrap wire around the rod.

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Written by Gallagher Electric Fencing