# Electric fence question. Is this normal?



## PerchedOnMyFriesian (Mar 1, 2015)

OK I have a question for you guys... I just purchased a new box for my fence, as my other one just died. I got a Zareba® 25 Mile AC Low Impedance Fence Charger, 1 joule output at 75 ohm. My previous ones have always been Solid State Chargers. I don't have a voltage meter, I have a light tester like the one pictured below. My previous chargers would light up the tester light a bright glowing orange pulse when I would touch it on the fence. Now with my new fence charger, the tester sparks with a loud pop at the connection point when you touch the fence, and the tester light just quickly flashes a super white flash. Haha makes me jump every time I test it, lol, because of that spark and pop! I'm telling you I so don't want to accidentally touch that thing! It looks way more wicked than my solid state charger were. Do yours throw a spark and loud snap when touched?Is that normal??


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

I have this charger:









So it reflects if it is charged/working or on right on it. However, when I have used my tester on it, it did not spark or pop; it would just light up when the impulse charge goes thorugh it. That sounds like some type of short, but I have no clue. Never had that happen ... 

I have this tester:


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

OP, I have the exact same charger as you and it always gives a loud SNAP and spark when something conductive touches it, so I'd say it's pretty typical of that Zareba. I have the 25 miler on 5 acres, and it packs a punch. The horses actively avoid getting near the fence.


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## PerchedOnMyFriesian (Mar 1, 2015)

Yes the charger shows the correct thing. It lights and clicks like it says it's supposed to. LOL I just called the company and asked if the spark throwing was normal. She said yes, they can do that. OK I guess I feel better then. She did say that my fence only covering about 3 acres, (I have 4 but part is not covered in electric fence, too many trees and bushes) but iit's probably putting out a full charge of 8,500 volts since it's rated for 25 miles. She said I didn't need one that strong but it wouldn't hurt anything either. Said it would do great in tall grass and things that would try and ground it. 
All I know is I don't want to touch it! **** And I hope the horses don't either for that matter lol. But the shouldn't wanna do it again if they do.


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## PerchedOnMyFriesian (Mar 1, 2015)

Speed Racer said:


> OP, I have the exact same charger as you and it always gives a loud SNAP and spark when something conductive touches it, so I'd say it's pretty typical of that Zareba. I have the 25 miler on 5 acres, and it packs a punch. The horses actively avoid getting near the fence.


Thanks Speed Racer, I didn't see your reply before my last post. OK I do feel better now that I know someone else's does that too :wink:


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## mrwithers (Jun 25, 2014)

The higher the voltage the farther it will arc/spark. The zareba is 8500 volts with up to 1 joule output. 8500 is pretty high and I think older ones are a bit less. That's probably why you notice it more.

Somewhat related funny video about voltage, amps, and pain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp97GjuULX8


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Be mindful that this charger doesn't start a grass fire.


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## PerchedOnMyFriesian (Mar 1, 2015)

mrwithers said:


> The higher the voltage the farther it will arc/spark. The zareba is 8500 volts with up to 1 joule output. 8500 is pretty high and I think older ones are a bit less. That's probably why you notice it more.
> 
> Somewhat related funny video about voltage, amps, and pain.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp97GjuULX8


**** at the video, he could only stand 9 volts, I can only imagine what this fella would do with 8,500 volts, YIKES! lol Like I said, I don't want to even imagine touching the darn thing myself lol.

Saddle bag, I'm doing some research on that exact question.  I emailed the manufacturer to find out for sure. I "thought" (so which could mean I could be oh so so wrong lol which wouldn't shock me) but that this was only supposed to be possible on old outdated chargers and supposedly new ones weren't supposed to be able to cause that anymore. Like I said, "thought" but don't really know. I'll make sure to post the manufacturers reply to this question :wink:


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## mrwithers (Jun 25, 2014)

PerchedOnMyFriesian said:


> **** at the video, he could only stand 9 volts, I can only imagine what this fella would do with 8,500 volts, YIKES! lol Like I said, I don't want to even imagine touching the darn thing myself lol.
> 
> Saddle bag, I'm doing some research on that exact question.  I emailed the manufacturer to find out for sure. I "thought" (so which could mean I could be oh so so wrong lol which wouldn't shock me) but that this was only supposed to be possible on old outdated chargers and supposedly new ones weren't supposed to be able to cause that anymore. Like I said, "thought" but don't really know. I'll make sure to post the manufacturers reply to this question :wink:


Lol. I have the same exact charger as you and I accidentally touched it the other day. I would definitely not want to lick it.


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## PerchedOnMyFriesian (Mar 1, 2015)

mrwithers said:


> Lol. I have the same exact charger as you and I accidentally touched it the other day. I would definitely not want to lick it.


LOL you did? How far did ya feel it, ****? My old one if I touched it with my hand I'd feel it about up to my elbow. This one I'm afraid I'd feel it to my eyeballs! :shock: lol


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## mrwithers (Jun 25, 2014)

PerchedOnMyFriesian said:


> LOL you did? How far did ya feel it, ****? My old one if I touched it with my hand I'd feel it about up to my elbow. This one I'm afraid I'd feel it to my eyeballs! :shock: lol


I felt my whole arm get stiff. I bet if I was barefoot it would have been a lot worse.


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## PerchedOnMyFriesian (Mar 1, 2015)

mrwithers said:


> I felt my whole arm get stiff. I bet if I was barefoot it would have been a lot worse.


Yee-ouch! And oh yah, barefoot would'a been worse lol! :lol: So you have the same charger as me too then, the Zareba® 25 Mile AC Low Impedance? Does yours spark when you test it with a tester? Speed racer said theirs does with a loud SNAP and a spark like mine. I'm sorry but I keep giggling while writing, lol. Did it spark when "you" hit it? :shock: **** 
I'm so evil :twisted: lol I so wanna see the husband run into it! I'd buy a ticket to see it! hehe Karma is probably gonna get me for wishing on this. haha probably gonna hit it myself soon lol:wink:


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I have the same charger. We actually have 3 of them, wired so that each one has a 2nd as a back up. That way, in theory, the fence will always be hot somewhere. 

I have screwed up and grabbed the metal gate while standing on wet ground and touched that fence. I felt like I got kicked in the chest by a rhinoceros. It HURT for a while. I will not do that twice.


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## PerchedOnMyFriesian (Mar 1, 2015)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> I have the same charger. We actually have 3 of them, wired so that each one has a 2nd as a back up. That way, in theory, the fence will always be hot somewhere.
> 
> I have screwed up and grabbed the metal gate while standing on wet ground and touched that fence. I felt like I got kicked in the chest by a rhinoceros. It HURT for a while. I will not do that twice.


WOW! I bet that felt like being kicked in the chest by rhino!!!:shock: You have 3 of those chargers hooked up? Holy crap, lol. Yah if that don't keep them in nothing will lol. Are you covering a lot of acres? I know they say if you are working with a big distance coverage you should put in extra ground rods along the fence at farther away points. 

Mine was grounding last night at the farthest point of my field. I could hear it popping off in the distance from in my house, lol. I went out there today to search it down and it was funny because when I got to the corner where it wraps around a cut telephone pole corner post, I have the line run threw a rubber, like, auto hose. Well there were 2 nails bent over that holding the hose in place on the post. Well it was grounding threw that thick rubber hose to the nail. No holes, just enough charge to going threw it to the nail. Loud SNAP with every pulse! I pulled the nails and wallah it stopped. Oh yah, I went back to the barn and unplugged it before I pulled those nails lol.:wink:


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## mrwithers (Jun 25, 2014)

PerchedOnMyFriesian said:


> Yee-ouch! And oh yah, barefoot would'a been worse lol! :lol: So you have the same charger as me too then, the Zareba® 25 Mile AC Low Impedance? Does yours spark when you test it with a tester? Speed racer said theirs does with a loud SNAP and a spark like mine. I'm sorry but I keep giggling while writing, lol. Did it spark when "you" hit it? :shock: ****
> I'm so evil :twisted: lol I so wanna see the husband run into it! I'd buy a ticket to see it! hehe Karma is probably gonna get me for wishing on this. haha probably gonna hit it myself soon lol:wink:


I was just testing it with a multimeter. It wasn't a very loud snap but I could hear it. It didn't make the same snap when I touched it though


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

PerchedOnMyFriesian said:


> WOW! I bet that felt like being kicked in the chest by rhino!!!:shock: You have 3 of those chargers hooked up? Holy crap, lol. Yah if that don't keep them in nothing will lol. Are you covering a lot of acres? I know they say if you are working with a big distance coverage you should put in extra ground rods along the fence at farther away points.
> 
> Mine was grounding last night at the farthest point of my field. I could hear it popping off in the distance from in my house, lol. I went out there today to search it down and it was funny because when I got to the corner where it wraps around a cut telephone pole corner post, I have the line run threw a rubber, like, auto hose. Well there were 2 nails bent over that holding the hose in place on the post. Well it was grounding threw that thick rubber hose to the nail. No holes, just enough charge to going threw it to the nail. Loud SNAP with every pulse! I pulled the nails and wallah it stopped. Oh yah, I went back to the barn and unplugged it before I pulled those nails lol.:wink:


We have 5 separate areas that are fenced by the hot wire. The stallion/gelding pasture has its own charger and also covers the 2 yards in front and behind the barns, then I have the north east pasture which has its own charger and then the south pasture which has its own charger. We wired each charger so that its the primary charger for 1 big pasture and then it backs up a 2nd area. We did it that way so that A/when a horse gets into the fence, they get a serious reminder of why that's not a good thing and B/even if the 2nd wire is a smaller zap, they still get a reminder of why they should stay off the fencing. We put those big zap chargers on to make sure they get a CTJ if they start messing around with the fence. 

It works. The other night we went out to dinner and when we got back I saw a bunch of fire flies in the corner of the pasture. First thought was how interesting that the fire flies were all congregated in one area....then...oh, yeah, fire flies don't do that and the flashing is too rhythmical, snap, snap, snap, snap...UH OH the fence is down. Where are the horses? They were all in a FAR corner away from the downed wires. Not one had tried to escape, even though all they had to do was walk over the wire where it went down. The downed wire was in an area where we're re-fencing the field fence and it's the only thing that's actually fencing that particular area. SOMEbody got a big zap. :lol::shock:


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I accidentally touched mine when I was wet. It had been raining, and I lightly brushed the fence. Literally thought I was going to die. I felt sick for hours. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. :-x


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## PerchedOnMyFriesian (Mar 1, 2015)

Saddlebag said:


> Be mindful that this charger doesn't start a grass fire.


 Well I got the answer from the manufacturer and I'm glad you posted this comment Saddlebag, as it made me contact the manufacturer, and not just believe what I had heard or seen online. :wink: You are correct, they can. All mine are on top of the fence anyway, so not close to the grass, but still, I will be watching it more closely! Thanks Saddlebag :wink: 

Here is the reply from Zareba Systems: 

Hello Dawn,

Thank you for contacting us at Zareba®. We are happy to assist with this. 

With any electric fence energizers, a grass fire is a possibility. It is very rare, but it is possible under the right conditions. The grass would need to be very dry, and the wire would be need to be rubbing up against the grass constantly. As long as the grass is dry and weeds/ tall grass is not rising up and touching the fence, you can feel confident using this without fear of fire. 

We hope this was helpful. We can be reached at 1-855-5-ZAREBA (1-855-592-7322) with any additional questions. 

Thank you, 
*Justin*
Consumer Relations Representative
Woodstream Corporation


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Because of that and because heavy growth can short out the wire, we spray Round Up under the bottom wire of our fence. It establishes a "no grow" zone.


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

Last year I ran to jump the fence to open a gate, well it was raining and the grass was wet. Well safe to say I got one leg over and went down. I landed on my back, fence between my my legs in the wet grass. I grabbed the sucker and yanked it over my head. This was the worst shock I've ever had, with the same charger as you on 50 acres. I would compare it to biting a cord attached to the outlet. I couldn't move or breathe and I was stuck with the fence in my hands for about five seconds.


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## PerchedOnMyFriesian (Mar 1, 2015)

WhattaTroublemaker said:


> Last year I ran to jump the fence to open a gate, well it was raining and the grass was wet. Well safe to say I got one leg over and went down. I landed on my back, fence between my my legs in the wet grass. I grabbed the sucker and yanked it over my head. This was the worst shock I've ever had, with the same charger as you on 50 acres. I would compare it to biting a cord attached to the outlet. I couldn't move or breathe and I was stuck with the fence in my hands for about five seconds.


OMG YIKES!!! LOL you must still have nightmares about that!!!


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