# Help needed with first electric fence



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Sounds like your hot wire is being grounded somewhere.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Electric fence is wonderful and a complete PITA at the same time. You'll probably find one of these is the best fencing tool you'll ever buy. https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e07f7e-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5 

It'll save you all kinds of time and frustration.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

You did use insulators?


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## MustacheAcademyFarms (Feb 8, 2016)

Saddlebag said:


> You did use insulators?



I did. T-post insulators on posts and tube insulators on corner posts(which are trees.


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## MustacheAcademyFarms (Feb 8, 2016)

PaintHorseMares said:


> Sounds like your hot wire is being grounded somewhere.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



Could you explain how this might happen? Sorry for the probably dumb questions but this is all completely new and I just tried to teach myself everything by reading.


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

I would start by setting up a little fake test fence. You have your ground wire going to your three ground rods, and your hot wire going to the fence wire. So make a pretend fence that is just two posts with a few feet of hotwire. Disconnect your hot wire from your real fence and connect it to the wire on your test fence. If everything reads OK and you get 7000 volts or more on the test fence, you know the problem is that somewhere on your real fence there is a short, and you will have to find it. Could be a bad insulator or wire end touching the steel of a T-post.

Does that make sense? Let us know how your come out.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

MustacheAcademyFarms said:


> Could you explain how this might happen? Sorry for the probably dumb questions but this is all completely new and I just tried to teach myself everything by reading.


At some point of the fence your hot wire is touching something that is conducting the electric charge to the ground. As Joel mentioned, perhaps the hot wire is touching the metal of a t-post.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MustacheAcademyFarms (Feb 8, 2016)

Joel Reiter said:


> I would start by setting up a little fake test fence. You have your ground wire going to your three ground rods, and your hot wire going to the fence wire. So make a pretend fence that is just two posts with a few feet of hotwire. Disconnect your hot wire from your real fence and connect it to the wire on your test fence. If everything reads OK and you get 7000 volts or more on the test fence, you know the problem is that somewhere on your real fence there is a short, and you will have to find it. Could be a bad insulator or wire end touching the steel of a T-post.
> 
> Does that make sense? Let us know how your come out.


Thank you very much. I'll get out and start checking it as soon as the snow stops


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

MustacheAcademyFarms said:


> Thank you very much. I'll get out and start checking it *as soon as the snow stops*


Could be anything touching the fence and also the ground. Including water or ice trickling from an insulator to a post.


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