# Fire ants nested in my charger.



## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

Has anyone ever had ants short out their electric fence charger? I tested it yesterday and it was getting zero juice. I took it down and ants went everywhere. I finally got them cleaned out and still nothing.

I have walked the fence, checked insulators, posts, I can't find anything wrong. My charger says it is putting out the juice but the fence tester says otherwise. This is getting frustrating. It seems like I am fooling with this darn thing all the time anymore. 

I have three ground rods sunk 6' and spaced 12' apart. I took the wire brush and cleaned the clamps. I'm baffled.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Did you try disconnecting any fence wire and checking the charge from the charger by itself?


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

iridehorses said:


> Did you try disconnecting any fence wire and checking the charge from the charger by itself?


Yep that was what I was doing when I saw the ants to start with.

It's a Zareba 5 mile charger, fencing a little less than 2 acres. Model # 115V04J-4 
This is the second one to do the same thing. We've checked the ground, checked as well as we can for any old piping systems, the house is grounded over 200 feet (at least) away. Ground rods are steel, so is the wire.

Rascal is having a field day over top of the woven fence and has already run a considerable portion down from last night to this morning. It's why we put the hot wire up to start with, he's such a pest LOL


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

Could the fact that it is spliced wire be causing this? Rascal will break it if it isn't on 24/7 and I have had to splice a couple places. I am replacing the 14 gauge with 12.5 soon (possibly now if I can't fix this)


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

The splice should have nothing to do with it especially if the charger isn't working without anything attached. Sounds more like the ants have caused a short. Is there a fuse on the unit? Maybe inside?

I had a problem with a mig welder that stopped working because spiders got inside the switches and caused a short.


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

No fuse that I can find. I have it torn apart right now. It's really simple inside, ants are cleaned out totally now. I can't see a burnt place or anything on the board. No visible signs of anything. I am waiting on DH to get home, I left the tester in his truck earlier (no fun sitting on the probe OUCH) ...DUHHHHH Me.
Thanks for the ideas though. This is making me bonkers. It's our second charger in less than a year. I called Zareba and they sent the replacement, but this one isn't under warranty as it is a replacement of the first. They keep telling me it is my ground. I honestly don't think so...but I could be wrong.

I have the hose on low to soak the ground rods and will try it again to make sure it isn't that, but I've never had this much problem with a charger before. Usually it's set up the ground, mount the charger under cover, run the wire, hook it up, turn it on, test it, double check it, and done with it. I miss my old ones. 2 ground rods, one wire, a light that came on if it was working, and not if it wasn't. Simple and easy to replace the parts if they went bad.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

turn on the charger, connect it to the ground ONLY, stick your fence tester into the ground touch it to the "fence" stud, see if it is working and if you have full voltage. If it isnt, you have a bad charger, if it is your fence is grounded somewhere.


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

Joe4d said:


> turn on the charger, connect it to the ground ONLY, stick your fence tester into the ground touch it to the "fence" stud, see if it is working and if you have full voltage. If it isnt, you have a bad charger, if it is your fence is grounded somewhere.


 Did that with my arm earlier :-x. I hooked the charger back up, Rascal came to investigate, petted him for a minute, shooed a yellow jacket away, and hit both bolts. IT has power for sure.

Now I just have to figure out wth is going on with the fence. I can't find where it is grounding out. Testing by section is out for a few more hours til DH is home. I am not checking it by hand LOL.


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## BigGreyHorse (Sep 28, 2009)

If you have porcelain conductors on your fence corners, check those. The last crew we had work fence here used those on every corner. We had a lightening strike somewhere close and lost conductivity over 3 of them. Not a mark on them but they weren't working. Fencing isn't my first love and it took me all day to figure it out.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Wait a moment ... the charger is putting out voltage? That isn't what I was getting from your description.


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

iridehorses said:


> Wait a moment ... the charger is putting out voltage? That isn't what I was getting from your description.


Sorry, yes it was. No it wasn't earlier. Now it isn't again. I have no clue why it started charging, but still nothing on the dang fence. I'm grabbing it by hand, barfooted to see if I can get anything. Still nothing down the fence line, and I am not even sure the charger is charging now. Something is lose or shorting out. No clue which.

The last reading I got was 1200 and it is supposed to be hitting 2600. I broke the **** probe when I sat on it earlier. GREAT!! 

Zareba says send the charger in, it's covered under warranty. Which means if I do I have to go buy another charger til this one is fixed, which can take up to 28 days. Then I am left with an extra. So, I'm trying to figure out what is wrong and fix it myself before I cuss the maker and go buy another one anyways.

GAH I am beginning to hate electric fences. Used to be the only fencing I'd use. If butt face din't lean all over the fence and run it down I'd be fine. But noooo he has to have the grass on the OTHER side of the fence and lean alll over it in the process. I am done with it for today. If I go mess with it some more and can't fix it, I am ready to "fix" it permanently with a dang hammer.


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

BigGreyHorse said:


> If you have porcelain conductors on your fence corners, check those. The last crew we had work fence here used those on every corner. We had a lightening strike somewhere close and lost conductivity over 3 of them. Not a mark on them but they weren't working. Fencing isn't my first love and it took me all day to figure it out.


Thanks for the idea, but I have the plastic ones-corner and posts. We went the porcelain route the first time. DH kept tightening them down to tight and cracking them. So I went and bought the plastic ones.


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

Ok I ran a stretch of fence about 25 ft long. Totally seperate from everything else. I hooked it up using new screw clamps and got enough charge to feel, but not actually shock. Then I hooked the wire to the charger using a jumper wire wrapped around the stud and the fence wire nothing that way. Next stop is run the wire straight to the charger stud, wrap it around a plastic insulator nailed to the fence post for a little tension, and hook it again. If it doesn't have any bite then, scrap the charger?

I am at a loss now. I am stumped until I go get another tester or keep grabbing it by hand. TSC is almost 45 minutes away and none of the small town hardwares carry the digital tester.This is ridiculous.


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## Rancher6 (May 9, 2012)

Sounds like a bad charger. If you get to a point where you are going to blow your brains out over your electric fencing, it may be time to chuck the Zareba and just start over, restring your hot wire with a new charger. I've had problems with the Zareba solars--might be just me.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Am I right that you put the tester to the charger with the fence wire removed? If you get a good result there, then the fence is the problem. With all the trouble you are having with the Zareba I shall make note to never buy one. Does your fence form a loop going back to the charger? This has to happen with a single wire. Even your test wire has to form a loop.


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## Adam (Feb 6, 2012)

Rascaholic said:


> Ok I ran a stretch of fence about 25 ft long. Totally seperate from everything else. I hooked it up using new screw clamps and got enough charge to feel, but not actually shock. Then I hooked the wire to the charger using a jumper wire wrapped around the stud and the fence wire nothing that way. Next stop is run the wire straight to the charger stud, wrap it around a plastic insulator nailed to the fence post for a little tension, and hook it again. If it doesn't have any bite then, scrap the charger?
> 
> I am at a loss now. I am stumped until I go get another tester or keep grabbing it by hand. TSC is almost 45 minutes away and none of the small town hardwares carry the digital tester.This is ridiculous.


Sounds like yours is doing what ours did a few months ago.... There was enough of a charge to feel a tingle right off the charger, but not enough to charge the fence. I wound up having to replace mine. 
I hate fixing the electric fence, I get zapped every time I mess with it....


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Does the mfg have a tech support number?


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

Rancher said:


> Sounds like a bad charger. If you get to a point where you are going to blow your brains out over your electric fencing, it may be time to chuck the Zareba and just start over, restring your hot wire with a new charger. I've had problems with the Zareba solars--might be just me.



I absolutely hate this charger. It's our second one and they are going bad every 3 to 4 months...WTH

Yes I am going to get a new charger, hopefully later today. I rechecked with a borrowed tester. The output is less than 1000 volts now and it sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. 

As for the Zareba, NEVER again. I know TSC pushes the brand but even if I have to pay twice their price, it'll be worth it for one that doesn't die in a couple months!!

I am just glad the electric is not our only fencing, or that Rascal wasn't out in the temporary fencing when it went phhhhhttttt. Flipping accident waiting to happen with these.


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

Zareba was very helpful on their live chat again:-| I can send the charger to Knoxville and have it fixed, sometime in the next month. I was informed that, YES, bugs can cause the charger to short out entirely. 

So, I am off to buy a new charger. Hopefully one that is actually safe for an outdoor installation since this one is not. Not even in a sealed box, because of the air circulation holes I drilled in the bottom of the box. 

Who knew ants were more powerful than an electric fence charger? You'd think the little &*$^#(! wouldn't cause me anymore problems than they already do in the pasture. 

If you have an electric fence charger, seal it against bugs. They can evidently fry one and cause it to work weird, intermittently, or not at all. I have a headache now.

_iridehorses_- Yes, but the live chat was quicker and easier for me.

_Adam_- I'd rather be zapped than keep replacing the fence Rascal leans on and runs down LOL

_Saddlebag_- No juice at all now. And this is an open ended system. No loop required. It's made to dead end. Or so Zareba claims. I can't find a closed system charger anymore around here. They are all designed to dead end now it looks like.

_Rancher_- It's not just you. This is my 3rd and last Zareba. I am sending this one back to be fixed, but buying another brand in the mean time. When this one comes back, since they are basically useless to me, I am gonna use it for target practice when we go target shooting next time.

I wouldn't be so dang mad but now I have run down fence to fix/replace and the woven wire horse fence ain't cheap. Hubby will want to replace the whole back section because it "looks bad" no matter if I can actually fix it back on the posts or not. Fence replacement is my expense. My horse, my problem. *sigh* anyone got one of the old chargers they wanna part with? You know, those that will light you up if you brush against one.


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## Rancher6 (May 9, 2012)

Parker Mcrory out of Kansas City makes some real good ones for all applications. 

Parker-McCrory Mfg. Co. - Welcome To Parmak


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

Rancher said:


> Parker Mcrory out of Kansas City makes some real good ones for all applications.
> 
> Parker-McCrory Mfg. Co. - Welcome To Parmak


Thanks Rancher, I am looking at them now. I didn't get to go get one yesterday as I got called into work an afternoon and overnight shift.


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## Crossroadshorsefarm (Apr 17, 2012)

Zareba is on the cheaper end of chargers. I worked on them and fixed them at the Agricultural store I was employed at. 90% of the ones that came in to be fixed were Zareba. I reccomend a southern states box. or parmak. 

As for your fence, the more it is spliced and tied back together etc, the weaker the current will get as it goes on. Plastic insulators can wear out as well as any insulator. If they are cracked, old or bent or damaged any way can weaken them and disrupt the current. 

But to me it sounds like your box is bad? where did you purchase it?


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Might be to late to this conversation but if you are buying a new one don't get a 5 miler. I've found pretty much anything under 20 is junk and gives problems from not being built stout enough. Get the large mile ones and they are made of heavier components.


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

Nope not late to the conversation. I borrowed one till I can get another. Yep charger went bad, again. Zareba being what it is will not get another chance. The best thing I found about them is their customer service. Their product is sorely lacking. 
I am still looking, waiting for inquiry responses, holiday and offices being closed early stinks when trying to obtain information LOL. 
I went for the 5 mile, I figured it was more than enough....turns out I was wrong I guess. I am still looking, and Rascal is busy gettin a charge out of the old one I borrowed. It'll zap you, that's for sure. 
I begged my friend to just sell it to me. It's almost 30 years old. There is nothing in it you can't replace cheaply and easily. AND it is waterproof/bug proof! She told me I could have her hubby before I could have that charger. It is her back up. She bought a new one about 10 years ago and this one was hanging out in the tack room as a spare. She has drafts and they love to run down a fence if it isn't electrified.
I'll post whatever I wind up with and a review on ease of use etc. LOL if anyone is interested.


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