# Electric fence-not working?



## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

Have you tested the wires yourself to see whether there is charge traveling through them or not? You need to test in multiple locations and this can help you identify where the charge is being lost if it is through the fence. You need to check the connections as well. Is it a solar or plug-in charger? How is the wire attached to your posts? There are many places/ways that you can lose charge in the fence - locating the problem is key in fixing it.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Have you touched it? That's the simplest way to check.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

If its touching the fence in places, you'll lose electricity. Have you checked the connectors to make sure it's only touching the plastic pieces?


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

The charger is obviously working. Is it battery, solar or plug in? If it's not plug-in, it could be low in charge and next to nothing arrives at the actual fence.
Then check the connection from the charger to the fence, make sure it's screwed in tight. 
Next check where it's attached to the fence, could be loose.
next check all insulators, the wire should only touch plastic, anything else will discharge into the ground.
Don't know how you connect charger with fence, with a cable? Could be broken.
For further " diagnostics" I would need more info


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

Get a fence tester to check your charge. It may be shorting out somewhere. If it is then you get the fun of walking your fence line looking for shorts in the wires where it may be grounded. 

If that is not the issue then you may have the problem we had when the weather got to dry our ground rod wasn't sufficient. Once we sunk a second one there was no more problem. But the most likely scenario is a short somewhere.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Cat, a bucket of water dumped on the ground rod in dry weather does wonders;-)


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## Rawhide (Nov 11, 2011)

Electric Horse Fence Installation: The Basics 

:wave:

BTW : Never do a # 1 on electric fence. :lol: You might lose your joule(s) and not the one(s) in charger ! :lol:

Boone


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Ok, I was wondering if it was ok to have only one wire in our fence instead of two.


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## Blue Smoke (Dec 22, 2012)

Definitely check your ground rods. I had trouble with bad grounding this summer and it wasn't shocking horses (I also had numerous people touch the fence when it was hot and they got no shock so I investigated further and the ground was like dust, bad ground). If you are like most of the country the dirt is just too dry to create a sufficient ground. It also helps if you have more than just one ground rod, preferably 3, placed in a triangle 10' apart, connected to each other with copper wire. And as already noted, if you thoroughly soak the rods it will make things much better. whenever I would fill the water tank, about 1-2 times a week, I would let the hose run on the ground rods to soak the area, didn't have a problem after that. And you can buy a fence tester so you don't have to touch the fence yourself lol but yeah, if you don't have one, touch it and make sure you get zapped.


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Well.... I dont want to get zapped but I was wondering if it was ok to have only one wire on your fence. Or should you have two? Please tell me.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

One wire is fine.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

PaintHorseMares said:


> One wire is fine.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 Oh Good! I really dont feel like stringing another wire in that cold!


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Electric fences don't work so well in the winter in the snow, for whatever reason.


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## Rawhide (Nov 11, 2011)

Most folks know this but thought I'd mentioned after re-reading all post on this thread. Though way more expensive the best ground rods are copper or copper clad and not re-bar or steel post down in ground. Seen people use the latter of all different types of metal. When knocking ground rods in ground wear eye protection.

Boone


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## Blue Smoke (Dec 22, 2012)

What do you mean by only having one wire on your fence exactly? If you mean you have run hot wire around a wood or high tensile fence then yes, one wire should suffice. But if you mean there is only one wire between your horse and total freedom then I would recommend adding one if not more strands, for your horses safety and that of anyone who could get hurt should your horse get out, especially if you are having issues with him touching it and not getting shocked.


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Blue Smoke said:


> What do you mean by only having one wire on your fence exactly? If you mean you have run hot wire around a wood or high tensile fence then yes, one wire should suffice. But if you mean there is only one wire between your horse and total freedom then I would recommend adding one if not more strands, for your horses safety and that of anyone who could get hurt should your horse get out, especially if you are having issues with him touching it and not getting shocked.


He has never escaped so im not too worried as long as the fence works. The wire is up to his chest, so how should he come out? and yes, there is only one wire between him and freedom.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

This is not very safe, fence working or not......
The " he never"......,"I've never seen him do"s work only for so long. He could be eating under the wire, and if there is juice, get jolted far enough back on his back that he shies away forward from it and is out....buh buy......


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Blue Smoke said:


> What do you mean by only having one wire on your fence exactly? If you mean you have run hot wire around a wood or high tensile fence then yes, one wire should suffice. But if you mean there is only one wire between your horse and total freedom then I would recommend adding one if not more strands, for your horses safety and that of anyone who could get hurt should your horse get out, especially if you are having issues with him touching it and not getting shocked.


One wire is plenty if the fence is working.

Several things can cause your fence not to be working, here's some things to check.
-Bad ground as already discussed.
-Grass, limbs, snow or anything else that is touching your fence will ground it out. Walk your fence and make sure absolutely nothing is touching the wire but insulators.
-Insulators that are dirty, snow covered, draped in spider webs or anything else that can cause a path from your wire to pole can cause a fence to ground out. While walking the fence looking for above, check each and every insulator too. Keep a few in your pocket as a just in case, beats treking back to the barn for supplies. Experience has taught me that if a insulator starts to get cracks in it from the sun it's time to change it as it will be causing problems shortly if not already.
-Bad charger is not uncommon and just because the light is blinking doesn't mean it's working. Get a tester (or be brave and use your finger), disconnect the hot wire (leave ground on) and test right there. If it's hot your charger is good, if not there's your problem.
-If everything checks yet you are still having problems you'll have to break your fence down into sections by snipping the wire (I usually do this at the corners but anywhere is good). Hook one section up at a time starting closest to your charger and using your fence tester. When it goes from good to bad you now know in what section you are having problems. What I've found doing this is mostly it is caused by a bad insulator or two. Couple times it was caused by old steel wire that was corroded.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

deserthorsewoman said:


> This is not very safe, fence working or not......
> The " he never"......,"I've never seen him do"s work only for so long. He could be eating under the wire, and if there is juice, get jolted far enough back on his back that he shies away forward from it and is out....buh buy......


I've kept horses in single strand electric fences all my life. If done right there will be no issues, horses simply wont challenge them. People have problems for two reasons, the fence wasn't built right to begin with and second they don't properly maintain their fence. Why? Because horses are pretty **** sensitive to electricity and absolutely hate getting shocked.

Cows, goats and sheep are a different story. Electricity doesn't bother them as much. That means they'll walk right through a fence that isn't very hot. Some will even go through one that is hot and shrug off the zaps, sell the ones like that as you'll never keep them in.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

^^^ Agreed. We've used 1 strand of electric polyrope for a very long time with no problems. The mares will graze right up to it, but don't mess with it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Blue Smoke (Dec 22, 2012)

horsecrazygirl13 said:


> He has never escaped so im not too worried as long as the fence works. The wire is up to his chest, so how should he come out? and yes, there is only one wire between him and freedom.


Well if you're fence is not working properly and he is testing it it is only a matter of time before he realizes he can push through it, or as DHW stated, if he is grazing under the fence and is spooked for any reason, head comes up, gets zapped, and under the fence he goes. If there is at least another wire at grazing height that scenario would not happen because he would not be able to reach below that other wire. I have known horses to drop their head and run under single wires that only separate paddocks from larger pastures, every experience is training, good or bad. 

I have also had deer land on top of my fence and tear it (evidence from deer tracks and struggle marks from it), my horses did not get out because I had another wire there (but they were definitely checking it out), so visually there was still a barrier, and it allowed the electric to still be run the entire fence instead of stopping there, and leaving most of my fence uncharged.

Not saying horses cant be kept in one strand enclosures, but I would only use them temporarily for the reasons stated above.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

If a horse decides to go through an electric fence it doesn't matter if it's 1, 2 or 3 strand. They are much stronger than a fence and will go through, the difference is how much damage they do to themselves in going through it.

Not all areas are suitable for multi strand wiring to keep horses from grazing under the top wire. Where I live, in the spring, grass grows so darn fast you practically have to cut it every day to keep it from grounding out the lower wire. Later in the year there is other grass/weed related issues that mainly impact the lower wire and still a pain to keep from grounding out the wire. We don't get the snow here but that's a major problem for lower wires in snowy areas, 6-8 inches of snow and your fence is grounded out. I'm sure other areas have their own issues with low hot wires.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

In Canada with our snow the horse is no longer touching the earth. This is necessary to make a single strand work. You are going to have to run a second wire which will be attached to the "ground" on your charger. This is why it works in the summer but not the winter. Been there, had to do that.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

get a fence tester. also is there a break or split in the wire. is it touching any place ?


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## Blue Smoke (Dec 22, 2012)

I agree if a horse really wants to go through no number of strands will keep him in. I live in an area where grass grows at a fast rate certain times of the year as well as multiple feet of snow in winter, I have not had an issue with my low impedance fencer and if I notice high areas I get out there with a weed whip or stomp the fence line myself. My bottom line is about a foot and a half? off the ground, my best guess without measuring. I only have 2 strands poly tape right now, but I am planning on adding another strand in the spring.

I am confident that putting my gelding in a one strand enclosure would keep him in, but I would feel very unsafe about it. Maybe its just me? I like the insurance of at least one more strand there just in case something ever happens to the other.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

It's not so much about "3 strands are "mechanically" keep them in", it's the higher possibility of getting zapped when trying to get to the greener grass on the other side. With one, they will eventually eat under and the more body can go on the other side, the more likely they flee forward and out when zapped.


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## Blue Smoke (Dec 22, 2012)

Yes, and it is also a visual deterrent so they don't think that there is wide open spaces there while their head is down. Another lower strand completely prevents the duck and run under scenario. All it takes is for horse to test and not get shocked or duck under once and they just learned a new, potentially dangerous behavior. 

I would rather my horses not be able to get out if I can even slightly prevent it, and I would be devastated if they caused an accident from being loose, and more than likely be liable for injuries as well, since I live in a "fence in" state.


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## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*electric fence*

hiya heres a check list.
1 has the battory got plenty of charge is it old as the cold will drain it as well.
has it a wind turbine or a solar pannel to keep the battory charged.
does the battory need charging.
2 have you checked the earth connection to the earth stake and how wet is the ground as well i know you have snow but if its dry the earth will be poor.
3 have you checked the live supply to the fence line have you got a tester.
4 have you got bad joints in oyur fence line.
5 is electric leaking to earth vire bad insulator pots vegitation on fence line insulator pots broken fence wire on the ground.
if its damp and wet can you see it sparking in the dark whilst it pulseing.
if you have steel posts and plastic insulators there could be an earth problem there.
6 how long is your fence line is it to long for your energiser.
i will instruct you on how to make a rudementry tester get a nail about 2-6 inchs long a peice of wire insulated strip both ends wrap 1 bare end around the nail and push into the soil then bring the other end to the live fence line dont be afraid as your insulated by the insulation on the wire.
as the unit pulses bring the other bare wire next to the fence line about 2 miller meters so the electric arks to the earth testing wire in your hand.
an electric fence unit discharges 8500 volts.
you can test your fence line like this.
a special tester will have a voltage scale so it will tell you your strength of your fence line.
are the capatators dammaged dew to earthing out to long not discharging the correct voltage the out put may need to be tested for the correct voltage present at the discharge pulse.
if you need any more advice please ask hopefully i can help you resulve your problems.


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## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*electric fence*

you may have to run out extra earths from the earth point a ground wire to extra earth stakes along the fence line.


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