Electric fence testers

[Buggerallbandwidth]

I've read a few threads on here about energisers etc but what do people consider as the best fence voltage tester? I have a Rutland simple red LED one which is impossible to view in bright sunlight. Some others are quite pricey to say the least - are they worth it?

 

[Chasingmytail]

https://www.rappa.co.uk/products/146-neon-fence-tester Works for us - not too badly priced.

 

[MDL POWERUP]

Touch it really quick

 

[milkloss]

All fence testers are stupidly priced for what they are, it’s outrageous to be honest. If it won’t spark to a metal fence post then it isn’t working well enough....... cheaper and more reliable than any fancy tester.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I reluctantly forked out £££ for a Gallagher directional tester last year. It's brilliant. The ability to detect which way the fault is saves heaps of effort.

 

[neilo]

All fence testers are stupidly priced for what they are, it’s outrageous to be honest. If it won’t spark to a metal fence post then it isn’t working well enough....... cheaper and more reliable than any fancy tester.

That's all I've managed with for years.

 

[milkloss]

Don’t spend anymore than a tenner imo

https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/Article?s=Tester&sort=8

 

[Pan mixer]

I know that it is a lot of money but this is the best that I have found.

Although it is showing 0A here (no faults anywhere in the line) if there were a fault it tells you how bad it is and which direction to walk to find it.

Added to that, with the right energiser, you can turn the power off anywhere on the fence, fix the problem and then turn it on again.

Over the life expectancy of a fence this will save you miles more money in terms of time than the initial cost. one of my units is running several miles of wire it would be a nightmare without it.

 

[Paddington]

I have a couple of those cheap LED ones which like the OP says can't be seen in daylight, so I check the fences after dark, easier to see any shorting paths

 

[tinsheet]

A piece of grass!.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

If you just want to check the voltage, anything from a blade of grass up will do fine.
The fault finding ones are pretty valuable if you're busy and have a crappy system like mine with barb fences and outriggers every decent gale I have to trace shorts, and these save a serious amount of time.
I had a Speedrite one like @Pan mixer is modelling, but it got water inside after being left in a wet raincoat and now is just a voltmeter
My wee Gallagher one (as per Holwellcourtfarm) seems more waterproof and fits better in a smaller pocket, but easier to misplace for being more compact.

Put the two side by side and they give different readings.

The Speedrite one is better at tracking faults if you have arc-burnt cutout switches, the Gallagher one sometimes points back to a dodgy switch where the red one didn't seem to.

 

[Bury the Trash]

got this one when they were a bit cheaper than they are now.
tells you the more subtle changes that go on as well like the difference in output a battery gives than when on the mains as in on a dual power energiser..can be as much 1kv we found and thats with a big cap.well charged battery, just how long after charging do batteries give the full 13.8 / 13.9 v 's ? even new ones
This below is showing good figure on the mains adapter .. odd short or 2 going on but that helps them hear before they touch ir. as long as it don't go below about 2 to 3 kv ish

but with regards to cost justification...I guess it helps if your a bit of a

 

[Danllan]

I'm not sure if you mean a diagnostic bit of kit for fault finding, or just something to see if the line is conducting. Anyway, I bought a cheap Hotline one when it was on offer on Amazon, I think it cost £6 inc. P&P. It just goes 'Beep' each time it detects electricity in the line it is being held by, which is all I want.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HOTLINE-AU...gateway&sprefix=hotline+fence+,aps,217&sr=8-1

Over £10 now...

 

[Buggerallbandwidth]

I have a couple of those cheap LED ones which like the OP says can't be seen in daylight, so I check the fences after dark, easier to see any shorting paths

But harder to fix the problems in the dark! Does solve my problem though

 

[Buggerallbandwidth]

got this one when they were a bit cheaper than they are now.
tells you the more subtle changes that go on as well like the difference in output a battery gives than when on the mains as in on a dual power energiser..can be as much 1kv we found and thats with a big cap.well charged battery, just how long after charging do batteries give the full 13.8 / 13.9 v 's ? even new ones
This below is showing good figure on the mains adapter .. odd short or 2 going on but that helps them hear before they touch ir. as long as it don't go below about 2 to 3 kv ish
View attachment 796712

but with regards to cost justification...I guess it helps if your a bit of a

Looks neat and I hadn't considered one with fault finding on it. Could save hours as you say

 

[Bury the Trash]

put him on a different fence line to check , with a similar 12v energiser but running straight off a battery, freshly charged ..

 

[Pan mixer]

Looks neat and I hadn't considered one with fault finding on it. Could save hours as you say

Just don't store it in a wet coat pocket.

 

[Frodo2]

I know that it is a lot of money but this is the best that I have found.

View attachment 796686
Although it is showing 0A here (no faults anywhere in the line) if there were a fault it tells you how bad it is and which direction to walk to find it.

Added to that, with the right energiser, you can turn the power off anywhere on the fence, fix the problem and then turn it on again.

Over the life expectancy of a fence this will save you miles more money in terms of time than the initial cost. one of my units is running several miles of wire it would be a nightmare without it.

Does your set up normally generate 9 kv. If I get 5 with a mains energiser. i am delighted, what's your secret.

I would recommend the remote switch off feature. (even more if you get, 9kv)

 

[honeyend]

Compared to the other this one seems cheap https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/vo...YuPe8YX6_SJcCAqdCMEKHL-zwq4UT-i4aAvtlEALw_wcB
I have used electric fencing for about 30 years and my question is why do they make all the connecting wires so thin, so they snap, and the nuts so fiddly. You can guarantee when it bust its blowing a gale, raining and you can not feel you fingers they are so cold, and they expect you to fiddle with stuff.
I have an all singing dancing one with a sim card. I had some problems with it and sent it back, they couldn't find the fault, they would turn it on and it would work, in the workshop, so they would send it back, and I would have to return it. They had to pay the postage so eventually they gave me another, just to get rid of me. If they had let it run they would have worked out it was an electronic fault, it runs for so long, then decides not to work, you remove all the power, leave 10mins, switch back on and it works.

 

[Keepers]

I reluctantly forked out £££ for a Gallagher directional tester last year. It's brilliant. The ability to detect which way the fault is saves heaps of effort.

View attachment 796682

I have this one, works brilliant and much smaller and easier to pop in a pocket than the more expensive red one from rappa