Electric fence

[Hilly]

If the electric wire is old and rusty would it drop the power ? I hooked a section on thats old rusty wire but 100% no faults and power dropped a bit … strange ..

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Probably only if you didn't clean up where you attached it to? Bit like getting a good weld.

 

[Hilly]

Probably only if you didn't clean up where you attached it to? Bit like getting a good weld.

Oh ok i will try that ..

 

[Skintagain]

If the electric wire is old and rusty would it drop the power ? I hooked a section on thats old rusty wire but 100% no faults and power dropped a bit … strange ..

Resistance will be higher rust doesn’t conduct as well as steel

 

[Hilly]

Resistance will be higher rust doesn’t conduct as well as steel

So it will drop power ?

 

[Skintagain]

So it will drop power ?

I would say so in effect your conductor is getting smaller. If you install electrical wire too small the volt drop will be higher. Your steel wire is being replaced by rust imo so it would have similar effect.

 

[Hilly]

I would say so in effect your conductor is getting smaller. If you install electrical wire too small the volt drop will be higher. Your steel wire is being replaced by rust imo so it would have similar effect.

I had my permanent mains fence running at 9.9 and pleased hooked up this section which i have checked double triple checked for faults and 8.6 now ….. must need new wire i thjnk ,,,, gutted

 

[Kiwi Pete]

So it will drop power ?

Yes, a little.

An electric fence pulse, although not a radio wave, behaves a bit like one - with higher radio frequencies a thing called "skin effect" comes into play and much of the energy is carried in a field around the wire, same with transmission lines etc

That's also why sometimes, you'll get a reading off wires close and parallel that aren't connected to the energiser in any physical sense.

Best for leadouts is bright larger diameter wire, even alloy wire is pretty good but harder to maintain a good corrosion-free join with it unless you seal it with something like fibreglass tape

Depending on your insulators you could maybe double it up with a second wire? We have big long fences up here and some are double, number 8 (4mm) wire to handle big current loads.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Yes the rusty wire will be causing resistance that is slowing /reducing the max flow of the electric for that size wire

look at it like a water pipe furring up with limescale or iron oxide bits slowing the flow of water through them then the pump has to work harder. etc