Electric fencer not working

[C.J]

Surely the earth cable needs to be high voltage lead out cable as well.

Can't tell from your picture, but I assume all 3 earth stakes are connected to the green fencer terminal.

What's confusing me is that 2 of your " earths " look like mains earths used for consumer units etc.

 

[TheRanger]

I’m assuming this is an existing system, and was working fine previously? If so the earth is probably okay.

 

[Jdunn55]

Yeah we added the extra earth rod (the one with the black wire) the previous two were already there, the earth rod wires all join up in the shed before attaching to the fencer

The earth rods are actually in decent moisture ground but I chcuked some buckets on them the other day anyway and it's still wet there

The two original ones are earths for consumer units I think

 

[som farmer]

we had to put in 4 earth rods before our big mains unit would work properly, each one 5ft stainless steel pipe, linked together
you are advised not to use the girders of a steel barn, as an earth, never really understood why, and actually have 1 mains fencer attached, that has worked well for 20 yrs.

 

[C.J]

I would also question the quality of the contact , between your black earth wire and your road pin - wrapping your wire around a rusty spike is never going to be as good as bolting shinny metal together.

 

[tepapa]

I would also question the quality of the contact , between your black earth wire and your road pin - wrapping your wire around a rusty spike is never going to be as good as bolting shinny metal together.

That's not an earth stake, looks more like a waste of time to me.

 

[Dead Rabbits]

Be thorough and meticulous or it will never end.

Ground stakes need to be hooked together in a series with a single uninterrupted wire. They need to be attached to ground stake with an actual ground clamp that has the same coating as the stake and is a good clean connection. Every time a wire joins it needs to be done correctly so you don’t loose power at every connection through resistance or poor conductivity.

Go buy a speedrite fault finder. How much is your time worth? It’ll make the £80 they cost look cheap.

Don’t know how many miles of fence you are running but that charger looks tiny. I like oversized chargers to compensate for trees and poor maintenance. This year I haven’t had a single breakout other than the poly wire being shorted in two due to grounding through a worn out pigtail.

 

[In the pit]

Earthing Your Electric Fence A Guide from Rappa Fencing

Up to 80 per cent of all electric fencing malfunctions are due to poor earthing use our comprehensive guide to avoid the pitfalls.

www.rappa.co.uk

 

[In the pit]

Electric Fencing - The Basics... Top tips for electric fencing earthing

Check your set up – it can be earthing making a electric fencing system ineffective. Billy Boy explains some top tips for electric fencing earthing problems

www.electricfencing.co.uk

 

[In the pit]

My fence is normally running at high volts but during this dry spell its a third of what it was at 1.3v

 

[sheepdogtrail]

My fence is normally running at high volts but during this dry spell its a third of what it was at 1.3v

1.3v is not much. You want at least 4000v if you want to keep something in and other mammals out.

 

[In the pit]

I think dry earth because no faults anywhere and sprayed under wires earlier in season
Just checked 1.6kv normally around 5 kv

 

[sheepdogtrail]

Yeah we added the extra earth rod (the one with the black wire) the previous two were already there, the earth rod wires all join up in the shed before attaching to the fencer

The earth rods are actually in decent moisture ground but I chcuked some buckets on them the other day anyway and it's still wet there

The two original ones are earths for consumer units I think

I see a few problems.

Your ground field is rubbish.
Your hook wires are not adequate.
You have two separate wires connected to the output (fence) side. That does not work. You have a short right there at the lug/terminal. What is the purpose of putting two wires in the red terminal.

Buckets of water will hardy do anything. Put a water hose on them for 5 minutes at least. You really want to get the ground field wet and keep it wet throughout the year.

See the below link from Speedrite. It will tell you all you need to do to get things working.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0892/9182/files/6_J_12_J_Unigizer_EN_ES_PT_FR_DE_1.pdf?v=1620142130

I can offer assistance if you have additional questions. Just ask.

 

[sheepdogtrail]

I think dry earth because no faults anywhere and sprayed under wires earlier in season
Just checked 1.6kv normally around 5 kv

A dry ground field does not work very well. Add water to the ground field. I dump 100 gallons on each of my ground rods this time of year. That is enough to get me to the rainy season in a few months.

 

[sheepdogtrail]

we had to put in 4 earth rods before our big mains unit would work properly, each one 5ft stainless steel pipe, linked together
you are advised not to use the girders of a steel barn, as an earth, never really understood why, and actually have 1 mains fencer attached, that has worked well for 20 yrs.

Because those girders will now have voltage going through them. Sit it up that way, put your rubber wellies on and grab a girder. If you have a small LED, hold it between two fingers. It will at least flicker if not stay on completely.

Your ground field with the stainless pipe is the proper way. Personally, I use 1/2" galvanized water pipe. If I need more ground rods, I will place the next one 10 feet from the first one and so on until I have a proper ground field.

 

[Nick.]

When we had mains leccy for the sheep we had three 6’ long galvanised earth rods, plus the bottom wire of the fence as an earth.

People always underestimate the earth needed. proper lead out wire needed too.
I’d put money on that being the problem.

On pheasant pens now I always put the earth on to the pen netting. Saves some messing and works a treat.
A rusty old peg does not cut it.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

If you haven't already done it, it's worth breaking the fence up into legs or smaller sections so you can test shorter lengths at a time.

To check the fencer unit, disconnect the fence, switch the unit back on and test the live terminal. Then you can see whether your fault is the earth or the fence, or even the fencer itself. If it's flashing up well it's the fence that's the problem.

Then start turning your sections on to see if you have a fault and which bit of the fence it's on if you have.

What tester are you using?

 

[Jdunn55]

Thats the plan, I'm in the process of redoing all the fencing anyway but I'm currently in the inbetween stage which makes it worse

My current tester isn't that high tech tbh, I grab the wire and the louder I scream the more powerful the fencer...

 

[Short_Angus]

I was told not to use copper wire for electric fencing, that's assuming your earth coloured wire is copper.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Thats the plan, I'm in the process of redoing all the fencing anyway but I'm currently in the inbetween stage which makes it worse

My current tester isn't that high tech tbh, I grab the wire and the louder I scream the more powerful the fencer...

If you can do that more than once, it can't be that lively. Something like a hotline fence scout is a good investment.