E-Fence... Riddle Me This?!

[EggSighted4Life]

So I have a solar (battery) powered E fence... Set up and working for years now, since 2016. Had to replace the battery just a few months ago. Also switched to aluminum wire instead of poly, and had it working fine for a while now (2 months)... meter pegged at max the whole time and it bit me a few times.. bit the dogs, the pigs, etc.. in other words working just fine.

Suddenly a couple days ago I had ran into the wire accidentally and winced expecting it to bite me but nothing.. I have ZERO power.. I walked the line and there are NO breaks and NOTHING touching it. I live in the PNW and have NEVER had to water my ground post... but already tried that, just in case. I do now have moisture under the clear plastic in front of the meter... but it hasn't previously seemed to effect the function of the unit. What am I missing? Did the new battery somehow already go bad? Should I contact the seller/manufacturer. I'm no bozo.. but looking for a second opinion here please before I go any farther... since my BYC peeps are some of the most experienced and helpful.

FWIW my biggest frustration in my head is thinking my battery needs replacing.. but IF it had to be "registered" to ensure any warranty, then what a PIM arss. (overthinking it)

I'm just glad the pigs haven't yet noticed it isn't working!

 

[CindyinSD]

I'm sure you've checked all your connections to the fence and examined all your wires, etc. Mine is sitting on an upturned tub and the geese or the wind knock it over once in a while. The wires could get knocked off the battery or pulled off the terminals (or even chewed). Other than that, if it were me, I'd call the manufacturer and ask for their advice.

 

[ColoradoPip]

I am not an e-fence expert but love troubleshooting!

First thing I would do is test the energizer. Disconnect the fence hot wire and take a shorter length of wire and create the hot loop. Test it to see if you have power. Now you should know, energizer/battery or fenceline.

If it's not the fence then look at the owner's manual for the energizer and troubleshoot from there or try a different battery, which is fully charged.

Good luck!

 

[CindyinSD]

I'm sure you've checked all your connections to the fence and examined all your wires, etc. Mine is sitting on an upturned tub and the geese or the wind knock it over once in a while. The wires could get knocked off the battery or pulled off the terminals (or even chewed). Other than that, if it were me, I'd call the manufacturer and ask for their advice.

Oh yes... I did have to replace alligator clips once--if you use those on yours. My fences are all portable, for rotation.

 

[aart]

@Howard E

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thank you all!

Those are actually some good ideas.

My charger is hard mounted, so no knocking around, but I will still go ahead and check the connectors on the inside for corrosion or SOMEHOW being knocked loose.. anything seems possible!

I will contact the company at the very least as well, after double checking the manual for trouble shooting.

Although I went with solar due to outages... replacing the battery wasn't cheap.. and IF I have to pay anything for shipping for repair will likely be switching to a standard plug in unit instead... they are cheaper than JUST the battery.... Spend my extra funds for whole house generator instead. (eventually)