Electric Fence Help

[Welshies]

I got my electric fence up and working. However the voltage now is at around 2000-3000 volts. Will that keep a fox and coyotes out? It is two wires at 6'' and 12'' a few inches in front of my double layered chicken wire fence (5 feet tall with 8 inches of a staked-down apron)
If not, how do I increase the volts?

 

[PD-Riverman]

What is the make/number of your fence charger? You said "now" like the voltage dropped after you got it hooked up? A Good Charger usually has a higher voltage/amperage.

 

[Howard E]

If you disconnect the fence charger from the fence, and test the fence charger only........test between the hot wire connection and ground wire connection.......what is the voltage?

If it drops off significantly when you connect it to the fence, either you have too much fence for the charger (not powerful enough) or your hot fence is grounding out somewhere.

 

[Howard E]

Also "wire" or "polywire"?

Voltage on an aluminum or steel wire will not drop off much. A poly wire or poly tape is made of lighter wire, which has more resistance. On longer runs, the voltage at the far end of the lighter poly wire or tape will drop off some due to resistance. On a poly tape fence I used last summer, voltage went from 16kv at the charger to 7.9kv at the end of a run of about 1000 feet.

For coyotes and such, I'd want at least 7kv.

 

[Folly's place]

Also, is it grounded properly? Mary

 

[Welshies]

My fence charger is a Patriot PE2, I think. I grounded it with one grounding stake and grounding wire- that seems to be fine.

 

[Welshies]

It is polywire.

 

[Howard E]

Were you able to test the voltage at the charger? And again at the terminal end of a run?

How many linear feet of polyrope are you charging?

The PE2 looks to be on the light end. For reference, my Parmak 12 volt fencer is rated for 30 miles of fence, yet the voltage on poly tape goes from 16kv at the charger to the 7.9kv at the end of a single 1000 foot run. Two strands would be 2,000 feet, so I would expect the voltage to drop even more.

Again, poly rope is a different product than straight wire. Poly rope comes in at least two versions I'm aware of. One is the light version, with a few strands of very light wire braided inside a poly rope. The heavier version is several strands of more conductive wire inside the same rope. The second is more expensive, but allows you longer runs with less voltage dropoff.

For my birds, I am using 17 gauge aluminum wire only. It is durable and there is almost no voltage drop off on longer runs.

 

[Welshies]

Were you able to test the voltage at the charger? And again at the terminal end of a run?

How many linear feet of polyrope are you charging?

The PE2 looks to be on the light end. For reference, my Parmak 12 volt fencer is rated for 30 miles of fence, yet the voltage on poly tape goes from 16kv at the charger to the 7.9kv at the end of a single 1000 foot run. Two strands would be 2,000 feet, so I would expect the voltage to drop even more.

Again, poly rope is a different product than straight wire. Poly rope comes in at least two versions I'm aware of. One is the light version, with a few strands of very light wire braided inside a poly rope. The heavier version is several strands of more conductive wire inside the same rope. The second is more expensive, but allows you longer runs with less voltage dropoff.

For my birds, I am using 17 gauge aluminum wire only. It is durable and there is almost no voltage drop off on longer runs.

I am only using about 50 ft of wire, or maybe 75 and that accounts for both lines.

 

[Howard E]

If no more than 75 feet, that should not be an excessive load for any fence charger. So you have enclosed an area that is less than 20 feet square?

Are you able to test the voltage? Surely you must be to mention it is only putting out 2,000 to 3,000 volts.

If you are able to test, again, what is the fence charger putting out at the fencer.......no wires or ropes connected. Simply the voltage from the hot to ground side of the fencer itself?