hot wire on a wavy fence (PIC)

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I would recommend the charger be OUTDOORS not inside a building (in case of lightning and fires).

Most chargers aren't waterproof and would need to be enclosed in a weathertight box​
 
http://www.ehow.com/how_5032451_make-cover-electric-fence-energizer.html

You can very easily make a pretty decent weather resistent cover for an electric fence charger using a small trashcan. See link above.

You can see my little beige trash can slid over my charger, on the back of the garage

IMG_1536.jpg


You can also see the black shut-off switch immediately underneath it.

It was just a simple $3 office sized trash can...you cut a slot up the back that will fit over the screw portion of the charger....slid it down and then screw it into the building so it can't "blow off". Very simple and works VERY WELL.
 
Quote:
That charger is rated at 5 Joules, which is sufficient, if correct.

I sort of think it's a misprint since the output voltage should be 12,000 at 5 Joules

It has absolutely 100% got to be a misprint -- you are not getting a 5 joule charger for fifty bucks. 5 joules really quite a powerful charger. 0.5 is typical smallish-charger size.

(e.t.a. - yes, obviously you have to follow ALL installation instructions including putting the charger in something so that rain and UV can't get at it, that's all laid out in chargers' instruction manuals. As the previous poster says, a bucket is a common solution to the problem, or a quickie plywood box knocked together around the charger (usually with slanted roof, hinged front door, and no bottom). Or locate it somewhere that it is already protected by a roof overhang or other existing structural thingie.

Pat
 
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http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM161914873P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM195766015


Above is a link to the charger I use. Seems like I paid more than twice as much, but everything is more expensive out in the middle of nowhere. It is the zareba 10 acre charger. I just paced off my fencing and it is about 600 feet. I have 3 hot wires, one real low, one at knee level (dog and bear nose level), and one even with the top of the 4ft fence. I couldn't tell you exactly how much power it is putting out, but it has been more than enough for the last two years. The bears here are smaller than up north, but still bears (oh yeah and they don't hibernate). There was one male in my yard a month or so back that would have gone at least 250 though, and I have seen some really big ones. Sunday while out walking i did see some fresh tracks about 200 yards from my pens, so they are here and can smell the chickens and chicken food. When you first put up the electric, bait the wires with bacon or something and you'll teach the animals not to visit real quick. The above charger also works really well on my parent's hyper golden retrievers.

I have an upside down barrel over the charger as well as the grounding rod. Make sure you get a good grounding rod and can check the connection. I also think connecting the fence to the ground helps. The charger is supposed to be put inside, but I have no buildings near the chicken run, and my wife wants to be able to unplug it and turn it off from outside the fence. So for now the barrels are my waterproof enclosure. It works well for me. The receptacle is grounded and wired properly.

I'm lucky enough not to have many problems with weasels or mink (they're the only varmints not common here). Excluding them may be a problem without fine chicken or hardware wire.

There may be some good reading on your state's wildlife conservation page about how to exclude bears or to live with bears. I worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (WWW.MYFWC.Com). and spoke with a few of the biologists about recommendations for dealing with bears. They say you don't really need a big charger as long as it is working properly. The bears can sense electricity and once zapped once quickly avoid it.

hope some of that helps

Rich
 
I did stretch my welded wire fence. I used 2 2x4 that sandwiched the end of the fence between them. I used long screws and fastened the 2 boards together with the fence in between them. I went in 2 or3 squares. I then used a web tie down and fastened it around the top of the board and the bottom of the boards and pulled it out to a point and attached the comealong to that. If it didn't pull straight, or if I was only a slope I would move the point higher or lower to put more tension on that part of the wire. That probably doesn't make any sense. However, I did successfully stretch welded wire with no breakage. I had stretched many many feet of twisted 2x4 no climb so I just used the same method on the welded and it worked well. I like my fences to be strectched tight and DH doesn't really care so I am the official fence strtecher around here. He does the electric fence.
 
thank you all, again.

i wonder if there is any way to get a certain knowledge of how much a charger will put out to a 'visitor'...........

like you said, pat and others...........3000-4000 (volts? kV? i barely know what the heck that is)

i bet if i called a company and asked, "How much zap in volts will this charger give to an animal that touches it? Y'know, like 2000, 3000, or 4000--I am looking for 4000" the clerk would be clueless. I don't expect much help from non-technician 'professional telephone-answerers'
 
Like I said, it is NOT an attribute of just the charger. It depends on the FENCE and the SOIL, very much so. Thus, to predict how many kV your fence will run, you would have to specify ALL of the following: length of charged fence strands; what charged strands are made of (wire - type, gauge?; tape - width, brand, age?; rope, braid - brand, age?), and how you've made the connections in the fence, and how good your insulators are, and how many inadvertant shorts-to-ground you have, and what your grounding system is like (number, material, depth of rods?), and what your soil is (type? moisture level at all different times of year?). As you can see, this is not going to happen (some of it you probably don't even *know*).

Buy a "plausible" size/type charger, set it up REALLY CORRECTLY, and then use a GOOD ACCURATE fence tester (I really think it's worth poppin' for a digital one not the five-neon-lights jobbies) and then you will know what your fence voltage is running. Today. Tomorrow it may be different, because of changes in shorts-to-ground or changes in soil conductivity. So you need to check the fence daily or at least real frequently.

If your "plausible" charger does not give you a high enough voltage (kV is just 1000v -- 5,000 v could also be written as 5 kV and some people like me are lazy about not always being consistant in how it's written
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), and you are totally absolutely positive you have perfected every possible aspect of installation, you would return it to the store and get a 'bigger' charger. But with good advice this is not usually necessary.

I really think that if you are going to set your fence up properly and maintain it well, and will be having only 700' of charged wire (not a much longer fence e.g. for other livestock, and not a non-wire material), you probably want a 0.5 released-joules fencer. There are other variables and if you really cared you could talk to various manufacturers' customer service folks (DON'T ask the farm store guys, they are often clueless), but your fence is small enough that I do not see it as being a big complication.

Pat
 

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