Will this electric fence work?

[cmom]

My fence charger is mounted on the outside of one of the coops with a 6' ground rod in the ground with just a few inches sticking out to make the connection. The charger is on the coop in the right side of the picture just below the roof and the cutout switch is below the fence charger about half way down on the side of the coop

I have three lines going around the pens but only one or two lines going around the back of the coops.

 

[llombardo]

So I'm just now starting to get the idea with the insulators and all. I'm not electrical savy but I'm a fast learner. So a couple more questions...

I'm using aluminum wire and I just got a whole new roll(I felt like a kid at Christmas--it pays to know welders). The gate I have is aluminum(welded by the same guy). If I tie a wire to anywhere on the gate will that make the gate hot? It will, right?

Next question. When I came out this morning I smelled something almost like burning. Reminded me of hair after its on fire. I got worried about the smell and thought maybe I broke the fence already. Well tonite I threw something in the garbage that hangs over a small fence and I found the bottom eaten and ripped. Never had that happen before. Is it possible I smelled fur and something got zapped?

 

[Northern.Ontario]

So I'm just now starting to get the idea with the insulators and all. I'm not electrical savy but I'm a fast learner. So a couple more questions...

I'm using aluminum wire and I just got a whole new roll(I felt like a kid at Christmas--it pays to know welders). The gate I have is aluminum(welded by the same guy). If I tie a wire to anywhere on the gate will that make the gate hot? It will, right?

Next question. When I came out this morning I smelled something almost like burning. Reminded me of hair after its on fire. I got worried about the smell and thought maybe I broke the fence already. Well tonite I threw something in the garbage that hangs over a small fence and I found the bottom eaten and ripped. Never had that happen before. Is it possible I smelled fur and something got zapped?

Can you post pictures of your electrical fence set up? Electricity can be tricky. Post pictures of the energizer, the connection from the energizer to the fence and pics of the fence and gate.

 

[123RedBeard]

Yes, the gate would be HOT ... IF, it is isolated with insulators simular to your fence wires ... otherwise, no. ... in other words ... if the hinges and latches are grounded via a post for example ... it would be like not using a insulator on your fence posts (if your posts are wood or metal) and it wouldn't work, and your charger would probably eventually burn out.

Basically how your electric fence works ... is there are the two wires that come out of the charger ... a "HOT" and a "ground" ... these two must remain SEPERATE at ALL times, keeping the circuit open at all times ... no grass, twigs, snow "grounding it out" ... the way it works is the critter completes the circuit ... when the two "wires" meet at the critters nose ... Mr. SPARKY say "howdy!"

One "wire" is connected to the actual wire(s) that go around your run ... the other "wire" is connected to your ground rod (s) ... the ground rod transmit through the ground, and up through the critters feet, legs, body ... until the electrical path of the two "wires" meet at the nose, or other body part that touches the "hot wire" on the actual fence.