electric fence challenge...

[SRBeef]

I have had one paddock where the electric fence just indicates a direct short everytime I turn that paddock switch on. It has driven me crazy for a month or two.

finally had to tackle it yesterday as the cattle must go in that paddock now. I disconnected things from farthest in and finally isolated the problem to one straight, simple, stretch of fence. The Smartfix amp function showed a lot of amps going to this section but within the section the arrow danced back and forth pointing to no one consistent direction.

I walked this section back and forth several times seeing nothing, hearing nothing. Thought it might be the underground wire which goes under a gate. Wired around that. No change.

To make a long story shorter, I finally ended up changing the ceramic insulators, first one end, no change. Then the far end since this was the only possible thing to change other than the wire! Bingo.

The farthest end ceramic insulator at a corner post had a void or something inside it under the wire which caused a short between the two wires at the insulator, unseen.

I post this in the hope that it will save someone else as much grief. When all else fails and you cant see anything wrong, change the end insulators. fwiw. Jim

 

[jedstivers]

I've changed to plastic insulators also, ceramic insulators are bad about cracking and shorting.

 

[SRBeef]

I've changed to plastic insulators also, ceramic insulators are bad about cracking and shorting.

Funny, I've gone the other way. I had lots of problems with plastic end insulators, switched to ceramic.

The one that had the problem is one of the round, donut shaped ones. I switch to the longer cylindrical ceramics that I have never had a problem with. The cylindrical type are much more expensive but so far no problems with them ever. The cost of me messing around with this one section of fence for the past few months was not cheap either. jmho.

Jim

 

[dun]

I've had one of the plastic on the T-post ones go bad. Now I've gone to all Gallagher and havben;t had either the plastic or any of the ceramic of either type give me a problem. I tried to save a buck and got Zareba plastic insulaters ONCE.

 

[redcowsrule33]

Took me awhile to find my problem this year, too. I have had to replace 2 underground wires where the be nice moles stripped the insulation off. :mad: I'm experimenting with running an insulated underground wire through flexible conduit. I'm hoping the conduit is less to their taste. Between the moles and the deer (who let the whole works out in the hayfield overnight a few weeks ago) it's been a "fun with fencing" summer.

 

[ga.prime]

I've never had a bad ceramic insulator but did have one of the srew in type rust off where I had screwed it into a pine tree. Took less than 2 years to fail.

 

[dun]

Took me awhile to find my problem this year, too. I have had to replace 2 underground wires where the be nice moles stripped the insulation off. :mad: I'm experimenting with running an insulated underground wire through flexible conduit. I'm hoping the conduit is less to their taste. Between the moles and the deer (who let the whole works out in the hayfield overnight a few weeks ago) it's been a "fun with fencing" summer.

I run the underground stuff either through an old plastic garden hose or a piece of small diameter plastic polypipe. Since I started doing that I haven;t had any problems, and these are wires that are driven over daily, sometimes many times a day. But our problem is the rocks cutting the insulation, rodents can;t get mining permits to dig.

 

[ga.prime]

Took me awhile to find my problem this year, too. I have had to replace 2 underground wires where the be nice moles stripped the insulation off. :mad: I'm experimenting with running an insulated underground wire through flexible conduit. I'm hoping the conduit is less to their taste. Between the moles and the deer (who let the whole works out in the hayfield overnight a few weeks ago) it's been a "fun with fencing" summer.

I don't know if it'll help with moles, but when I put an insulated wire under a gate I lay old broken creosote fence posts on top of it before covering the trench. The posts keep the harrow from cutting the wire if you forget it's under there.

 

[char]

Hi freinds
here i am with a few more questens.i have a zareba electric fence controller, our son came in town and run it for us. every thing was great.
the volt.was good all the way . we went up and over the 2 gates. three days later we are picking up aclick, click in our radio. in the house.
it was find for 2 days. please help

thanks char

 

[dun]

Sounds like the grounds of the charger the hosue and the fence are screwed up

 

[pdfangus]

i get a click in my car radio when I drive by mine and then i know it is on and working.

 

[dun]

Hi freinds
here i am with a few more questens.i have a zareba electric fence controller, our son came in town and run it for us. every thing was great.
the volt.was good all the way . we went up and over the 2 gates. three days later we are picking up aclick, click in our radio. in the house.
it was find for 2 days. please help

thanks char

Does either the fence or the ground run close to the main power ground or run parallel to a electric circuit real close?

This may be f interest: http://www.zarebasystems.com/support/tips.aspx