Test your ground system, from Kencove
If your fence is not giving the shock you expect, it is most likely to be your ground system. Always check the ground first. The ground is half the effective circuit in an electric fence system.
The main causes of an ineffective ground are:
Insufficient ground rods.
Badly connected wires, or wires of different metal types joined together.
Poor connections to the ground rods.
Ground rods too close together.
Ground rods not long enough.
Depth is important to good earthing as it ensures that part of the ground rod is always in damp soil.
TESTING YOUR GROUND EARTH RETURN
Create a dead short by placing enough steel stakes against the fenceline to reduce the voltage to 1000 volts or less. These stakes should be at least 330ft from the ground system.
Connect one clip from your Stafix Digital Voltmeter to the last ground rod. Connect the other clip to a small stake placed in the ground at least 3ft from any other ground rods.
The reading on the Voltmeter should be 0.3 kV or less. If it is greater than this, the ground system is inadequate and more ground rods will need to be added.
TESTING YOUR FENCE EARTH RETURN
Do this test as close as possible to the end of the fenceline.
Place a steel rod or stake at least 1ft into the ground, preferably into damp soil.
Measure the voltage between the ground wires and live wires on the fence and then between the steel rod and the live wires.
The voltage between the ground stake and live wire should not be more than 0.3kV greater than the voltage between the live and ground wire.
If the difference is greater than 0.3 kV then check the ground return wire for loose connections. Also remember to check the live wires. If the live wires are alright you will need to add more ground rods along the fenceline and attach these to the ground wires.
