Joules output

[JW IN VA]

Anyone else read about using joules instead of miles for a comparison of charger output?
According to the article each mile of fence should have a minimum of 1 joule.

 

[kenny thomas]

Anyone else read about using joules instead of miles for a comparison of charger output?
According to the article each mile of fence should have a minimum of 1 joule.

Read about output both at the box but also at the end of your fence. Some are rated at the beginning instead of a mile away.

 

[farmerjan]

I have always preached to anyone doing electric fence to IGNORE the miles claims and all that... if you read the box most have something in smaller print that say .5 joules or some such small amount.
Joules is the ONLY thing that should be considered... and if you use poly tape, it should be intermittent output unit... 2 joules is minimum for keeping most animals in, AND, keeping a fence hot with weeds and such causing it to lose it's "umph" .
I always test it on both ends and inbetween to make sure there isn't too big a drop.

Well trained animals will leave most alone even if there is a significant weed load touching the fence... but there is always the one that will test it.

They need to get a good JOLT when first training them to it so they learn to respect it... after that most will leave it alone even if it is not working up to capacity.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Mileage claims are hogwash and should be ignored entirely when selecting a charger. Assuming they actually test their chargers, manufacturers' mileage claims are useless unless they also disclose the test parameters (namely, the resistance of the wire used to build the fence and the minimum voltage threshold at the far end of the fence). I'm guessing they don't even test the chargers but instead calculate a theoretical mileage achievable under ideal (undisclosed) conditions.

Joules of output is a better, more objective selection criterion. I've also heard/read 1 joule per mile of wire (wire, not necessarily fence) recommended as a rule of thumb when selecting a charger.

 

[greybeard]

Joules is far more important than miles and/or voltage. The energy needed to exert one Newton of Force 1 meter in distance. So Joules can be seen as a measure of energy dissipated by each pulse or shock. It's the 'work' that is done in the course of a shock pulse and Joules is the scientific part of fence specs that takes distance into account.. The rough equation being W=Fd where W=work, F=Force (of 1 Newton) and d=distance in meters. And when considering miles, you have to remember that it's round trip. For instance, if you have 1 mile of fence and the ground rods are 1 end, the pulse travels to where ever the point of shock happens. IF it happens at the far end of the fence, the pulse goes into the animal, exits to the ground, then all the way back to the ground rods and up to the charger to complete the circuit. Shock doesn't take place until that electrical pathway is complete back to the charger/energizer. Volts can be seen as the force that pushes the charge but it isn't nearly the total picture. A 5000V shock at 1 joule isn't nearly as severe as a 5000v shock at 12 Joules. As I saw someone here say many years ago, "A 12 Joule shock from an electric fence is a religious experience!"

 

[Farm Boss 1892]

Joules is far more important than miles and/or voltage. The energy needed to exert one Newton of Force 1 meter in distance. So Joules can be seen as a measure of energy dissipated by each pulse or shock. It's the 'work' that is done in the course of a shock pulse and Joules is the scientific part of fence specs that takes distance into account.. The rough equation being W=Fd where W=work, F=Force (of 1 Newton) and d=distance in meters. And when considering miles, you have to remember that it's round trip. For instance, if you have 1 mile of fence and the ground rods are 1 end, the pulse travels to where ever the point of shock happens. IF it happens at the far end of the fence, the pulse goes into the animal, exits to the ground, then all the way back to the ground rods and up to the charger to complete the circuit. Shock doesn't take place until that electrical pathway is complete back to the charger/energizer. Volts can be seen as the force that pushes the charge but it isn't nearly the total picture. A 5000V shock at 1 joule isn't nearly as severe as a 5000v shock at 12 Joules. As I saw someone here say many years ago, "A 12 Joule shock from an electric fence is a religious experience!"

I agree getting hit with 12 joules is certainly a "Religious Experience"(haha). We use a Cyclops Super 12 Joule Fencer with 4 8ft ground rods. Each ground rod is spaced about 10 feet apart. We have found it has consistent output all year long. Definitely recommend it over those cheap 40 mile or 60 mile fencers you can get over at Tractor supply.

 

[chaded]

My rule of thumb is buy as many joules as you can and make sure you have adequate ground rods and the fence is installed correctly. There are a lot of variables when it comes to electric fencing.

My current energizer has 48 output joules and runs between 9000-10000 volts. The other day I connected the electric netting to it that I use for my garden. I decided to get stupid and reached my arm through one of the holes when I was connecting it and felt the wrath of the energizer through pretty much my whole body.

 

[kenny thomas]

I agree getting hit with 12 joules is certainly a "Religious Experience"(haha). We use a Cyclops Super 12 Joule Fencer with 4 8ft ground rods. Each ground rod is spaced about 10 feet apart. We have found it has consistent output all year long. Definitely recommend it over those cheap 40 mile or 60 mile fencers you can get over at Tractor supply.

You hit the important part of it here. 4 8ft ground rods 10ft apart will make a charger do its best.

 

[RDFF]

Yup, joules is the only thing that matters on the rating of the charger and it's ability to deliver an acceptable jolt through the fence system (along with potential quality of construction of it for durability). But a charger is only as good as the ground system that you install. If you have NO grounding wire hooked up to ground rods at all, you also have NO charge on the fence, even if that fencer is turned on. ZERO. The better your grounding system, the better able your charger is to complete that circuit, which then delivers a "teachable moment" to your critters. The stronger that first "teachable moment" is at creating a memorable experience, the less likely that animal will be to ever consider testing that fence again, even if there's no current on it at the time. This is why you can control a whole herd of cattle and herd them to where you want to, simply by walking along with a length of polywire between two men... just did it this morning with a fairly spooky big Char... two guys, about 200' between us, walked her (along with a few of her herdmates) right up into the makeshift corral (5 freestanding 24' panels) and loaded her out without any running or yelling or waving of arms... simple, quiet, easy-peasy.