Need help from CB, Dun or anyone, speedrite tester

[Alan]

I just bought and received a speedrite fault finder;

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... b0d0204ae5

But just can't figure it out, so a little help please. I'm trying to find a short in a fence that I have walked fence line on at least 20 times. To give you an idea of the set up I have two pasture hooked together on the same charger. A half acre pasture connected to a 5 acre pasture with a hot wire gate going into a 5 acre pasture. I ended up disconnecting the 5 acres from the small, then I get a good hot fence 7000 volts. When I put the speedrite tester on the half acre fence it shows 7000v but 0 amps and no direction flow. I tested the charger with the fence wire disconnected and get 9000v with 10 amps. I wouldn't think it's a ground problem with all those amps (?). How can I have so many volts at the fence and no amps. Any tips on any problems I'm having with this new unit?


Thanks,
Alan

 

[dun]

I just bought and received a speedrite fault finder;

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... b0d0204ae5

But just can't figure it out, so a little help please. I'm trying to find a short in a fence that I have walked fence line on at least 20 times. To give you an idea of the set up I have two pasture hooked together on the same charger. A half acre pasture connected to a 5 acre pasture with a hot wire gate going into a 5 acre pasture. I ended up disconnecting the 5 acres from the small, then I get a good hot fence 7000 volts. When I put the speedrite tester on the half acre fence it shows 7000v but 0 amps and no direction flow. I tested the charger with the fence wire disconnected and get 9000v with 10 amps. I wouldn't think it's a ground problem with all those amps (?). How can I have so many volts at the fence and no amps. Any tips on any problems I'm having with this new unit?


Thanks,
Alan

I don;t have the speedrite, but if it works like mine any amps showing means there is a ground somewhere and the arrow should point towards it. I take a line and start in the midddle, when it points one direction or the other I then go half way from there towards the direction the rrow points. Just keep breaking it down m half till I find the fault

 

[plumber_greg]

I think you're saying that you are concerned because you are showing no amps on your fence. That means you have no short anywhere. The only time you show a current pulling amps is if something is using the current. Same thing in your house, if you have a 40 amp breaker on your stove, it won't always pull 40 amps, may only pull 15 amps if only one burner is on. It will not pull any amps if the stove is off.
Also, you may show an amp or two if your connecting the two pastures with a gate. Sometimes a connection will pull amps if it's arcing. gs

 

[Angus Cowman]

it is saying the short is in your 5 acre pasture
like Greg and Dun said when it is showing amps then you have a short is there anyway you can hook the 5 acres up without the 1/2acre it it may make it easier to find your short in the 5 acre without the 1/2 hooked up if your fence runs in a loop(feeds from both ends continously) it will also make it harder to find

 

[Caustic Burno]

Does your model tester require a ground those that do can make you pull your hair out.
Your volt's can be down for several reason's as well bad ground, bad connection's were wire is spliced together.

 

[Alan]

Thanks for the replies and the help. The directions show the unit testing in amps, ie; 26amps down the fence line to a spot that has 3amps, so I got confused when my fence showed zero amps all the way around. But it makes sense now, thanks Dun, no ground I must just have a bad spot in the fence. I know the fence line that separates the 5 acres from the 1/2 is hot, so I'll start by disconnecting 1/3 of the remaining fence line at a time until fix. At this point I feel like running new hot wire in the pasture, but I'll try the fix first. CB, the unit does not have the ground, I bought the same unit from Valley that you posted a link to a while back.

For some reason this is the toughest short in a fence I've dealt with in the years of raising cattle, I figure it has to be in a splice from one of the many past repairs, sense my tester is reading zero amps and the fence is not grounding out......

Thanks again, Dun, CB, angus and Greg.

Alan

 

[Caustic Burno]

Thanks for the replies and the help. The directions show the unit testing in amps, ie; 26amps down the fence line to a spot that has 3amps, so I got confused when my fence showed zero amps all the way around. But it makes sense now, thanks Dun, no ground I must just have a bad spot in the fence. I know the fence line that separates the 5 acres from the 1/2 is hot, so I'll start by disconnecting 1/3 of the remaining fence line at a time until fix. At this point I feel like running new hot wire in the pasture, but I'll try the fix first. CB, the unit does not have the ground, I bought the same unit from Valley that you posted a link to a while back.

For some reason this is the toughest short in a fence I've dealt with in the years of raising cattle, I figure it has to be in a splice from one of the many past repairs, sense my tester is reading zero amps and the fence is not grounding out......

Thanks again, Dun, CB, angus and Greg.

Alan

I have had issue's with splice's as they age especially on galvanized wire were the splice is as it will rust under the wire is wraped together. I am betting a splice as if you have the same tester as mine, I have ran into that before.
Alan go around and check on each side your insulator's if they are porcelean, I have had them crack and the fence be shorting to the metal screw. I had one that acted as a slow leak as wierd as that sound's like to run me crazy finding this one, it had a hair line crack.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We spent several hours working on this today, Our unit is a Gallager Smart Fix (http://www.gallagherusa.com/electric-fe ... rodid=1358), and it has been a life saver on finding faults. We just follow the arrow, and it takes us right to the fault.
I can tell you a helpful tool we wish we would have used more of was the in line switch. You can turn a pasture on and off real quick without having to yell at the kids to pull the cord on the box! We have a few set up, but in an ideal world we would have a bunch more! Our fault today ended up being a very tiny nick in the double insulated underground wire where the zip tie was snugging it up to the pole. It was originally a single insulated wire, but NEVER use single insulated wire - it is VERY easy to damage and almost all of what we put in has been replaced with double insulated because of damage!
Just what we learned...