New Electric Fence charger

[herofan]

I recently purchased a Power Wizard electric fence charger. It's a PW1000, 25 mile. The light on the box shows it's working, and my voltage tester shows it's working. However, when the cows touch it, it does not seem to be working.

My old one was installed by my grandfather in the 70s, so I've never had to give this any thought until recently. The only thing I see is that the instructions for the new charger shows three ground posts, but the old one just has one, and that's how it's currently hooked up. Could that be the difference? It's no more than a couple of miles total.

My small herd is gentle, so I haven't had any problems with them getting out; they still respect it as the boundary, but I've seen them brush against it with no reaction. With the old one, they certainly stepped away in a hurry if they touched it. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[mwj]

Are you checking voltage on the fence itself? What are you using for a tester?

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

That appears to be a 1 joule charger. How long is the fence its on? Is the wire clean of grass/etc?

1 joule is small so it doesn't take much length or debris to render it useless.

 

[CowboyRam]

I second what @chevytaHOE5674 has said. My experience electric fence chargers that manufactures overstate the distance they will work. Maybe that is under prefect conditions. In my opinion if they say 25 miles in reality they can handle less than half of what is stated. I have read somewhere that you should have one joule per mile.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I would test voltage at the far end of the fence then start walking back toward the charger testing as I went and looking for vegetation touching the wire, frayed/broken wire, and (depending on what type of posts you're using) places where the wire might have slipped out of an insulator.

More ground rods never hurts, but in my experience you can get away with fewer rods than what the manufacturer recommends.

I also agree that "a couple of miles total" is asking a lot of a 1 joule charger. The mileage claims of many charger manufacturers are optimistic, to put it mildly.

 

[farmerjan]

The miles thing is a big marketing/selling point... only will do that under PERFECT conditions.
Joules is the ticket... and 1 joules is low for any length of fence. I use a 2 joule charger on the woven poly mesh fence because you know there is going to places it will bleed into the ground.
That said... what is the condition of the ground(soil) ??? Is it dry or wet? The biggest thing with the ground rod(s).. is the condition of the ground where they are. I have had to "water the soil" where the ground rods are because the soil (ground) is too dry for a good grounding of the fence.
Also check to make sure the wire to the ground is also well attached...
I agree with starting at the farthest point and seeing where there might be a difference in what it is showing. There are newer testers that will even help to determine where the fence is losing charge.
Honestly, I would go over the whole fence for anything that could be grounding it out... old grass, sticks, vegetation, anything... start from the charger end... and walk the fence... you will be surprised what you might find out.. Check the insulators... a cracked one will cause a great loss of charge going through the insulator to the post. I have found a few cracked insulators, or ones that have broken enough to let the wire touch, or at least ARC, to the post... We all get lax and not walk the actual fence but once in a blue moon. Plastic cracks and degrades after time...

 

[sstterry]

Ignore what they "say" is the mileage. That is all bs marketing. What counts is the joules. One joule will hardly turn a chicken much less a cow.

 

[daneg]

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cyclopsfence.com

These fencers are good, also most any fencer from Australia or Newzeland. Use the recommended number of ground rods.

 

[sstterry]

Buy Here! Cyclops AC / 110V Powered Electric Fence Chargers

Order Online Here! Cyclops is the Strongest AC /110V Mains, DC Battery and Solar Operated Charger Available. Made in the USA! Lowest Price and Free Shipping.

cyclopsfence.com

These fencers are good, also most any fencer from Australia or Newzeland. Use the recommended number of ground rods.

I like the Cyclops. Gallager and Parmak also make good energizers. I have the Cyclops 41 joule on my main fence (they used to make a 64 joule) and I also have a couple of Gallager 16 joules on some smaller fields and a Parmak battery energizer for temporary emergencies. Also, the grounding is just as important as the energizer.

Here is an explanation of how joules work:
Joules measure how much energy is delivered to an animal that touches the fence. This is like the amount of water that flows through a hose when you turn on the faucet. The joule rating of the fence determines how strong the shock will be. For example, a fence with a higher joule rating will deliver a stronger shock.

I like the Cyclops because they have replaceable fuses if there is a lightning strike. There are several discussions on the board about lighting arrestors (I have one of those too). @kenny thomas made his own that works really well as I recall.

 

[4hfarms]

I have found, after a few years of rotating, you get what you pay for!

 

[smalltimer]

I have always went by the rule of thumb that you need at least 7 joules for cattle. I can't recall what mine is but it is at least 14 joules because you will lose some throughout the circuit.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I'm using a Speedrite 1 joule battery-powered charger for temporary pasture subdivisions, and it has been keeping my cattle where I want them. My temporary fencing runs are fairly short though; the longest has been about 2000' of polybraid, and my voltage tester will max out (at 8000V) at the far end of the fence. If I touch the wire while wearing rubber-soled boots, I feel a mere tingle. If I (mistakenly) touch it when I'm well-grounded, it gives me a very unpleasant jolt. 1 joule chargers certainly have their limits, but I don't think they're entirely useless.

 

[kenny thomas]

I like the Cyclops. Gallager and Parmak also make good energizers. I have the Cyclops 41 joule on my main fence (they used to make a 64 joule) and I also have a couple of Gallager 16 joules on some smaller fields and a Parmak battery energizer for temporary emergencies. Also, the grounding is just as important as the energizer.

Here is an explanation of how joules work:
Joules measure how much energy is delivered to an animal that touches the fence. This is like the amount of water that flows through a hose when you turn on the faucet. The joule rating of the fence determines how strong the shock will be. For example, a fence with a higher joule rating will deliver a stronger shock.

I like the Cyclops because they have replaceable fuses if there is a lightning strike. There are several discussions on the board about lighting arrestors (I have one of those too). @kenny thomas made his own that works really well as I recall.

 

[kenny thomas]

Notice on the ground rod where lightning has burned the rod. Lightning will jump across and be grounded instead of making the turn and going into the charger.

 

[GoWyo]

Notice on the ground rod where lightning has burned the rod. Lightning will jump across and be grounded instead of making the turn and going into the charger.

Kenny - is that a hot or a ground wire gapping to the ground rod for the lightning diverter?

 

[kenny thomas]

Kenny - is that a hot or a ground wire gapping to the ground rod for the lightning diverter?

Hot wire. Just far enough off the ground rod so the spark don't normally jump.
When lightning hits and follows the fence its moving so fast itwon't turn the curve but jumps across onto the ground rod instead.

 

[sstterry]

Hot wire. Just far enough off the ground rod so the spark don't normally jump.
When lightning hits and follows the fence its moving so fast itwon't turn the curve but jumps across onto the ground rod instead.

Sort of like my wife driving on a curvy road.

 

[greybeard]

Hot wire. Just far enough off the ground rod so the spark don't normally jump.
When lightning hits and follows the fence its moving so fast itwon't turn the curve but jumps across onto the ground rod instead.

It's moving at the speed of light or faster. But, the velocity of the electrons has nothing to do with where it goes.... The Volts pushing the electron charge does. Usually, a bolt of lightening is in the millions of volts but can range up to 900 million volts. 300 million volts is going to take the most direct route to ground but most of it is dissipated all along the fence and down wet posts and anywhere else. Joules is a mathematical calculation of energy=Power X time. Typical lightening strike is around 1 billion joules.
Think about it.....it has enough energy to jump 5-10 miles of open air (or dance down raindrops) to ground.
You will see the results on your lightening arrestor for sure but that much energy is also spread out everywhere else too...you just don't see evidence of it.

 

[kenny thomas]

It's moving at the speed of light or faster. But, the velocity of the electrons has nothing to do with where it goes.... The Volts pushing the electron charge does. Usually, a bolt of lightening is in the millions of volts but can range up to 900 million volts. 300 million volts is going to take the most direct route to ground but most of it is dissipated all along the fence and down wet posts and anywhere else. Joules is a mathematical calculation of energy=Power X time. Typical lightening strike is around 1 billion joules.
Think about it.....it has enough energy to jump 5-10 miles of open air (or dance down raindrops) to ground.
You will see the results on your lightening arrestor for sure but that much energy is also spread out everywhere else too...you just don't see evidence of it.

Much better explanation.
Before, i seen the evidence with the chargers blown all over the barn. Not even a blown fuse since i put this system in.

 

[herofan]

Thanks for all the pictures and information everyone. It appears I should have done some more homework. The old one was a Super Century model 115 volt. It didn't say anything about mileage or Joules. When I saw 25 miles on this one, I assumed that would be more than enough. My old one would work through brush, grass, limbs, and whatever. The only thing that knocked it out was touching metal.

The way my brain works, I was hoping to walk in and find a brand new one that was just like my old one, even though it was from the 70s. Yes, that's weird I know. It reminds me of when I replaced my toilet a couple years ago.

My old one had four floor-bolts and all the new ones had only two. I asked the workers at Lowe's if it would still work, and they looked at each other very puzzled and said they had never heard of one with four bolts. At that point, I was looking puzzled. I discovered my old one had been installed in the 60s, so I guess that's why it was a little different.