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Thread: Electric fence issue

  1. #1
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    Dec 2003
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    Default Electric fence issue

    Installed electric fence a couple weeks back, thought it was acting funny (12 volt DC Parmak Magnum 12), cycling completely on and off every few seconds on the gauge, very random. watched a couple videos on YouTube and don’t think it’s supposed to be cycling all the way down to bottom of gage as it is, just staying in the green, cycling there. The fence is new polywire, three strands on T-Post with 2” insulators- one continuous run, drove 2-8’ ground rods 10’ apart, good fully charged battery, cut the grass back on both sides so nothing is touching and sprayed with round up to keep the weeds off. Anybody have experience with this model fence charger or similar experience, I’m at a little bit of a loss, tractor supply tester wouldn’t work straight to charger and ground. So returned it (had poor reviews). Wondering if I need more ground rod, saw some users mentioned needing 3. Any ideas or suggestions? Oh and 2th Doc, I’m not standing in a puddle barefooted to check it.

  2. #2
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    What is the soil condition/type where you drove your ground rods?

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by FULLCHOKE View Post
    What is the soil condition/type where you drove your ground rods?
    .
    GIS says EnC, been planting this field in Browntop for 25+ years, not rocky at all. But rods were driven on top of a slight slope that doesn’t hold a lot of moisture. But plants grow well in the immediate area, also it’s only about an acre fenced in.

  4. #4
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    Default

    Water ground rods

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by usrgce View Post
    Water ground rods
    Tried that the other day, cycle seemed to get a little better. That’s reason I was thinking possibly a 3rd ground rod, just never heard of anyone having to that.

  6. #6
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    Default

    What happens when you grab it?

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sportin' Woodies View Post
    What happens when you grab it?
    Grabbing it might be too intense. I recommend peeing on it while barefooted.

  8. #8
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    again, there is only one way to truly test it....
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  9. #9
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    We had a similar issue. Tested per the manufacturer at the box and fence a 100 times, installed 3 grounds and eventually bought a new control box... nothing worked. Ended up touching a T post and the fence at the same time and got zapped. Have no idea why the energizer wouldn't bench test correctly but it was working the whole time. Maybe the tester is bad.

  10. #10
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    Whenever we installed the fence around our garden we used two ground rods and the shock was very weak. We went to three and it helped a lot. Our soil is very heavy red/orange clay. Also, the drier it is the weaker this shock is.

  11. #11
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    OK. I probably need rubberhead and a spreadsheet to keep up with all this stuff.

    Gene used his dog as a test animal and was not impressed with her reaction to the fence.
    What's the damn deal with multiple grounding rods? That makes no sense to me. Volt meter reads 6000. some decrease further away from box. more predation of flowers this year than in the past. Same fence set up, per se. Admittedly more knots in the line from breakages but should that matter?
    I only have a couple of jumps from outer single strand to inside (main, double) wires. would more jumps on other end help?

    discuss
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  12. #12
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    3 rods ten feet apart. Strap all wires of fence together at the point where it comes from charger.

  13. #13
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    Are you using the poly tape or wire? They say the poly tape doesn't conduct as well. I have my hot wire tied to a single strand. And then all 3 strands tied together at each corner of the field. I have the same ground rod setup as you but with sandy soil. 12 acre field and I still read 7k. You should buy a new tester, model don't matter. Make sure you are grounding that when you test also.

  14. #14
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    poly wire. 6000 volts.
    I still dont understand how more ground rods work better.

    usrgce---combine all the strands into one and connect to the charger? then let them go their separate ways? mine are separate with jumpers.
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  15. #15
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    Electricity is the flow of electrons. Electrons are negatively charged. Ground provides the source of electrons.

    No ground, no flow of electrons. Not just any ground, at times, it takes multiple ground points to sufficiently provide electrons for current flow.

    Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
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    Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!

    "For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by 2thDoc View Post
    poly wire. 6000 volts.
    I still dont understand how more ground rods work better.

    usrgce---combine all the strands into one and connect to the charger? then let them go their separate ways? mine are separate with jumpers.
    Yes just jumpered together. With jumper wire to charger. Seems to Help if you jumper wires together a interval around large fields.

  17. #17
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    well gene just got shocked by a mylar balloon wrapped around a wire so we must be ok!
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  18. #18
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    I haven't actually been paying attention because this seems like an awfully easy problem to solve, but I think Gene's the problem where 2fer is concerned.
    "Freedom Isn't Free"
    _Spc. Thomas Caughman
    1983-2004

    Quote Originally Posted by Dook View Post
    Go tigers!

  19. #19
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    easy now. He's the best help I got.
    and he brings his dogs to make sure they get zapped first....

    and I aint that easy when you set everything up and deer get in.
    then you start testing shit and the meter reads 6000 but deer still are getting in.
    then you start to wonder if you need to start over.
    I aint an engineer, you gypsy.

    and tell your pa in law to come see the train and call me
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  20. #20
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    I've got 4 miles of high tensile fence running on a 12 Joule charger without a single ground rod at the charger ... I use a single run around the fence as a ground circut, and loop it to the bottom of every brace or corner post ... That puts htd ground field along the fence and everywhere it goes ... It will torch your ass with 9,000 volts at any point.

    I know that's way bigger than a dove field fence, but the principle is the same ... Just run a ground wire along the fence and ground the corners.

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