Tips to Keep Your Fence in Good Working Order

For a safe, dependable electric fence, we recommend you follow these helpful hints:

• Use a voltage tester to check the fence line every day. This will highlight potential before the animals find them.
  
• Only use a fencing lead out cable to connect the energiser to the fence line (or other lead out specifically for electric fencing and designed for 20,000 volts or more). Normal commercial or domestic cable will not be satisfactory as it is not designed for these high voltages.
  
• Install the earth stakes at least 10 metres away from any mains earth system, buried telephone lines, or water pipes. These may pick up the current and deliver a shock to taps and water tanks or cause interference with phones, televisions or radios.
  
• Use only high-quality insulators and connectors. Cracked, poor-quality and makeshift insulators (such as water hoses) will degrade the performance of the fence or cause it to fail completely, particularly when using high powered energisers. Do not connect electrified wire directly to wood or steel posts. Whilst this may appear satisfactory in dry summer weather, it will cause huge voltage losses when wet.
  
• Most damage to energisers results from power surges and lightning strikes. Lightning is so powerful that nothing can give 100% protection and the closer the strike is to the energiser the greater the damage is likely to be, particularly when using high tensile fence wires. To reduce the chance of damage from lightning, lightning diverters and surge suppressors offer some added protection.
  
• If a severe thunderstorm is imminent, disconnecting the energiser temporarily from the power source and the fence line will prevent possible lightning damage.
  
• If you have long fence lines, keep a spare bag of each type of insulator on hand to quickly replace those that may become damaged.
  
• Use bolts to securely connect the earth wire to the earth stakes. Do not use hose clamps or wrap wire around the rod.