Trouble shooting hot wire fencing

[barefootfarmer]

I have a basic hot wire set up to keep my cows in an area at night. It's two strands of wire around the perimeter, with t-posts and those white plastic fence pieces to keep the wire offset from the t-post. There is a fence charger right next to it. Two wires coming out of the charger. One goes to a metal rod in the ground. The other piece of wire attaches to the perimeter wire.

The charger is plugged in and the green light is on. If you touch a piece of metal to the wire attached to the grounding rod, you get a sharp snap. That's how it's supposed to be so I that's good.

But- there is absolutely no voltage going to the perimeter wire at all. I finally even touched it with my hand. No shock. Not even if you touch the wire 5 feet away from the charger. Nothing.

Can anyone help me out? I can usually trouble shoot when something is making it short out etc. But this one has me stumped. And right now I'm on my own until Sunday night.

I'm about ready to go buy another charger to swap it out. I'm worried the cows are going to get up into the road at night.

[graywolf]

Sounds odd. It may be hooked up backwards. Switch the charger leads around and let us know what happens.

[here to stay]

I vote for the backwards hook up myself.

[barefootfarmer]

Well shoot. It's been this way- but working- for about 3 months. Not dry- we're on pretty wet ground. No lightning.

Ground rods- I have one ground rod about a foot to 2 feet away from the charger. Then I have t-posts running the perimeter about every 8 feet or so.

Possum do you mean coming from the charger I should have 3 rods that the ground wire is connected to in a series?

I'm going back out to make sure nothing is touching the hot wires.

Thanks for helping, everyone.

[barefootfarmer]

Oh- that first link was super helpful Possum

I was using rebar as a grounding rod, and it was less than 3 feet tall to begin with. I think I can work with this now.

REALLY appreciate the links!

[barefootfarmer]

That advice was spot on! I purchased a grounding kit and once I hooked it up- zap! The perimeter is hot. Thank you! Thank you!

[barefootfarmer]

I'll be honest about the voltage- I didn't check it. But my dairy cow walked up to it at the mid-point and barely sniffed it. She jumped back and stayed clear.

I do like what you're saying about alternating with ground wire. I've never done it that way- but it sounds like what I need to do for my beef cows that are way out back. This particular area is up by my milking area and where I turn the cows in at night until the end of May. Once they aren't using it in a couple of weeks I'll switch over to that method.

Any advice for keeping sheep in? I've got some roamers that go where they please out with the beef cows right now. I bet that alternating method will put an end to that. I also have 3 bottle lambs that I'm trying to keep contained with poultry netting. But they keep sticking their heads through the spaces and getting tangled. Then I have to unplug it and pull them out...and there is plenty of grass on their side, too.

[willowgirl]

You need a good voltage meter.

I second that! I have one and have made it a habit to test my fence every day. I can't see the entire circuit from the driveway, and a limb could fall on it, or a deer could run through it, and short it out at any time. The cows will tell me if it isn't working, of course, but I hate to wait for them to do it. My neighbors aren't so fond of that, either. lol

[copperkid3]

May 17, 2015 12:16:18 GMT willowgirl said:

You need a good voltage meter.

I second that! I have one and have made it a habit to test my fence every day. I can't see the entire circuit from the driveway, and a limb could fall on it, or a deer could run through it, and short it out at any time. The cows will tell me if it isn't working, of course, but I hate to wait for them to do it. My neighbors aren't so fond of that, either. lol

You must have very 'honest' cows then.....


It's always been my experience, that they like to keep that "little secret" strictly between themselves.


And then you have to wait until the neighbors snitch them off.....

[Awnry Abe]

May 17, 2015 12:16:18 GMT willowgirl said:

You need a good voltage meter.

I second that! I have one and have made it a habit to test my fence every day. I can't see the entire circuit from the driveway, and a limb could fall on it, or a deer could run through it, and short it out at any time. The cows will tell me if it isn't working, of course, but I hate to wait for them to do it. My neighbors aren't so fond of that, either. lol

Haha. My cows won't tell me until Sunday night that my fence has been down since Thursday. They seem to know when I am least likely to want to deal with a fence issue to test the system. 

But it it goes both ways. I put up a bluff polywire cross fence to cut a paddock in half the other day. I did it half-rear-ended and managed to not electrify it. But it still worked, because most other times calling that bluff is painful.

[barefootfarmer]

My cows are just plain clever. The whole time I was fixing the fencing they stood there and watched me. It was kind of comical, really. Of course, I am kind of partial to my dairy girls.