27
To Order Ca l l Tol l Free : 1-855-FARMFENCE (855-327-6336)
6 Most Common Mistakes with Electric Fence
1
Improper grounding.
Electric fence current
will travel the path of least
resistance. Therefore in cases
of insufficient grounding and a
lot of vegetation on the fence,
the ground field may become
energized and the fence may
become the ground.
Solution:
Add more ground
rods and reduce vegetation on the fence. If
possible, locate ground field in a moist area
under the fence line at least 40' away from
utility grounds and drive ground rods as
deep as possible.
2
Choosing the wrong size and type of
energizer.
Select an energizer based
on joules and not “miles of
fence” or acres. A one joule
energizer might do 5 acres of
horse fence, 2 acres of multi-
strand sheep fence, but only
three 164' rolls of poultry
net due to induction and the
amount of leakage caused
by vegetation on the low
electrified wires.
Solution:
Check with Wellscroft to see what size energizer is
appropriate for your situation.
3
Improper training of livestock and wildlife to
the fence.
Solution:
Always bait the
fence so wildlife will learn
to respect it. Because it is a
psychological fence, not a
physical one, the animal must
slow down to sniff the bait
and learn before accidentally
dashing through the electric
wires. The same applies to
training livestock to the
fence each year. Wildlife and
livestock require different types of bait, check with Wellscroft
on which bait to use.
4
Improper lightning and surge protection.
Solution:
Install
a lightning choke/diverter
at the start of the fence. In
situations of 5 acres or more,
install additional lightning
choke/diverters with their own
ground rods at the far end of
the fence. Also on AC units,
install a quality 1,000 joule
surge protector. Best of all, if
possible unplug the energizer
and disconnect the fence with a double pole cut-out switch
BEFORE
the storm.
5
Not monitoring the voltage and condition
of the fence
.
Solution:
Install a Fence
Alert or BlitzLight on fence.
Periodically test the fence with
a DVM or Fault Finder. Watch
and listen for arcing caused
by poor connections and
excessive vegetation growing
on the fence. Alternate the
polarity in very dry or winter
conditions. The ground field
needs to be monitored as
vegetation grows into it.
6
Not choosing the right type of fence to do the
job.
Solution:
Check with
Wellscroft for advice on the
best type of fence to install
for your particular situation.
Each species of wildlife and
livestock can have unique
requirements to consider.
It’s also important to keep
in mind the possibility of
future expansion of area and
livestock.
This rusted connection can
greatly reduce the conductivity
of the fence. Always use Class 3
galvanized or stainless wire and
fittings to avoid damaging the zinc
coating’s properties.
Avoid using copper wire and ground rods because
connections with copper can quickly oxidize or corrode thus
weakening your ground field.
Ground
Fence
