The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: funkyfish on February 23, 2013, 09:34:35 pm

Title: Electric fencing in cold/wet weather
Post by: funkyfish on February 23, 2013, 09:34:35 pm

Bought some energisers with solar panels last year. As expected they were fab over the summer and autumn, but less so over the winter. Have charged the batteries at home and put them back on the chicken netting and sheep netting (have 2x 100m chicken areas and 1x 50m sheep net), still getting nothing off it- 1000kv on a good day and nothing if it rains. On the chicken nets we have pegged old feed bags under and cut the bottom two wires so nothing is touching/shorting it. The charger says the batteries are fully charged.


Any ideas how to get better power to the nets?


We are so lucky that Mr. Fox doesn't go anywhere near the fences (think the Lamas in the next field put them off).

Title: Re: Electric fencing in cold/wet weather
Post by: supplies for smallholders on February 23, 2013, 10:05:07 pm

Should not matter if the bottoms of the nets touch the ground too much on that length of run.

Have you made sure that you have a GOOD earth and good connections all round? not just driven in a couple of inches - Ideally you should drive a spike 1m into the ground.

If your earth is good - what power should the energisers push out? are they capable of running the length of nets - some are only capable of running rope / tape.

Finally could be that your energisers are shot - what make are they?

Title: Re: Electric fencing in cold/wet weather
Post by: chrismahon on February 24, 2013, 04:16:29 am

Sounds like an earth problem Funkyfish. What's the reading directly across the output terminals of the energiser?

Title: Re: Electric fencing in cold/wet weather
Post by: hughesy on February 24, 2013, 10:41:21 am

I have a Rutland 12v energiser running off a car battery with a solar panel to top it up. It's maintaining the charge in the battery even this time of year. I find the fence works better when it's wet. As said above you must have a good earth stake and make sure the fence isn't earthing out somewhere which won't stop it working but will lessen the shock that an animal gets when it touches the fence.

Title: Re: Electric fencing in cold/wet weather
Post by: funkyfish on February 24, 2013, 07:56:52 pm

Thanks for the input! :)


The energiser is a Helios 8 with solar pannel built in. It says it should run 2x 100m poultry nets or several sheep nets.


One of the nets has a 2m metal pole pushed almost all the way into the ground, tho other has a shorter pole so will look into that. Got 7000kv off them in the summer- charge lasted about 3 weeks then would turn it off during the day on a sunny day and it would be fully charged. have tried just one net and no different. Can't test the clip with the tester we have (the dog chewed up the right shaped tester, now have a hand over type one).


Now have the sheep net on a leisure battery with solar pannel attached. Had 5000kv off it in September but struggle to get 1000kv now.


Am thinking that maybe our charger is faulty, its a cheap Halfords one. Maybe it doesn't fully charge the battery?

Title: Re: Electric fencing in cold/wet weather
Post by: supplies for smallholders on February 24, 2013, 09:12:35 pm

Could be the charger or indeed the batteries could have lost a cell or two - pop them along to an auto electrician - they will usually do a load test on the batteries free of charge.

One thing confuses me though - you say the nets themselves have earth stakes?