Getting caught up on a barbed wire while flinching from a 'zap' from an electric fence could cause dangerous tears to the body that may even be life threatening.While electric fence shocks are generally safe on their own, getting tangled in barb wire while getting shocked repeatedly can cause potentially life-threatening burns. The question is is it better (in the sense that the system works better) to complete this loop or is it better to not join the end to the beginning? Remember: If you are buying a new computer or modem, talk to your retailer about a model that will work satisfactorily from your premises. Insulator quality matters.
Geoff. Your valuable opinion matters to the team at Big Red Fencing! The electric fence wire does not need to be stretched singing-tight like a barbed wire fence since the wire functions as a psychological barrier, not a physical one. Another common problem in many electric fence installations is an undersized electric fence charger. Battery-powered units are driven by either batteries that are periodically replaced or by a car or marine battery.
In order to effectively push power to the far ends of your entire electric fence installation, you need to ensure maximum contact within all your wire joins and connections. Electric fencing is also the answer for areas where temporary fences are required, i.e. If you buy something through one of those links, I receive a small commission. The electric fence charger sends pulses of electrons down the electric fence wires but wire insulators prevent the electric charge from reaching the ground.The electric fence circuit is only completed when something (cattle, humans, or vegetation) touches the wire, thus allowing the pulse of electrons in the high tensile wire to travel through the body down into the soil.Ground rods connected to the electric fence charger simultaneously draw electrons back up out of the soil, thus completing the electrical circuit, as shown in the image below. Mains powered units which are plugged into a 240 V socket. Use the links below to explore my book and read reviews on Amazon: (I get commissions for purchases made using Amazon links in my post.). 
If so could you possibly point me in the right direction. 80% of all electric cattle fencing problems are caused by poor grounding.When cattle touch your electric fence installation, they will only receive a shock if the earth-ground system is capable of instantly replacing all the electrons that escape to the soil from the fence. This is mostly random arcing, one then another. What do you say? While electric fence charger selection is important to ensure that you have sufficient power on your fences, getting sufficient voltage to the far ends of your fences also depends on the thickness and electrical conductivity of the wires you use to build your fences, the quality of all electrical connections and wire knots, the quality of your insulators, and how free you keep your electric fences of vegetation and other debris that causes the wire to short out. Maybe even two nails touching, inside the post? 
These portable electric cross-fences are discussed in the next article - Part III of this Smart Electric Fence Grid series.
We have found that people often overlook a few basic steps to ensure that they set up their electric fences safely.
There are more than a few deer that have been tangled in barbed wire and died after tearing themselves to the bone while trying to escape an electrified wire that was installed alongside a barbed wire fence.In short, never ever combine barb wire with electric cattle fencing. Why would you use electric fencing? And never add electric fence wires to a barbed wire fence.When cattle or wildlife (or humans!) The only fences that need to act as a physical barrier to stop newborns walking underneath are your farm boundary fences (3 or more strands) to ensure that calves don't wind up on highways or in your neighbors freshly planted wheat field.As calves grow larger and more independent, they will start to 'make contact' with the wire and will naturally stop sneaking outside the day's pasture slice. Every line of electric fencing needs to be supported by tying off to a brace post at both ends of the fence line. Farm boundary fences need a minimum of 3 strands to function as a rudimentary physical barrier if you have a power outage. The ticking is annoying nearby tenants. I have found some pretty good looking plastic insulators that would only keep the wire about 1/2 away from the panels. You can add hot wires when you put up a new fence. Thanks a bunch. Electric fence weaning is an important strategy that will greatly reduce stress and illness around weaning - you can learn more about electric fence weaning on pages 51 to 53 of my book. Pin-lock insulators are not ideal for creating temporary gates because they are difficult to open while the wire is 'hot' and they break easily. That's a good thing because it ensures that newborns can easily catch up with the herd if they accidentally wind up on the wrong side of a fence during a pasture move. 5. You'll be amazed at how high tensile wire turns to putty in your hands once you master this simple skill. shelterbelts, strip grazing, dam protection etc. Do not install ground rods near water lines or milking sheds to avoid inducing an electrical charge in water lines or milking equipment. Permanent fence tighteners should be installed midway within each electric fence span. Does an electric fence have to make a complete loop? 2004 Hans Dresel, ofArtex International; the home of Red Snapr electric fence systems. 2. `)cawaf)0ScUcNXP}.. :nZHs!< @ B*^D/=]-*eOSE& _g.Va#ZO&4T+W8G,&l]vIX|bHB8RHw4y :1-d#K5+x|7 AI-'p4*5.a/g&Sf.4$0/_?fKGcq??^w2\yH#aHG ^"Pn EjmAtv6wT6[yfiY.1K=.Uac>%vPAH One of the most useful skills when working with 12.5-gauge high tensile wire is to learn how to tie wire knots by hand. A deformed or damaged strain insulator will easily allow the wire to cut through the plastic until the hot wire is able to touch the dead wire used to tie off to the post, thus causing a short that is very difficult to find because the fence line is not broken and the short is invisible because it is hidden inside the damaged strain insulator.Insulator quality also affects how quickly the plastic insulators age. Every electric fence corridor should be placed on its own cut-out switch so you can isolate individual fence lines for repair in your electric fence installation without turning off the entire grid. Good luck. Click to learn more about myAffiliates Policies. To learn more, please see my affiliate disclosure document. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to disentangle and rewind onto the spool! Strain the wires about half as tight as you would normally. Vollrath Hanoverians When it rains wood posts or battens get soggy and become conductive. In Part I of this article series I discussed how to plan your electric fence installation. Use Angle Braces for multi-strand boundary fences and the even simpler Bedlog Brace on single-wire electric fences. If you put up a new fence you can use posts every 6 to 8 meters; no battens are required. Its amazing how difficult it is sometimes to spot that bit of wire/nail/metal/wet grass etc., which must be touching your systemthe barb is hot because of that hidden short then it is acting as an hot wire because it is effectively insulated because its nailed onto the (insulating) wood. The garden hose also reduces the risk of kinks and bends that could damage the insulated coating on the leadout cable, which would lead to electrical shorts.Gate handles should have a metal hook so the gate is powered from the handle side, not the far end tied off to the post. It is much simpler and faster than using crimping tools and will significantly cut down the time and expense of electric fence installation. Make sure that it is at least ten metres from any buildings and ten metres from another earthing system. Single-wire electric fences also make it easy for cattle to graze underneath the electric fence to keep vegetation in check. Is it necessary to use wooden posts? If you buy something through one of those links, I receive a small commission. Even with a 2-strand electric fence, your bull herd should never be allowed to graze directly adjacent to your cow herd or the bulls WILL jump over or break through the fence. And finally, make sure you install lightning diverters in your electric fence installation to protect your electric fence charger during lightning strikes. Could these diagrams for dummies possibly be more incomprehensible? Best have a closer look, or better still, buy one of those little devices which show in an instant where the contact is. They are expensive but more more than well worth it in the long run. NZ Farriers Assn.
The supplier says it is no problem having arcing. Due to the nature of return paths for electric fence power flow, special care should be taken into account for the condition and conductivity of the ground and soil around the fence and the quality or need of installation of earth wires to assist in creating an effective return path for your electric fence. This also allows you to concentrate power only in areas where you need it during the winter electric fencing season. Some insulator styles are compressed if you pound nails too far into the post. Why is my barb wire hot and it nailed to wood post not touching anything. The narrow point of contact creates high electrical resistivity, restricting how much power can push past the join.Always use connector clamps (joint clamps), like the L-shaped joint clamp shown on the right, to reinforce the electrical contact of all wire joins or connections in your electric fence installation, including connections between two fence lines and both ends of the underwire leadout cable used to run wire underneath gates. What is an electric fence and how do they work? Each of these components will be discussed in further detail below Get a good quality electric fence fault finder + volt meter + current meter. I have made an area using the existing supply by placing posts and using rope. You will lose power much quicker as you get further from your energizer if you use thinner wires.Do not use portable electric wire or poly-tape for your permanent electric fence corridors - they cannot carry power over long distances and will not last many years.Regular galvanized 12.5-gauge high tensile wire is more than adequate for most farms, however, extremely large electric fence installations that span over several tens of miles may opt to use a much more expensive aluminum wire, which has 4x higher electrical conductivity than galvanized steel wire. Vegetation can also connect the circuit between both wires or live wire and ground soil resulting in power loss further down the fence line, this is generally called shorting out. Treated fence posts in an electric fencing grid can be expected to last for 24-40 years in most climates.Be aware that many of the chemicals used to treat conventional fence posts are not allowed by many organic certification regulations. The power of your electric fence charger is measured in Joules. Your email address will not be published. The Finding out the generalrequirementsforelectric fencesin Australia as well as the different laws Polywires, braids, ropes andtapes are primarily used in electric fences for their abilit Monday-Thursday: 7:30 am 4:00 pmFriday: 7:30 am 2:00 pmSaturday: 9:00 am 2:00 pmSunday: By appointment only, Copyright 2022 Big Red Fencing | All Rights Reserved | ABN: 34 636 420 169.
Part III of the Smart Electric Fence Grid. electric fencing and cattle water in winter, Tips for drawing your cattle management farm plan, Grass Finished Beef: The Seven Rules for Producing Great Beef, A permanent electric fencing grid requires a, The most effective ground rod layout is the, Ground rods need good contact with the soil to work effectively. For example feed the power out through fences in the middle of the farm, away from the phone line, rather than through the roadside boundary fence next to the phone lines. The fence charger is Stafix X3 and I measure 9.9 KV, but that is the maximum my meter will measure; therefore, it could be higher than 10 KV. A snapping sound caused by an open gate shorting against the grass will cause your cattle to baulk when going through the gate.Undergate leadout cable should be further protected by burying it INSIDE a section of rubber garden hose cut to fit the entire length of the gate. V(=6KZWE$ LnMeRV"K$p5Q9gUI%[!^{%H5o5kGZ?O8aYkn$QsIc4j:d c/m=t:`0k~'`IeGM(,VwhuRGsNGiTKCf)LksO?&YC?E_||bm{$lb9Oq0xNTCg ]g_]}}yxfmo?z}[0a?qK_vVG7tc>/77OSgBI#W] x; s'|+v94i]ASH9U]'*>YYLSvtc53'oe- uISS6Ql7%zw(:a0R*WIf,(`&{u iEvjSs FcKR60t8D7 ,`AY%hduU@vys\J2+d0T0d\H^\0N,8|a`I_L@:jS_febD;vv;0KJ9uKMu597O:Xn+vu.zteC This is a great article.
If you electrify your fences you keep your animals away from posts and wires and prolong the lifetime of them.
So, creating an effective earth-ground system is about building an effective electron collection system. And when you're ready to start planning your cattle farm, check out my book:Grass-Fed Cattle: How to Produce and Market Natural Beef. Then attach the negative terminal (-) which is on the other side of the broken circle to the earth. I have 4 strands of high tensile wire with barb wire between each. Advertising Options. Furthermore, the pain of the repeated shocks can cause a victim to panic and get hopelessly tangled in the barb wires while tearing themselves to shreds.
Test should be carried out whenever erecting or changing the setup of an electric fence. When electric fence wires hang 30 to 36 from the ground, they are high enough to allow newborn calves to freely walk under the wire. Hi Pam This prevents cattle, horses, or ATV's from getting tangled in open gates lying on the ground. Im going to put one hot wire on about 400 feet of corral panels to keep my Mule from eating my neighbors Horses tails. I want to spray rubberized coating around my front bumper then put electric fence wire around it for rioter.
Geoff. Your valuable opinion matters to the team at Big Red Fencing! The electric fence wire does not need to be stretched singing-tight like a barbed wire fence since the wire functions as a psychological barrier, not a physical one. Another common problem in many electric fence installations is an undersized electric fence charger. Battery-powered units are driven by either batteries that are periodically replaced or by a car or marine battery.
In order to effectively push power to the far ends of your entire electric fence installation, you need to ensure maximum contact within all your wire joins and connections. Electric fencing is also the answer for areas where temporary fences are required, i.e. If you buy something through one of those links, I receive a small commission. The electric fence charger sends pulses of electrons down the electric fence wires but wire insulators prevent the electric charge from reaching the ground.The electric fence circuit is only completed when something (cattle, humans, or vegetation) touches the wire, thus allowing the pulse of electrons in the high tensile wire to travel through the body down into the soil.Ground rods connected to the electric fence charger simultaneously draw electrons back up out of the soil, thus completing the electrical circuit, as shown in the image below. Mains powered units which are plugged into a 240 V socket. Use the links below to explore my book and read reviews on Amazon: (I get commissions for purchases made using Amazon links in my post.). If so could you possibly point me in the right direction. 80% of all electric cattle fencing problems are caused by poor grounding.When cattle touch your electric fence installation, they will only receive a shock if the earth-ground system is capable of instantly replacing all the electrons that escape to the soil from the fence. This is mostly random arcing, one then another. What do you say? While electric fence charger selection is important to ensure that you have sufficient power on your fences, getting sufficient voltage to the far ends of your fences also depends on the thickness and electrical conductivity of the wires you use to build your fences, the quality of all electrical connections and wire knots, the quality of your insulators, and how free you keep your electric fences of vegetation and other debris that causes the wire to short out. Maybe even two nails touching, inside the post? These portable electric cross-fences are discussed in the next article - Part III of this Smart Electric Fence Grid series. We have found that people often overlook a few basic steps to ensure that they set up their electric fences safely.
There are more than a few deer that have been tangled in barbed wire and died after tearing themselves to the bone while trying to escape an electrified wire that was installed alongside a barbed wire fence.In short, never ever combine barb wire with electric cattle fencing. Why would you use electric fencing? And never add electric fence wires to a barbed wire fence.When cattle or wildlife (or humans!) The only fences that need to act as a physical barrier to stop newborns walking underneath are your farm boundary fences (3 or more strands) to ensure that calves don't wind up on highways or in your neighbors freshly planted wheat field.As calves grow larger and more independent, they will start to 'make contact' with the wire and will naturally stop sneaking outside the day's pasture slice. Every line of electric fencing needs to be supported by tying off to a brace post at both ends of the fence line. Farm boundary fences need a minimum of 3 strands to function as a rudimentary physical barrier if you have a power outage. The ticking is annoying nearby tenants. I have found some pretty good looking plastic insulators that would only keep the wire about 1/2 away from the panels. You can add hot wires when you put up a new fence. Thanks a bunch. Electric fence weaning is an important strategy that will greatly reduce stress and illness around weaning - you can learn more about electric fence weaning on pages 51 to 53 of my book. Pin-lock insulators are not ideal for creating temporary gates because they are difficult to open while the wire is 'hot' and they break easily. That's a good thing because it ensures that newborns can easily catch up with the herd if they accidentally wind up on the wrong side of a fence during a pasture move. 5. You'll be amazed at how high tensile wire turns to putty in your hands once you master this simple skill. shelterbelts, strip grazing, dam protection etc. Do not install ground rods near water lines or milking sheds to avoid inducing an electrical charge in water lines or milking equipment. Permanent fence tighteners should be installed midway within each electric fence span. Does an electric fence have to make a complete loop? 2004 Hans Dresel, ofArtex International; the home of Red Snapr electric fence systems. 2. `)cawaf)0ScUcNXP}.. :nZHs!< @ B*^D/=]-*eOSE& _g.Va#ZO&4T+W8G,&l]vIX|bHB8RHw4y :1-d#K5+x|7 AI-'p4*5.a/g&Sf.4$0/_?fKGcq??^w2\yH#aHG ^"Pn EjmAtv6wT6[yfiY.1K=.Uac>%vPAH One of the most useful skills when working with 12.5-gauge high tensile wire is to learn how to tie wire knots by hand. A deformed or damaged strain insulator will easily allow the wire to cut through the plastic until the hot wire is able to touch the dead wire used to tie off to the post, thus causing a short that is very difficult to find because the fence line is not broken and the short is invisible because it is hidden inside the damaged strain insulator.Insulator quality also affects how quickly the plastic insulators age. Every electric fence corridor should be placed on its own cut-out switch so you can isolate individual fence lines for repair in your electric fence installation without turning off the entire grid. Good luck. Click to learn more about myAffiliates Policies. To learn more, please see my affiliate disclosure document. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to disentangle and rewind onto the spool! Strain the wires about half as tight as you would normally. Vollrath Hanoverians When it rains wood posts or battens get soggy and become conductive. In Part I of this article series I discussed how to plan your electric fence installation. Use Angle Braces for multi-strand boundary fences and the even simpler Bedlog Brace on single-wire electric fences. If you put up a new fence you can use posts every 6 to 8 meters; no battens are required. Its amazing how difficult it is sometimes to spot that bit of wire/nail/metal/wet grass etc., which must be touching your systemthe barb is hot because of that hidden short then it is acting as an hot wire because it is effectively insulated because its nailed onto the (insulating) wood. The garden hose also reduces the risk of kinks and bends that could damage the insulated coating on the leadout cable, which would lead to electrical shorts.Gate handles should have a metal hook so the gate is powered from the handle side, not the far end tied off to the post. It is much simpler and faster than using crimping tools and will significantly cut down the time and expense of electric fence installation. Make sure that it is at least ten metres from any buildings and ten metres from another earthing system. Single-wire electric fences also make it easy for cattle to graze underneath the electric fence to keep vegetation in check. Is it necessary to use wooden posts? If you buy something through one of those links, I receive a small commission. Even with a 2-strand electric fence, your bull herd should never be allowed to graze directly adjacent to your cow herd or the bulls WILL jump over or break through the fence. And finally, make sure you install lightning diverters in your electric fence installation to protect your electric fence charger during lightning strikes. Could these diagrams for dummies possibly be more incomprehensible? Best have a closer look, or better still, buy one of those little devices which show in an instant where the contact is. They are expensive but more more than well worth it in the long run. NZ Farriers Assn.
The supplier says it is no problem having arcing. Due to the nature of return paths for electric fence power flow, special care should be taken into account for the condition and conductivity of the ground and soil around the fence and the quality or need of installation of earth wires to assist in creating an effective return path for your electric fence. This also allows you to concentrate power only in areas where you need it during the winter electric fencing season. Some insulator styles are compressed if you pound nails too far into the post. Why is my barb wire hot and it nailed to wood post not touching anything. The narrow point of contact creates high electrical resistivity, restricting how much power can push past the join.Always use connector clamps (joint clamps), like the L-shaped joint clamp shown on the right, to reinforce the electrical contact of all wire joins or connections in your electric fence installation, including connections between two fence lines and both ends of the underwire leadout cable used to run wire underneath gates. What is an electric fence and how do they work? Each of these components will be discussed in further detail below Get a good quality electric fence fault finder + volt meter + current meter. I have made an area using the existing supply by placing posts and using rope. You will lose power much quicker as you get further from your energizer if you use thinner wires.Do not use portable electric wire or poly-tape for your permanent electric fence corridors - they cannot carry power over long distances and will not last many years.Regular galvanized 12.5-gauge high tensile wire is more than adequate for most farms, however, extremely large electric fence installations that span over several tens of miles may opt to use a much more expensive aluminum wire, which has 4x higher electrical conductivity than galvanized steel wire. Vegetation can also connect the circuit between both wires or live wire and ground soil resulting in power loss further down the fence line, this is generally called shorting out. Treated fence posts in an electric fencing grid can be expected to last for 24-40 years in most climates.Be aware that many of the chemicals used to treat conventional fence posts are not allowed by many organic certification regulations. The power of your electric fence charger is measured in Joules. Your email address will not be published. The Finding out the generalrequirementsforelectric fencesin Australia as well as the different laws Polywires, braids, ropes andtapes are primarily used in electric fences for their abilit Monday-Thursday: 7:30 am 4:00 pmFriday: 7:30 am 2:00 pmSaturday: 9:00 am 2:00 pmSunday: By appointment only, Copyright 2022 Big Red Fencing | All Rights Reserved | ABN: 34 636 420 169.
Part III of the Smart Electric Fence Grid. electric fencing and cattle water in winter, Tips for drawing your cattle management farm plan, Grass Finished Beef: The Seven Rules for Producing Great Beef, A permanent electric fencing grid requires a, The most effective ground rod layout is the, Ground rods need good contact with the soil to work effectively. For example feed the power out through fences in the middle of the farm, away from the phone line, rather than through the roadside boundary fence next to the phone lines. The fence charger is Stafix X3 and I measure 9.9 KV, but that is the maximum my meter will measure; therefore, it could be higher than 10 KV. A snapping sound caused by an open gate shorting against the grass will cause your cattle to baulk when going through the gate.Undergate leadout cable should be further protected by burying it INSIDE a section of rubber garden hose cut to fit the entire length of the gate. V(=6KZWE$ LnMeRV"K$p5Q9gUI%[!^{%H5o5kGZ?O8aYkn$QsIc4j:d c/m=t:`0k~'`IeGM(,VwhuRGsNGiTKCf)LksO?&YC?E_||bm{$lb9Oq0xNTCg ]g_]}}yxfmo?z}[0a?qK_vVG7tc>/77OSgBI#W] x; s'|+v94i]ASH9U]'*>YYLSvtc53'oe- uISS6Ql7%zw(:a0R*WIf,(`&{u iEvjSs FcKR60t8D7 ,`AY%hduU@vys\J2+d0T0d\H^\0N,8|a`I_L@:jS_febD;vv;0KJ9uKMu597O:Xn+vu.zteC This is a great article.
If you electrify your fences you keep your animals away from posts and wires and prolong the lifetime of them.
So, creating an effective earth-ground system is about building an effective electron collection system. And when you're ready to start planning your cattle farm, check out my book:Grass-Fed Cattle: How to Produce and Market Natural Beef. Then attach the negative terminal (-) which is on the other side of the broken circle to the earth. I have 4 strands of high tensile wire with barb wire between each. Advertising Options. Furthermore, the pain of the repeated shocks can cause a victim to panic and get hopelessly tangled in the barb wires while tearing themselves to shreds.
Test should be carried out whenever erecting or changing the setup of an electric fence. When electric fence wires hang 30 to 36 from the ground, they are high enough to allow newborn calves to freely walk under the wire. Hi Pam This prevents cattle, horses, or ATV's from getting tangled in open gates lying on the ground. Im going to put one hot wire on about 400 feet of corral panels to keep my Mule from eating my neighbors Horses tails. I want to spray rubberized coating around my front bumper then put electric fence wire around it for rioter.