I don't find it entirely shocking!
June 3, 2018 3:12 PM Subscribe
Help me figure out why my solar powered garden electric fence does not hold a shock along it's whole length.
The woodchuck is already in our garden even though we haven't planted anything yet. The only thing that will stop it is our solar powered electric fence. At present the fence only seems to shock for about the first 20 feet of the cord.
*The charging light is on.
*I have cleared away all plant debris the entire perimeter of the fence.
*I added an additional ground rod.
Help me figure out why the entire fence isn't shocking.? I suspect it has something to with connection of the leads and the wire rope but I won't be shocked to hear it's something else.
The woodchuck is already in our garden even though we haven't planted anything yet. The only thing that will stop it is our solar powered electric fence. At present the fence only seems to shock for about the first 20 feet of the cord.
*The charging light is on.
*I have cleared away all plant debris the entire perimeter of the fence.
*I added an additional ground rod.
Help me figure out why the entire fence isn't shocking.? I suspect it has something to with connection of the leads and the wire rope but I won't be shocked to hear it's something else.
I have a problem believing in solar powered electric fence working at all. That's just voltage and resistance and amps and distance and it seems hard to even be able to provide the amount of power for an electric fence of any decent length that is solar powered. Much less for preventing woodchuck from straying into the protected zone.
Am I missing some bit of electric fence thing that makes solar powered and charging and not being able to deliver a shock 20 feet down the line is a thing?
tronec seems to be on-track with whatever and a break or high-resistance point. I can't wrap my head around a solar panel providing enough power to accomplish such a feat.
posted by zengargoyle at 8:03 PM on June 3, 2018
Am I missing some bit of electric fence thing that makes solar powered and charging and not being able to deliver a shock 20 feet down the line is a thing?
tronec seems to be on-track with whatever and a break or high-resistance point. I can't wrap my head around a solar panel providing enough power to accomplish such a feat.
posted by zengargoyle at 8:03 PM on June 3, 2018
Thirty years ago we had a solar electric fence for our horses, with far longer runs than 20 feet. I'm sure they're even more efficient now.
You may still need additional grounding, especially if the soil is dry. Otherwise the wire rope may have a break inside (if it's the type I'm thinking of).
posted by oneirodynia at 8:36 PM on June 3, 2018
You may still need additional grounding, especially if the soil is dry. Otherwise the wire rope may have a break inside (if it's the type I'm thinking of).
posted by oneirodynia at 8:36 PM on June 3, 2018
You can buy a test probe with a light, that will identify the break. Then you can jumper across the break with some regular wire.
posted by 445supermag at 7:00 AM on June 4, 2018
posted by 445supermag at 7:00 AM on June 4, 2018
I have a problem believing in solar powered electric fence working at all.
Electric fencing works by transforming the power source voltage up a lot, and if the source is DC, it does so by pulsing. In conventional systems there's a mechanical interruptor (which you can usually hear clicking about once a second), that makes and breaks the current to a transformer, turning DC into quasi AC. Newer systems do so electronically. So even if you have a low-voltage DC source (batteries or solar) you get voltage spikes of several kilovolts on the output. The energy coming out on the high-voltage side is limited, so that pulse will hurt but not kill you.
Now I had no idea of the power these systems used, only that they could run several weeks on an average car battery. But briefly searching the web I found even the beefiest units used maybe 50 Watts. That's large meadow capacity; a garden variety would be more like 10..20 Watts, if that. Now consider powering that using solar: half the time it's dark, so you need at least double in panel power. Add in some losses and provide for overcast days and you'd be at 70 .. 100 Watts. Not a small panel, but definitely workable for a small standalone, permanent installation.
The actual problem here is most likely a break in the conducting wires in the rope.
posted by Stoneshop at 7:20 AM on June 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Electric fencing works by transforming the power source voltage up a lot, and if the source is DC, it does so by pulsing. In conventional systems there's a mechanical interruptor (which you can usually hear clicking about once a second), that makes and breaks the current to a transformer, turning DC into quasi AC. Newer systems do so electronically. So even if you have a low-voltage DC source (batteries or solar) you get voltage spikes of several kilovolts on the output. The energy coming out on the high-voltage side is limited, so that pulse will hurt but not kill you.
Now I had no idea of the power these systems used, only that they could run several weeks on an average car battery. But briefly searching the web I found even the beefiest units used maybe 50 Watts. That's large meadow capacity; a garden variety would be more like 10..20 Watts, if that. Now consider powering that using solar: half the time it's dark, so you need at least double in panel power. Add in some losses and provide for overcast days and you'd be at 70 .. 100 Watts. Not a small panel, but definitely workable for a small standalone, permanent installation.
The actual problem here is most likely a break in the conducting wires in the rope.
posted by Stoneshop at 7:20 AM on June 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Ah, more like a stun gun that just goes off one spark per second. That makes sense. Thanks.
posted by zengargoyle at 12:26 PM on June 4, 2018
posted by zengargoyle at 12:26 PM on June 4, 2018
I believe one other thing to check/replace would be the batteries inside the charger. It is possible they are only holding enough charge to flash the charger, but not enough to produce enough current for a long run of wire.
posted by tronec at 1:46 AM on June 9, 2018
posted by tronec at 1:46 AM on June 9, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you have access to a volt-ohmmeter, you could disconnect the charger and use the ohmmeter to see if the wire has continuity.
How did you determine it works the first 20'? If you go to 21' what happens?
Type of soil/soil moisture content?
Type of insulators you are using to hold the wire rope?
How long is the fence? If it is lengthy, you may need a stronger electric fencer.
Could you post a picture of the suspect connection?
To test a pulsing high voltage/low current electric fence:
Growing up on the farm, I'd pull up a grass stem and hold it gingerly against the hot wire and depending on the soil moisture and shoes I was wearing I'd get anything from a slight tingle to a strong jolt. (I think there are testers you can purchase at a farm store also).
I'd follow the fence wire until I did not feel anything, then look for a place where it might be shorting to ground or the wire itself is broken.
Plan B: Have any neighbors who like to hunt woodchucks?
Wish you well with your garden!
posted by tronec at 5:18 PM on June 3, 2018