ELECTRIC FENCE GROUND

I have a friend that is having a problem with his electric fence. I have not checked it out myself but he is saying that the fence in only putting out around 2000 volts. I think there might be a ground problem but not sure, would like a second opinion. The conner post are 2-7/8 structural tubing drove four foot in the ground and it has been there for around ten years. The tubing is being used as a ground. The problem I have with that is all tubing has surface rust on it before it is driving in the ground. I feel that the surface rust is preventing a good ground, causing the problem, of low voltage. Anyone have a opinion on this. Thannk for your time.

Both corrosion and dry weather can cause grounding problems. I good copper coated ground rod driven deep will alleviate these problems.

I havn't done much with electric fence recently but some of the high power chargers used to recommend three eight foot ground rods ten feet apart.
Of course the fence should be weed free.

How are insulators. If poor, current leakage to ground will reduce available voltage. Also how are you taking this 2000 volt reading?

Usually the manufacturere recommends the grounding requiremnts. Gallagher recommends 3 eight foot ground rods ten feet apart for the mains chargers as I recall. Secondly, the ground has to have some moisture in it to be conductive. I have had situations in the Seattle area when I lived there where the ground dried out so it was not conductive and the charger would not work.
I doubt that a driven rusty pipe is an adequate ground except under really damp conditions. If it gets dry, iron oxide is not a good conductor and neither is dry soil.
I have a solar "wide impedance" charger sold by Premier1 and I have never had that kind of problem with it and it's 3 ft single ground rod but I have an irrigated ranch now and can keep the soil moist.usually keep enough moisture.

search engine... Gallagher USA. they have clinics at various farm shows..one maybe in your area,, rock up and ask your questions,

Every one gets tired of me saying this, and I swear I don't sell'm but a Gallagher smart fix will save any one hours of head scratch'n and miles of walking. If I loose mine when I get home in the morning I will have another one by dinner on Monday!

Around here you need more than 4' of CLEAN metal to get a good ground. I have been told that the galvanized post that the county/state road crews leave at the end of every back road make good'ns. If you drive 3 of them, 10'+ apart down to where there is only a foot or two out of the ground and bolt your wire too'm it don't get two dry for'm to not work. So I have been told.

If it's only got 2k volts, sounds like he has a short some where if it's a good charger with a GOOD ground. Did he happen to say how many amps he is loose'n? He just needs to start take'n jump wires off till he isolates the problem if it can't be seen/herd from walking the line. I would start with the closest conection to the charger and see what it will put out. If he has a tester that told him he had 2k, take both wires off the box and see what he gets testing the hot stud to the ground stud, just an idea, some boxes will not put out much over 2kv these days.

Just as a point of refrence, my cows have never gotten out at any point over 1.5k. Calves start going under single strand of barb wire some where between .8 and 1.3. I try to keep normal fence at 3 or over. Bull/wean'n pen is 5 wire HT and stays 7K or better, ain't lost a bawler to his momma on the other side yet.

Good luck.

Dave
info on smart fix

The least I use is 8 feet of 1/2 inch diameter copper clad rod buried not less than 6 feet with a ground clamp and anti oxidant paste on the connections. Never had a ground failure yet.....

To see if you need more ground rods place your digital meter on the first ground rod in the system and check the voltage on the ground rod. If it's over 300 volts keep adding ground rods until it is 300 volts or lower.
I have one charger with 11 rods on it. I also switched over to the brand of Cyclops Brute chargers and have tried just about all the brands out there. The Cyclops has more lightening protection than any fence charger I know of. It also has lots of stored power. It's also made in the USA in Alabama. I now run 4 of those chargers and very well pleased. Been using HT fence since 1991 and these are the best chargers I've ever had.

You might need a backhoe to get deep enough to get good ground. Or drive stacked 10ft ground rods 20ft or 30 ft deep.
The three most important factors in getting an electric fence to work is the ground, the ground and the ground.
A 4ft rusty pipe isn"t going to work.

RMinVA is right on and it is easy to check!

the dead nuts solution to this is to run a ground wire along the fence as well...if the beast rubs along a hot wire and the earth ground doesn't stop him, any additional foolishness will put him into the wire ground which should set him off