FAQs about Animal Fencing Systems and Farm Fencing Solutions

Yes, the earth rods helps the system to complete the circuit when animals touch the fence and the shock can happen.

It's always best to use a galvanised steel rod. Do not use a rusted earth stake. Rust is not a conductor of electricity

Series can be described as a long shoe lace high resistance live out and live back, it is used in security fences. Parallel wires are connected to get low resistance and low power.

Yes you may. The fence must not be rusted and must be running along side, with the live wire (flowing). You also need to erect an earth rod every 100 metres.

• The formula to use for a Security Electric Fence is 3 earth rods for the energizer and every 100 m along the fence an earth rod.
• The formula to use for a Farm Electric Fence is 3 earth rods for the energizer and every 1000 m along the fence an earth rod.
• The formula to use for a Strip Grazing Electric Fence is 1 to 2 earth rods for the recommended energizer, for a radius non greater than 500m.

No. Copper ground rods are not recommended since copper will react with any galvanized steel through electrolysis and corrode the connection. Gallagher uses only galvanized steel components to avoid this problem.

Bare metals driven into the ground, regardless of their conductivity, are susceptible to oxidation and/or rust. Because power fence energizers emit only a brief, powerful jolt, it is very important that the conductivity of ground rods be maximized to insure that the animal receives a good shock.

The best way is to bury heavy-duty insulated cable in a trench about 10 inches deep. Make sure it's rated to 20,000 volts minimum or it may leak current with today's high-power energizers. Do not staple it to the post. Remember to carry the ground wire across the gateway also, using the same type of cable. It can be buried in the same trench as the hot cable.

No. Use heavy-duty insulated cable for the ground wire. Even good Class III galvanized wire will corrode rapidly when in contact with the soil. Corrosion leads to electricity resistance and soon there is no connection at all.

No. The components in our energizers are designed for specific voltage and current requirements. Hooking up two or more energizers to the same line will eventually destroy the energizers.

It depends on your situation. Gallagher makes many models with different capabilities. The questions to answer include:

• What animal are you controlling? Domestic stock will take less power to control than fencing wildlife out of an area.
• How big an area do you need to fence? Obviously, you will need a bigger energizer to carry adequate power on larger jobs and a bigger energizer on more lines you add. If there is a large vegetation challenge for the fence you will need more power. Plan now for any additions you may need down the road, too.
• What power source is available? If you can, use a 110 or 220-volt plug-in energizer. If you can't, there is a wide range of battery and solar units available.
• Do you need a permanent or portable system? If your needs dictate a portable system, one of our solar kits may fit well.

The voltage on your fence is greater closer to the end due to what is called the "bounce effect." This means that the pulse the energizer has sent down the fence reached the end and is returning back up the fence. It then meets the next pulse coming from the energizer creating a voltage spike or "bounce." This really means that your energizer joule rating is more than adequate for your fence load and has a surplus of energy, which is exactly what you want in your system.

Voltage merely represents a difference of potential between two electrical points and is only one aspect of overall power. The Joule rating is a true measure of an energizers stored energy or true power.

They are needed with solar panels 44 Watts or more. If a regulator is required, Gallagher pre-installs the unit prior to shipping any solar products.

A measurement of energy. A joule is a unit of work equal to product one watt for one second. It Is the measure of the pop, snap, shock, or kick or the pain/discomfort of the output pulse felt by the animal.

Improper grounding. Battery energizers will put energy into the negative side of the charger (green terminal) if not properly grounded, this also is connected to the negative battery post which then shocks the battery with positive electrons. Solution is to use the proper amount of galvanized grounds rods as recommended in the Power Fence Manual.

No. Gallagher also recommends you use a surge protection plug with installation.

The tester assists you with fault finding process. If you do not know what amps and volts your fence uses, you do not know if it is effective.

At the beginning of each zone not shorter than 600 to 800 meters pending on the total amount of lines

There are a number of different reasons depending on what code is displayed. Here is a list of common energizer error codes to help you identify what the problem is and what you need to do: energizer error codes.

No, Materials needed and labour required to build power fence are both significantly less than for barbed wire.

A high tensile power fence is every bit as permanent as barbed wire.

Don't over-tension the wire. Using high-tensile wire allows for greater line post spacing than conventional wire; usually 50 feet as a minimum. Also, don't over-tighten the wires. Make sure it's a flexible system that allows for wildlife impacts, snow loading, etc. If you don't "over-engineer" the fence, you'll save a lot of money.

The two most common errors we see are using too many line posts, and over tensioning the wire. Remember, this isn't barbed wire. Power fence is a mental barrier for your animals, not a physical one. When using high-tensile wire, it allows for greater line post spacing than conventional wire; usually 50 feet as a minimum. Also, don't over-tighten the wires. You want a flexible system that allows for wildlife impacts, snow loading, etc. Over-building a power fence makes it too rigid, and you lose this benefit. Plus, it costs you more for materials.

With more wire there is less resistance to current flow in the wires and less of the voltage is dropped in the line itself, which leaves more to shock the animal.

80% of all power fence problems can be traced to inadequate grounding. Your grounding system must be perfect for your fence to perform at its best. After all, it's half the system.

Use a teste to find where the fault is. The problem could be:

• Earthing along the fence is incorrect and more earth rods are needed to increase the voltage.
• Vegetation that has grown on the fence is draining the power.

You have probably used an all-hot system (all fence wires are charged). Gallagher recommends all-hot systems only in areas with 35 inches or more of moisture per year. A hot/ground system might be a better choice. Make the top wire of your fence hot, then the next one down a ground wire, and so on. Tie the ground wires together with galvanized wire and clamps at the ends, then connect this to the ground rods, and the ground terminal of the energizer. This way, you carry the ground system out to the animal, and are not relying on dry soil to make the connection.

Yes, in most cases if the birds are clipped wing or are a non-flying species like chickens. The netting will also act as a predator deterrent. It doesn’t take much of an energizer to contain a chicken, but a mid-range charger is needed if there is also a predator issue.

A one-wire cross will contain dairy or trained cattle. A five-wire boundary is necessary for stocker/yearlings or cow/calf operations. Use posts spaced 60-90 feet apart to support the wire.