Electric fences can be dangerous, but they are also a great tool for anyone who owns horses or farm livestock. Electric fences are necessary to keep animals safe and not to let them escape. While learning how to properly build an electric fence, you need to be very careful or else you could get electrocuted.
Steps
Step 1. Find out what kind of electric fence you need
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If you need a portable fence, buy lightweight equipment such as polyester wire and tape, high-quality insulation, self-insulating wood for electricity, or wooden poles. High voltage electric wire should be used to fence cattle, while electric ropes and tape are fine for horses.
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Step 2. Think about the type of animals you want to fence
For horses it is best to use conductors that are more visible, such as ropes and ribbons. Slower animals, such as sheep and cattle, should be fenced with steel wire or polyester wire. Regardless of the animals you are fencing, the structure needs to be solid and stable, because ferocious animals and other wild animals at night will not see the wires and will run all over the fence. If it's not sturdy enough, it will be knocked down by these blows.
Step 3. Choose the most suitable power supply
The type of battery you choose depends on the length of the fence, the amount of vegetation that could grow on the conductors, the type of fence material, the type of animals and whether a 230 volt power source is available.
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Use an AC power supply if possible. This type of battery is located inside a building and does not use batteries. The cost of powering a fence in this way is low.
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Use a dry battery power supply if you move the fence every day or so. You will need an internal battery, such as an ESB25 or ESB115. Battery power supplies are easier to move and require no maintenance. While these power supplies are not rechargeable, they usually last 4 to 6 months before needing to be replaced.
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Use a wet battery power supply if your electric fence will be permanent or otherwise won't be moved frequently. More specifically, a 12v power supply with a 12v 80 amp-hour (Ah) battery will do. Wet battery power supplies are more powerful than dry ones and work better for longer fences.
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Step 4. Plan where to put the ground terminal
For the electric fence to work well, it will be necessary to provide it with optimal conditions for its operation. For example, electricity usually flows better in a humid environment than in a dry one. Regardless of the type of battery you are using, a galvanized ground wire of at least 1m should be used. If you are using an AC power supply and are in an environment with poor conditions such as sandy or arid soil, more than one grounding may be required. If more than one ground is used, place them 3 meters away from each other and connect them with an external connection cable.
Step 5. Test your fence
For a temporary or portable fence, use an electric fence tester. For a permanent fence, use an LED voltage meter. To run any of the 2 testers, put the probe on the ground and touch the fence with the tester. Make sure you do this at the furthest point from the power supply so that the voltage measurement is accurate. The fence should have a minimum of 3000 volts. If it is lower, it will give insufficient shocks and there could be big problems.
Step 6. Test the earth
Use a metal rod or earth ground at least 100m from the poles, and have the electric fence reach the ground. A voltage meter probe must be connected to a pole. The other probe should be grounded as far away from the pole as possible. If the measurement is 400 or 500 volts, everything is fine. If, on the other hand, the measure is less, the conditions of the land must improve.
Step 7. Add extra groundings 1m apart
Connect the top of each pole with the external connection cable. Double check the voltage. Remove the ground wire from the fence by removing the metal rod or post.
Step 8. Build entrances to the electric fence
Transfer energy under the door from side to side with a buried cable. Permanent and temporary income must be linked in the same way.
Step 9. Install fence lines
Connect your high voltage wire or electrical cord and tape with insulators, depending on what kind of animals you are locking up. Your electric wire or cord will have instructions to tell you how to space it.
Advice
- Finding quality, moist soil is very important when building an electric fence. This will help get the electricity through better and make the fence feel closer to the earth. The circuit will only be completed when an animal comes into contact with the fence.
- Batteries with a higher Ah give the possibility to wait longer before recharging them. This time frame is 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the type of power supply you are using.
