The
Earth System
A
really good earth system is paramount - the fencer must not be
connected to water or gas pipes, or the mains electricity earth.
Use double insulated lead-out cable to your earth system.
Do
not run your fence line parallel to telephone lines or power cables.
Make sure all connections and joins are sound.
Make sure all your insulators are in perfect order.
Make sure there is no vegetation touching the fence line.
(Even a blade of grass will cause sparking which is the cause
of radio interference.)
To
find faulty joints, leaks or shorts
Walk along the fence with a transistor radio tuned slightly 'off
station' and listen for an increase in the loudness of the clicks.
The closer you get to the fault the louder the clicks will get.
Installation
of an Earth/Ground stake
The
earthing system is an integral part of your fencers' performance.
All
fencers must have a return path through the ground via the earth
stake hack to the fencer in order to complete the circuit loop.
Remember that all electrical circuits must form a complete loop
from the positive (live) to the negative (earth) terminals of
the supply circuit. In terms of electric fencing this means that
the ground (earth) is just as much part of the circuit as the
fence line and the animal is the missing link that completes the
loop.
Any
vegetation touching the fence will also complete the loop causing
the output voltage of the fencer to drop. It is very important
therefore to keep any growth on the fence line to minimum to ensure
the animal receives the maximum shock available.
Earth
stakes must be totally independent of the household/domestic earthing
arrangements and at least 10 metres away from an electricity supply
earth rod where an earth leakage trip is employed.
An
effective earth system would comprise two one metre long steel
stakes driven fully into the soil approximately two metres apart
and joined together if possible in the ground with 2.5mm steel
cable connected to the earth terminal of the fencing unit.
Always
try to install the earth system in a permanently moist area. If
this is not possible, water the ground around the earth stakes
in dry weather conditions.
In
areas with particularly poor earth conditions, eg sand, peat or
very dry soil, it is possible to increase the earth efficiency
by:
- Increasing
the number of earth stakes.
- Running
an earth wire in parallel to the fence line and connecting
it to earth stakes at regular intervals.
