As we continue to uncover the most common electric fence problems in this blog series, we'll discuss two that directly affect electrification and strength of shock.
#5 Energy Leaks: An energy leak is a small energy loss from the fence line to earth and can occur for a number of reasons. Common reasons are heavy vegetation, debris, poor insulators, broken wire, or interference of neutral wires. You should constantly be on the lookout for vegetation that is growing up near electric fence wires, especially during the wet season. After storms, fence line should be checked for debris. Fallen trees and branches will cause energy leakage, and weigh on the fence line. Poor insulators often result in energy leaks. Be sure to purchase insulators that are UV-stabilized, since sunlight deteriorates inferior plastics. Once the plastic is deteriorated it cracks. Then energy leaks through and makes direct contact with the posts resulting in a voltage drop on your fence line. It is also important to buy quality underground cable. Often folks experience hidden leakage because their underground cable is cracked or deteriorated. Kencove offers a UV-stabilized, double-wall insulated underground cable for superior protection. A broken wire or interference of neutral wires will cause significant energy leakage. When your fence voltage drops be sure to search for broken wires, and examine bracing units for neutral wire interference. Sometimes the diagonal brace wire is installed too close to the hot wires. The wires do not necessarily have to touch; energy can jump a very narrow gap. This is also something to be thinking about when erecting corner brace units. Installing a tube insulator on the hot wire near the diagonal cross section with the brace wire will save headaches in the future. Energy leakage can be kept at a minimum by clearing vegetation, buying quality products, and careful fence installation.
#6 Induction: Induction is very common with electric fences. Have you ever touched the gate to open it and surprisingly got shocked? This is a result of induction. The transfer of electricity from an electrified wire to a non-electrified wire, gate, or any metal object without physically touching each other is known as induction. The only way to solve this problem is to ground the non-electrified wires or gates. Induction has minimal effect on the voltage of the fence line and is more common in damp conditions. Induction can also occur in ground beds as well. Do not put your ground bed for your energizer near existing water lines, because your water could end up carrying an electric charge. In this scenario induction would be the transfer of energy from the ground rods to the water piping. Induction can also occur from large power lines. If your fence runs parallel to a large high voltage power line, it could be electrified by induction. So be cautious of this when building near high voltage lines. Although this phenomenon does not cause a reduction in voltage, it does explain shocking situations.
