At present i'm running a Olli 100 mains powered electric fence energiser that powers 50 metres of poultry fencing. It gives out 6500v, 1.2 J and uses 2watts. To connect the energiser to the fence i've been supplied with 1.6mm steel cored cable. This corrodes and presumably affects the operation and efficiency of the fence, the earth wire, same type same conditions doesn't corrode. I understand i can't use normal 240v cable to connect the fence because it is rated for 700v max but i have some surplus 10mm earth cable would this be up to the job?
Electric fence cabling
- Thread starter hi1
- Start date
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H
holmslaw
..
The only need for high voltage insulation on the wire between energiser and fence to prevent the energy of the pulses getting to ground. If the wire is never closer than 2 inches to the ground then it can be bare ( un-insulated ) supported by insulators in the way the fence wire itself is supported.
If it is going to have to lay along the ground then hose pipe is a good enough "extra" insulation and would allow the use of 500v insulated cable without any significant loss.
Providing water can not get into the ends of the hose in be used to take the supply wire past gates and othe gaps in the fence by burying it.
If it is going to have to lay along the ground then hose pipe is a good enough "extra" insulation and would allow the use of 500v insulated cable without any significant loss.
Providing water can not get into the ends of the hose in be used to take the supply wire past gates and othe gaps in the fence by burying it.
Thanks for your replies. So i could use copper wire that is used for solar panel installation, the D.C side (4mm) with the higher voltage, inside a hose pipe. This steel core lead out cable i'm using is double insulted, its not buried in the ground, and doesn't lie like copper cable it tends to recoil itself. Would the 10mm earth cable take the voltage without melting the insulation, obviously run in a hose pipe now.
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Right, first thing, the standard wire set up is no good for chickens, there feathers are an insulator, take a feather and hold it on the wire. You should be using mesh fencing for chickens. This is designed not to keep the chickens in but to keep predators out.
If you want to stay with you current set up, any galvernised conductive wire will do but remember to take into consideration the reistance of the wire as this will degrade the performance of the fence. Copper will corrode away and as it is soft, will kink and break. The best option is "tape" which is an 1", thin, nylon cloth with the conductor woven into it and with your energiser you can string about 2-4Km from it if you buy a good quality one
If you want to stay with you current set up, any galvernised conductive wire will do but remember to take into consideration the reistance of the wire as this will degrade the performance of the fence. Copper will corrode away and as it is soft, will kink and break. The best option is "tape" which is an 1", thin, nylon cloth with the conductor woven into it and with your energiser you can string about 2-4Km from it if you buy a good quality one
Chris5 i see your point but the only ones who will see any part of the wire will be me and the chickens and unless they are moonlighting as sparkies then...
If you are saying that the earth cable will do the job then it will be attached to the energiser in a shed, mains operated, so the wire will be exposed in the shed, where it leaves the shed it will be covered with hose pipe until it reaches the fence, about 15 metres, then the end will be attached to the fence and covered with silicon to waterproof it. I'm only asking if the wire is suitable because i have it sat on the shelf doing nothing useful, if a smaller cross section wire would do the job that doesn't rust i'll get it.
Wontdothat again, i have poultry fencing. None the less we had a visit from Mr fox. I have a detector that tells me if a current is flowing in the fence when you bring it close to the fence, it doesn't tell me if the jolt from the fence is high or low, Apparently the management touched the fence and all she got was like a static shock like that from a supermarket trolly. The energiser is flashing away, i have a multimeter which seems to peak at 1000v capacity and this thing is supposed to put out 6500v, so i have no way of testing its efficiency. I have a fence tester on order but foxy is supposed to return to the scene fairly soon after to collect his next meal so i can't afford to hang about. The only thing i could see to impede the charge to the fence was the corroded steel connecting wire, or the energiser has gone tits up, so i'm trying to find a solution using what i have to hand. If the earth wire isn't up to carrying the 6500v then i don't want it causing a fire in the shed where the energiser is.
If you are saying that the earth cable will do the job then it will be attached to the energiser in a shed, mains operated, so the wire will be exposed in the shed, where it leaves the shed it will be covered with hose pipe until it reaches the fence, about 15 metres, then the end will be attached to the fence and covered with silicon to waterproof it. I'm only asking if the wire is suitable because i have it sat on the shelf doing nothing useful, if a smaller cross section wire would do the job that doesn't rust i'll get it.
Wontdothat again, i have poultry fencing. None the less we had a visit from Mr fox. I have a detector that tells me if a current is flowing in the fence when you bring it close to the fence, it doesn't tell me if the jolt from the fence is high or low, Apparently the management touched the fence and all she got was like a static shock like that from a supermarket trolly. The energiser is flashing away, i have a multimeter which seems to peak at 1000v capacity and this thing is supposed to put out 6500v, so i have no way of testing its efficiency. I have a fence tester on order but foxy is supposed to return to the scene fairly soon after to collect his next meal so i can't afford to hang about. The only thing i could see to impede the charge to the fence was the corroded steel connecting wire, or the energiser has gone tits up, so i'm trying to find a solution using what i have to hand. If the earth wire isn't up to carrying the 6500v then i don't want it causing a fire in the shed where the energiser is.
There is very little if any risk of a fire from the output of the fence energiser.
The voltage is high in order to get some current through the fur / hide of animals so they feel the fence is not a nice place to be near and learn to avoid it. Some animals sense the electricity in the fence without actually getting a shock.
The energy in the pulse is only 1.2 joules ( 1 joule = one watt for one second ) so in the pulse which lasts probably less than a tenth of a second the maximum power available at any time is about 12 watts and that only for a short period ot time. Not a significant risk of heating anything to be hot enough to catch fire.
The current flowing is also very small so the guage of wire can be small and still carry the current safely.
The voltage is high in order to get some current through the fur / hide of animals so they feel the fence is not a nice place to be near and learn to avoid it. Some animals sense the electricity in the fence without actually getting a shock.
The energy in the pulse is only 1.2 joules ( 1 joule = one watt for one second ) so in the pulse which lasts probably less than a tenth of a second the maximum power available at any time is about 12 watts and that only for a short period ot time. Not a significant risk of heating anything to be hot enough to catch fire.
The current flowing is also very small so the guage of wire can be small and still carry the current safely.
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