Powering an electric fence - energisers, batteries, mans & solar power (Electric fence part 2)

[@ianwillmott4031]

thankyou, this has been so informative as we are adopting donkeys and with no previous understanding of electric fences, i feel i have the knowledge to go forward with confidence. fabulous work :)

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Ian!

[@bigmamaguppy8397]

Great video absolutely stunning subscribed

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you!

[@royakalah181]

Great explanation - like the clarity in the explanation

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Roy!

[@keonaskywalker7675]

So informative, never disappointed with your videos. Your voice and Fiona’s voice resemble a “teachers voice”, I find it calming. Keep up with the great content, thank you for taking the time and effort to educate us all in your videos.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks so much Keona, that's really kind. Now here's your homework.....😁

[@pippagooding1637]

Hi Hugh, great video and yes please would like to see more on this subject.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Pippa! Okay I'll do the next one when we get s quiet day. How's life treating you?

[@pippagooding1637]

@@EnglishCountryLife we are fine and dandy thank you. We live on a narrowboat which is wonderful but after 6 years I’m missing a garden so we are looking at transitioning back to land within the next 12/24 months. I hope you and Fiona are coping during this turbulent time? Binge watching you videos has not only motivated me but also kept me entertained, thank you 😊

[@geoffanddebshipton6797]

Great info as always Hugh. Electric poultry fencing is on our summer ‘to do’ list so this is extremely timely. 😉👍

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Glad it was helpful! Shout if you have any problems? Hugh

[@geoffanddebshipton6797]

@@EnglishCountryLife thanks Hugh, will do.

[@ashm5206]

Great video! Have been looking forward to the continuation of the series since watching the introduction. Very happy to see it, really informative and I’m sure I’ll refer back multiple times! Thanks for another great video

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Ash, do sorry that you had to wait, we have a huge list to cover. Hugh

[@bgtrev]

Many thanks for the upload, all being well, we will be sourcing our fencing over the next few weeks. Thanks again.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

So glad it was useful Trev. I do plan a couple more in the series as time permits, but if you have any questions or need product recommendations in the meantime, just let me know. Hugh

[@bgtrev]

@@EnglishCountryLife Will do, been living off grid for 6 weeks only just got the electric/internet on, still working on the water but thankfully we have a well in the garden.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@bgtrev Sounds thrilling, challenging & annoying, all at the same time!

[@scarletpeate]

Very good. You may want to consider a video on earthing out abd how to avoid it and maintain the fence line.. so many people forget how important keeping the fence line weed free is. And how to test it. The first time I tested a fence with a hand held tester didn't go well. I held onto both ends. Not poked the spike in the group ... A large scream from me followed. Lol. My husband found it very funny Indeed

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Very good point! We plan one mire on mesh, poles, gates etc. & then one on testing, fault finding and maintenance. Hugh

[@kashibwn]

a great info by u ---------- appreciated

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm really glad you found it helpful 😊

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm glad it was useful! Hugh

[@chainsawdom1]

Well explained thank you

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Glad it was useful 🙂

[@victoriagold3420]

thank you such a great help

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You're welcome!

[@Brookandboo]

Great video Than you

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@Brookandboo So glad that it was useful

[@SiostraEmo]

Is there a full set you would recomend? Thank you :)

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Effie, We started with a 50m Hotline set and still use all of its contents amzn.to/3crZciP I would suggest adding some extra poles and a battery. There are links to suitable items in our Amazon store www.amazon.co.uk/shop/englishcountrylife?listId=19UU2PZ21DRBY&ref=inf_list_own_englishcountrylife_cp Any questions, please ask. Hugh

[@cathrinastorp1858]

Love when you make these videos and would definitely love to see more 😊 I currently have a cat who comes and scares mom and chickens so feathers stand around and mom stepping on the chickens, she screams and stresses. It has happened 3 times in a short time so now there must be an electric fence but now I doubt if it will work because it must sit on top of my existing fence which is a batten and then the cat will not stand on the ground but on the batten when it touches the shock wire .... hmm 🤔

[@EnglishCountryLife]

There are "anti perch" and other devices like rollers that can be added to the top if existing fences to keep off birds and cats - not harmful but a deterrent

[@cathrinastorp1858]

@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks I will look into it so I can solve the problem.

[@duitmyself]

We have about 3 acres to install electric fence but can’t get the ground rods past 4’ Do you have any suggestions please. Thank you! Love your videos.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

What type of fence are you installing (poultry mesh, tape, wire?) and how long is the fence? What is the ground like (wet, dry, rocky, soil)? I may be able to help a bit if I know that

[@duitmyself]

@@EnglishCountryLife 3-5 strand wire on t posts, ~366 yards, ground is usually more moist than dry, ~4’ soil on bedrock (limestone, I think). From what I understand it was a partial rock quarry many, many years ago. There are underground streams in some places. I can send a picture of where we are putting the fence up.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@duitmyself A 4' earth spike should be sufficient. Your issue is that rock is a great insulator. Anywhere that the current does not have a direct line through damp soil, from the fence, to the energiser, will not work. My suggestion is to extend the fence in 50 yard increments, testing visibility as you increase it.

[@duitmyself]

@@EnglishCountryLife should we angle the rods to get more rod in touch with the soil? When you say expand the fence in 50’ foot increments, are you referring to the amount of rods we need to increase in contact with the earth. Also what if we have 2 4’ rods closer together and then span the 10’ distance until the next rod placement?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@duitmyself The earth rod connects directly to the earth terminal of the energiser. You only need one. You can put two close to each other and couple them but the gains are marginal. After that the current passes through the fence wires, through the creature that is touching the wire and the earth, then through the earth itself, back to your earth bond and the energiser. I suggest extending your fencing, fifty yards at a time and using a fence tester to ensure that enough current is passing through the circuit. Does that helpm

[@chriswearing50]

In the next video could you inform us how you decide on the size/output a solar panel needs to be ? Ps. We are now just 2 weeks away from moving to our smallholding adventure in France. We are going to start with some rescue hens and I intend to start a You tube channel which will be called `Ex Batts & Ex Pats ` If you take a look you will recognise some of the things featured on here , the first will definitely be your mulled wine concentrate ! Keep up the good work and stay safe.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Chris, I will definitely try to cover it in a future episode, but it does depend on energiser size & time of year. I would suggest at least 20W for a small installation 50W for a larger set up. Do let us know when you start your channel? H

[@chriswearing50]

@@EnglishCountryLife I certainly will.

[@helenp4635]

we bought this system and have been running a 25m net on a similar 12v battery and have a solar panel battery maintainer but it doesn’t seems to keep the charge. it will work for a while then stop. an ideas on how to resolve the issue?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Helen, when you say it will work for a while and then stop, do you mean that the battery goes flat?

[@helenp4635]

@@EnglishCountryLife yes we are now at the stage where we need to charge the battery every night. the battery, solar panel and fence are all brand new. i checked the energiser by connecting it to the mains and it working fine. i think there is a fault in the battery as it shouldn’t be draining completely in a day

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@helenp4635 It certainly sounds that way. Can you look at the battery and see how many Amp Hours it is?

[@helenp4635]

@@EnglishCountryLife it is a 12v leisure battery, 70ah, 80 cycles, 840wh

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@helenp4635 Right that's a very good sized battery. Should hold enough charge to power a 25m fence for weeks. Even if the fence was shorting out badly, it should last more than 24 hours. I would definitely replace the battery as a first step

[@OdangaIsaiah-rh3cm]

Am a farmer from Kenya thanks

[@EnglishCountryLife]

If you have any questions, please ask 🙂

[@rainner4121]

Can rain affect the. electric fence in any way? If so is there an extra precaution needed?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Christopher! Provided that your energiser isn't in a pool of water, its generally fine. Any mains devices must be kept dry of course. The other thing that can cause issues is wet vegetation hitting the live wires. Keep the energiser dry and vegetation trimmed & there's no issue. Huhh

[@rainner4121]

@@EnglishCountryLife thank you! also i enjoy your wholesome content keep it up ! :)

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@rainner4121 Thanks Christopher!

[@donnachamcinerney8500]

An old car radiator will work also when buried

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Cracking idea, never thought of that!

[@kwokng2771]

How about 2 other options of charging the battery. (4) Have the smart charger inside the house. Run low-voltage landscape wire 12 V (exposed or 2-in deep) to the battery. (5) Have the smart charger and battery inside the house. Run the 12 V via low-voltage landscape wires to the fence charger.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Ideally any cable that you use over a long distance needs to be heavy duty cable to avoid voltage drop and power loss.

[@kwokng2771]

@@EnglishCountryLife You have a point there. Low voltage means higher current, and resistance is critical. I am going with the solar version. Thanks a lot.