Technical FAQ's

1. Q. What is the difference between a volt, an amp and a joule?
   A.
   

   Volt (Unit of electric potential difference)

   The unit of electromotive force and electric potential difference equal to the difference between two points in a circuit carrying one ampere of current and dissipating one watt of power.
   
   

   Ampere (SI unit of electric current)

   The basic unit of electric current in the SI system, equal to a current that produces a force of 2x10-7 newtons per metre between two parallel conductors in a vacuum. The more amperage contained in the pulse of electricity on the fence, the more intense and severe the shock.
   
   

   Joule (Unit of energy)

   A joule is a unit of electric energy. It is basically a combination of how the three variables of voltage, amperage, and on-time are combined to produce energy. One joule is equal to one watt of power for one second of time.
   
   In layman’s terms: The amount of energy required to push a predetermined load over a predetermined resistance.
   E.g. A 4 Joule machine can “push” 9900 volt 12km over 1.6mm aluminium wire, 4km along 1.2mm galvanised braided cable and 700m over 1.2mm stainless steel cable.
   
   
2. Q. Why does my fence lose its ability to “shock” when vegetation touches the fence?
   A. When vegetation touches an electric fence it draws a certain amount of voltage and amperage from the fence to the earth. If a lot of vegetation touches the fence it may draw all the voltage and amperage that is being produced on the fence by the energiser. If this happens we say that the vegetation has "shorted" the fence.
   
   Other circumstances can cause an electric fence to lose voltage and amperage. If an insulator breaks and causes the electric fence wire to touch the fence post, the fence post will draw a certain amount of voltage and amperage from the fence to the post and ultimately earth.
   
   If the fence wire is rusted the flow of electricity over the fence wire will be impeded, causing less voltage and amperage to flow along the rest of the fence. Even poor “joints” in the electric fence will cause a disruption in the flow of electricity and both voltage and amperage will be lost at every splice / joint along the fence.
   
   All of the circumstances described above are commonly referred to as "fence load".
   
   
3. Q. What is a continuous current fencer?
   A. Some electric fence energisers do not cycle or pulse electricity out to the fence. Instead, they produce a continuous AC current. We call these fences "continuous current" fences.
   
   In order to make these fencers safe to use, continuous current fencers develop very low voltage and extremely low amperage. The low voltage and amperage will not cause humans or animals to "lock on" to the fence. Continuous current fencers are not UL listed. Because these fencers produce such low voltages and amperages, they do not work well on long fences, weedy fences or wet fences. They also have little effect on longhaired animals, sheep and goats.
   
   
4. Q. What does low impedance mean?
   A. Low impedance fence energisers have the capability of increasing their energy output as a fence load increases. This means that as growth touch the fence and draw voltage and amperage to earth, a low impedance energiser will begin to produce higher amounts of energy or joules. These higher energy levels will overcome the voltage and current losses caused by the growth and maintain energy levels on the fence.
   
   
5. Q. What is a "solid state" fence energiser?
   A. Solid State refers to a high impedance type fence energiser. High impedance fence energisers do not have the capability of increasing their output energy as fence loads increases, the way low impedance energisers do. High impedance energiser cannot overcome high levels of fence load; they "short out" when too much growth touches the fence.
   
   
6. Q. How long will a solar fence operate without direct sunlight?
   A. Any fence energiser used during extended periods of cloudy weather (usually 2 weeks or longer) should be turned off to allow the battery to recharge. Normal recharging takes 3 days of good sunlight.
   
   
7. Q. How long should the solar battery last, and how do I know when to replace it?
   A. Normal life of the internal battery is typically 3 to 4 years. Properly maintained batteries will last much longer. A stored fence energiser should be taken out of storage every three months to allow the sun to reach the solar panel and keep the battery fully charged.
   
   To test the battery, measure the battery voltage with a voltmeter. 12 VOLT batteries should measure 12 to 12.5 volts.
   A fence energiser with a low battery should be turned off and placed in the sun for 3 days to recharge. If after this the battery voltage is not at the top of the voltage range, you should replace the battery.
   
   
8. Q. How important is good earthing?
   A. Improper earthing is the cause for 90% of the problems found in an electric fence system. Here's why... most electric fence systems are “earth ground” systems. This means that the electricity produced by an electric fence energiser must travel from the energiser’s output terminal, through the fence. A certain amount of the electricity goes through the human body and into the earth. This electricity then travels through the soil back to the earth spikes of the system. From this point the electricity travels from the earth spikes, through the ground wire, back up the fence energiser’s ground terminal, thus completing the circuit.
   
   The electricity transmitted through the soil is moving in the most direct path of least resistance back to the energiser. Electricity does not travel through certain soils very well. Moist soil with concentrations of conductive minerals is the most suitable transmitter of electricity. Recommended depth for earthing spikes is 1m. The deeper it is knocked into the ground; the greater the chances of reaching subsoil moisture. It is a good idea to “water” your earth spikes once a week as this greatly increase shock intensity.
   
   
9. Q. My energiser is making a ticking sound, is this normal?
   A. Yes, it is the capacitor discharging the electrical impulse to the fence.
   
   
10. Q. My fence clicks, is this normal?
    A. When it rains, clicking can occur. Water is an excellent conductor and some could have accumulated on a bobbin, support stay on a corner bracket etc. During rain and or inclement weather growth is the single biggest cause of clicking. Determine where the clicking is coming from and check your fence. There could be a branch, leaf etc. on the fence causing the clicking. Switch off the energiser and remove the obstruction. In dry conditions there should be no clicking sound.