Electric fences with adequate grounding can contain cattle and other livestock.
Knowing test electric fence grounding allows you to determine if your fence is capable of delivering the proper electric shock to animals that touch it. Livestock will only feel a shock if the charge in your electric fence is able to complete a circuit by traveling back to the charger through the grounding system. A better grounding system means that livestock and predators will feel a stronger shock; an inadequate grounding system produces a weak or ineffective electrical shock. Test your electric fence's grounding system at least once yearly to ensure that it operates effectively, preferably during the driest season, recommends the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.
Instructions
1. Unplug your fence energizer. Inspect the insulated cable connecting the negatively charged ground terminal to your fence's grounding system. The metal portion of this terminal should be in direct contact with the insulated cable's metal wire. Check the other end of the insulated cable where it attaches to the first grounding rod; the metal grounding clamp should hold the metal cable securely in place, connecting it to the grounding rod. Repeat this inspection with each grounding rod in succession to verify that the entire grounding system connects together properly.
2. Ground out the energized wires on your electric fence. Measure along the length of the fence until you reach a point approximately 300 feet from the location where the energizer connects to the charged wires. Place the bottom of a steel T-post on the ground and tip the post sideways slowly until the top of the post rests on one of the charged wires in the electric fence. Repeat this process with three additional steel T-posts to short out the fence; this creates a dead short that should decrease the voltage on the fence to 1 kilovolt (1,000 volts) or less.
3. Plug the fence energizer in and turn it on. Measure out 3 feet from the grounding rod furthest away from the energizer; insert the ground probe on an electric fence voltmeter straight into the ground at this location. Touch the second probe on the voltmeter to the grounding rod, making sure your hand doesn't make contact with either the grounding rod or the metal portion of the probe.
4. Check the display on the front of the voltmeter. If the display reads 200 volts or less, the grounding system is adequate for your electric fence; a reading this low means that your grounding system has enough rods in place to attract almost all of the voltage channeled into the ground through the shorted-out fence. If the display shows a reading greater than 200 volts, the grounding system isn't adequate; install additional grounding rods one at a time, and test the grounding system after each installation until the display on the voltmeter reads 200 volts or less.
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