Electric fence experts... how do I connect polytape to wire/electric braid?

[FrittSkritt]

I have a short (around 50-70 feet long) stretch of wood fence that divides two paddocks. I’ve got the energizer, the ground rods, the insulators, the tape, etc. to put a hot wire on top of the fenceline. However, there’s a small gate I need to deal with, so I bought an electric bungee gate ( http://www.horse.com/item/powerfields-electric-bungy-gate-kit/E006948/ ) to stretch over the top.

I figured out that I can strip the poly fibers off the tape and twist the directly into the tensioner at the non-handle end. However, the other end with the plate (that the handle hooks on to) is a different matter – I can do the same thing with stripping the fibers back and making another twist, but it seems kind of gimmicky and not all that secure.

The various literature I’m reading says I should actually use my high-voltage, insulated wire (same stuff I’m using as the ground wire) to connect the tape to the wire to the gate. However, I have NO idea how to do this, since it seems all the butt splices at Home Depot are only rated for 600V, and this wire/fence is 10,000V.

Suggestions? I was planning on getting this to connect the tape to the energizer (rather than doing the same strip-splice of the tape to lead-out wire to energizer, since that also doesn’t seem very durable).

Thanks!

P.S. Oh, and how does one use a regular RadioShack multimeter to test the fence voltage, if possible? I’d like to not fry mine…

[Underthebridge]

Cqn you attach a different insulator to the side and then make a 90 with metal wire.

[ReSomething]

You only want the ![](ate to be energized when it is hooked up IMO. Nothing worse than handling a piece of tape flapping in the wind that is also capable of giving you and the horses a nasty shock, trying to find a safe place to hang it up while you go through and maybe having it snap and spark and they’ll be really spooky about going through the gate thereafter.
Most of our gates we run an insulated wire under the earth under the gate that continues the charge so we can use a standard gate or leave the gate wide open and the fence is still charged. They sell screw down clamps that work for wire or tape or rope, these are the name brand for Eb http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/electrobraid-copper-split-bolt-connector?cm_vc=-10005 but there are others out there way cheaper, As I recall it they were spider clamps but google isn’t finding that. Just don’t use the household electric nuts, even electrician’s tape is better than that. No don’t ever use butt splices either.
DH gets really creative with electric fence wire and porcelain insulators or whatever else is cheap. These pics are a cheap dead end gate. the rest of it is on step ins and it gets powered by a battery clamp off a repurposed set of jumper cables that is on the Eb fence.[IMG]https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13001263_1197861090247250_3162164416646338326_n.jpg?oh=4cb8f1a45b2392cbef5b3b6db909404d&oe=57F66DBE)[IMG]https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12472618_1197855700247789_7647992871392774220_n.jpg?oh=59917ff8b8beb66978be45d5c6f3500d&oe=57EBF209)

[Romany]

How about the pigtail connectors? Or a simple knot. Not elegant, but it works.

[FrittSkritt]

Ugh, that reminds me that I meant to go to Tractor Supply this weekend and get one of those tape-to-wire hookups! (TS is a good hour away from me and I was in that area for something else.)

Right now the gate is set with the handle hooking on the source (meaning when the gate handle is unhooked, the fence leading out is no longer electrified).

[fordtraktor]

Yeah, done this a thousand times…just tie it on to the hot fence and make sure it doesn’t touch anything else.

[fordtraktor]

It should just mean that the charge stops at the gate and anything past it when you unhook it, not that it ruins everything. And then it should light back up when you rehook it. Electric fences are not generally a circuit. If you have made it a circuit, undo that. I like mine to have two ends. Then if you have a problem in the middle you can often keep half your fence on while you resolve it. The ends can be right next to each other. It is also useful to just go under the gate instead of over but more work. I do the underground cables for all my gates. Worth it in the long run.

[ReSomething]

We just don’t buy any of the special stuff anymore after we broke off all the little expensive nylon open ended eye lags in a year and wound up having to use an eye bolt with a porcelain insulator wired to it. You just want to get the maximum number of the little copper wires in the tape well connected to whatever else you’ve got. Tape to rope to wire or whatever, and keep it off anything that could be a ground. So don’t nail it onto a post with a brad and hope wood is an insulator. (I’ve seen that, on here, somebody’s old style uncle did that).