Electric fence question-think I've been doing it all wrong!

[JackSprats_Mom]

Ok so please forgive me if this is a DUH question.

I have a DVM and I was under the impression that the higher the reading the more voltage in the fence.

THEN I read something that says I actually want a lower reading???

So e.g. my fence reads 1.5 KV, article says want, ideally, 700-800 volts so half of what mine is running at?

So is that correct, the lower the reading the hotter the line…

[gnu]

Depending on source, I’ve read a minimum of 3k to 4K volts on electric fence for horses. Mine is in the 4K plus range.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

When my fence is shorting out on tall weeds I get a lower reading. When it’s running normal I’m close to 10,000 volts and it almost knocks you on your ass. So IDK…??

[moving_to_dc]

I’m with Trot Trot - with all my electric fences - paddocks - mesh fences - a lower reading is BAD NEWS. My fences are generally in the 10K range, too.

I can tell if something is wrong because the charger “clicks” or blinks softer and slower. Testing reveals a lower voltage which means there is an issue somewhere…

[hosspuller]

[QUOTE=JackSprats Mom;8372818]
Ok so please forgive me if this is a DUH question.

I have a DVM and I was under the impression that the higher the reading the more voltage in the fence.

THEN I read something that says I actually want a lower reading???

So e.g. my fence reads 1.5 KV, article says want, ideally, 700-800 volts so half of what mine is running at?

So is that correct, the lower the reading the hotter the line…[/QUOTE]

Only “Duh” question is the unasked.

You want high voltage. Higher the better (within reason …thousands of volts) It is high voltage that enables the fence to shock through dry ground, hairy coats, long distances, etc.

Tell us about the source of the article. I wonder why they would say 700 volts ??? Maybe a dog fence …

[poltroon]

What you may have found is an article that talks about different impedance values and different charger choices for different species. Horses have a lower electrical resistance than say goats, who do better with a wide impedance fence. Horse fences can be designed not to have wires close to the ground, which means you can more easily avoid weed contact. An energizer that is very high in Joules (not volts, volts will generally be the same) may be too much shock for a smaller fence run meant for horses. So it’s not a more is better situation - IIRC more than about 5 joules is considered too much energy for a horse fence charger. But, you’ll have to look long and hard to find an energizer that powerful… you won’t be buying one by accident at the feed store.

[JackSprats_Mom]

Thanks all that makes much more sense. I wonder if they were talking about the ground wire?

[poltroon]

Volts is a measure of potential difference - like inches, in that you aren’t measuring compared to some absolute value, but relative to another thing. Since ground is the zero we measure from for an electric fence by definition, your ground wire should always be zero volts from any other connected ground unless something unexpected is afoot.

You definitely want thousands of volts on an electric horse fence, not hundreds. Hundreds leads to zero in a hurry, when the horses notice and break through and leave your wires shorted to the ground.

[Inclinedtowhisper]

The best wattage for an electric fence is between 9.0 and 12.0 KV (this is from personal experience) Too low and it won’t cause enough of a deterrent, too high and it will be insanely painful. Not to mention some horses are highly sensitive to electric fields and will go on a mental rampage when you have the fence too high, even if they don’t touch it, because they can feel the electromagnetic pulse through their body and it sets them on edge.

Always make sure you have the fence grounded properly, and there aren’t tall weeds or grass growing up on one of the hot wires. It will short it out and if the grass is wet it will actually shock anything that touches the grass nearby the parts that are touching the wire.

I once got shocked because it had just rained, there were weeds growing up along the bottom wire that i hadn’t gotten to trimming away yet and I was standing 3 feet away, reached down to grab something on the ground and got the shock of my life.

My horse did the same thing while grazing early in the morning before the dew on the grass dried up.
Just make sure you keep the grass below it trimmed!

[DHCarrotfeeder]

You should not be using a DVM on a modern fence charger. The voltage spikes are too fast to avoid damaging your DVM.