I am in the process of moving my pony to a new farm. I have a Mark 8 fence energizer that started shutting off after 45 minutes and just got back from repair as its under a year old and under warranty. I took it directly to the new farm yesterday and hooked it up to where the lower joule charger was to test the voltage and it ran fine for an hour and a half. I hooked it up for good today and turned it on and it instantly tripped the GFCI outlet. It did this multiple times. I unhooked it from the ground and the femce wire and it works fine. Hooked it up to the ground and still fine. Hooked it up to the electric wire and instantly tripped. I called the company and they said this charger can’t run on a GFCI outlet. I’m not sure why it could yesterday bug after reading I see most chargers are on GFCI outlets. Is it my charger being weird or should I have the outlet switched to a standard outlet? If I need a new charger what kind works on a GFCI outlet that gets to 12,000 volts for 10+ miles? The one that does work there is a Blitzer 10 mile but only a .5 joule so we can’t get it higher than 3000 volts. I’m an electric idiot so any tips you can give me before I have the electrician out Wednesday would be wonderful!!
Never had a problem on a GFI. Make sure you are not on an AFCI outlet as they are very temperamental.
I would replace the GFI outlet as step one, I have seen them go bad over time and trip easily, or just never reset.
As Airhorse suggested replace it. They can and do go “bad”. A very simple DIY as long as you can cut the power to it. I am comfortable “hot wiring them” the worst that can happen is getting shocked. Unless you have a medical condition no big deal. Personally I don’t use them. They have always been a PITA in barn/farm applications. They are not really meant for “outdoor” applications and are very sensitive to moisture/humidity. Once they “trip” a couple of times they need replacing. The same for “ground fault breakers”.
I know more than a fair bit about residential/farm wiring. IMO the “safety value” of GFCI is blown way out of proportion. “Paranoid marketing” has made the manufactures a lot of money. To each their own on this.
It is possible that there is a problem with the “box”. Disconnect from the fence and try plugging it into another outlet and see what happens. But it could also be due to the way electric fences are grounded and it is “confusing” the GFCI.
BTW, I have had them bad out of the box. Nothing more frustrating than getting everything put together and having a brand new GFI that will not reset.
[QUOTE=airhorse;8058735]
BTW, I have had them bad out of the box. Nothing more frustrating than getting everything put together and having a brand new GFI that will not reset.[/QUOTE]
LOL, yup!
Well for the love. I just decided too look up tonight if anyone else had this problem with the Mark 8 and sure enough the reviews have everyone using a GFCI with this fencer having the same problem! Crap! http://www.amazon.com/Parmak-Energizer-Impedance-Controller-SE5/dp/B0002YUWHA
SO…I’m having my electrician out to work on the barn tomorrow and am wondering if I’m better off just forking out the dough to buy a different charger. The outside receptacle that the fencer plugs into is wired to the inside GFCI receptacle. The fencer is kept in a storage box to keep it from getting wet but it is an outdoor outlet. The inside of the barn does get some rain periodically leaking in so I’m not sure if it’s safe to change the indoor GFCI outlet back to a standard outlet. Any thoughts on the safety of having a non-GFCI outlet in a barn that gets wet? I’m so cranky about this 
Going to ask the electrician expert tomorrow but would love input. Thanks!!
[QUOTE=Keg-A-Bacchus;8060453]
Well for the love. I just decided too look up tonight if anyone else had this problem with the Mark 8 and sure enough the reviews have everyone using a GFCI with this fencer having the same problem! Crap! http://www.amazon.com/Parmak-Energizer-Impedance-Controller-SE5/dp/B0002YUWHA
SO…I’m having my electrician out to work on the barn tomorrow and am wondering if I’m better off just forking out the dough to buy a different charger. The outside receptacle that the fencer plugs into is wired to the inside GFCI receptacle. The fencer is kept in a storage box to keep it from getting wet but it is an outdoor outlet. The inside of the barn does get some rain periodically leaking in so I’m not sure if it’s safe to change the indoor GFCI outlet back to a standard outlet. Any thoughts on the safety of having a non-GFCI outlet in a barn that gets wet? I’m so cranky about this Going to ask the electrician expert tomorrow but would love input. Thanks!![/QUOTE]
I’m not telling people what to do. Just my experience with some GFCI in my barn and at my tank heaters. The odd ones in some houses I have lived in since they became part of code.
I have found them even more problematic when they are “tapped” with a long run of wire and regular outlet at the other end. As I said they are very sensitive to moisture, etc, and line voltage fluctuations. Which might be what is going on with yours because of the way Charger is made. Just guessing. I see no reason for one to be used for a Charger anyway. None of mine are. If anyone has been “shocked” by 120 from a back ground and or stray voltage it is far from life threatening. A shock collar and or a fence hot wire packs a lot more punch IME. Granted a hot fence line “pulses” but no one is going to hang onto a hot wire anyway. GFCIs are more in case some is standing in a large puddle of water or something of the like and drops a “hot wire” into and they can’t get “away”. Dropping the hair drying while standing in bathwater and the breaker doesn’t trip, etc. “Code” may require a licensed Electrician to wire it that way but that doesn’t mean if it is not, that it is unsafe. There is “code” that makes sense and prudent and there is “code” that makes money for “others”. As a retired master Electrician once told me.
I do not use them in my barn. I go back before code was upgraded to require “whole house” grounding and modern breaker boxes. Before all electrical appliances, clippers, etc had ground plugs or even “double insulated” as most are now. There have never been any issues.
I have never had any grounding, stray voltage issues with my tank heater. All 6 of them and auto waterers using standard commercial grade outlets.
Unless the Electrician is required by code to hook your Charger outlet to a GFCI it is easy to bypass it by just tapping the supply line before the GFCI in its wiring box. Simple and only takes a matter of minutes. If you lived around the block I would do it for you. Or get a DIY friend to do it for you.
Again, I am not giving advice just saying what I do and have never had any issues. To each their own on this. Believe what you want to believe and what makes one feel comfortable.
I have seen GFCI “undersized” for the demand. 15 amp used when it should have been a 20 amp. When this is done they will “trip” a lot and go “bad” quickly.
My tank heater tripped the GFCI regularly this winter. Now I’m wondering if I should replace the outlet with something else before plugging in my new fence charger… It is outside but in a covered landscape lighting receptacle that can be closed even when something is plugged in. I do have GFCI in the barn and haven’t had issues there, just the one outdoors (which DH installed himself, maybe not coincidentally). What’s the worst possible outcome if you don’t have GFCI? (Another electric idiot here.)
[QUOTE=Libby2563;8060848]
My tank heater tripped the GFCI regularly this winter. Now I’m wondering if I should replace the outlet with something else before plugging in my new fence charger… It is outside but in a covered landscape lighting receptacle that can be closed even when something is plugged in. I do have GFCI in the barn and haven’t had issues there, just the one outdoors (which DH installed himself, maybe not coincidentally). What’s the worst possible outcome if you don’t have GFCI? (Another electric idiot here.)[/QUOTE]
Mine did the same thing. So I removed and wire a commercial grade outlet. They cost a few dollars more verse, 89 cent cheap ones. I installed a GFCI breaker on the line instead at the panel. Not long after it did the same thing. And became more problematic, tripping almost every day. My wiring was “sized” correctly for the demand. Over-sized in fact. I removed that also. Have not had a problem since. If someone is worried about possible stray voltage/grounding issues at their heated water tank outlet just “double ground” by driving a grounding rod in by the outlet and attach a ground wire to it. Personally I have never found it necessary.
Just wanted to update for anyone stumbling on this thread with the same problem! All of Parmak’s (and a few other chargers) will trip a GFCI. I spoke to the company and they said they are designed that way. I love my charger so I had the electrician out. My electrician made the charger outlet not GFCI and we are working beautifully now. Way cheaper than buying a new $200 charger! So now I know to do my research if I havd a GFCI outlet to make sure the charger I buy can be on one! Who knew?!
