How to Find a Break in Underground Wiring

The wire that controls an electronic fence often is buried an inch or two under the lawn or bare soil, making a break in the line difficult to find. If the break is not visible, the easiest way to find it is to rent or purchase a device called a "wire break locator." Most equipment rental companies rent large, powerful locators. Several pet supply companies also sell smaller, less expensive ones. They all work basically the same way.

Things You'll Need

  • Boundary wiring
  • Wire cutters
  • Outside wire connectors
  • Wire break locator
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Determine that the problem is with the wiring and not with the system's transmitter box. To test the transmitter, you need to turn it off and detach the outside wiring from it. Cut a piece of previously unused wire about 5 feet long and attach each end of that wire to the transmitter box, forming a loop. Turn the transmitter back on. If it no longer indicates that there is a break in the line, the transmitter box is working properly. Remove the short wire and re-attach the outside wires.

    • 2

      Walk along your electronic fence line see if you can visually locate the break. Breaks often occur along unburied areas of wiring. If you find the break, proceed to Step 5. If not, continue.

    • 3

      Attach the base unit of the wire break locator to your electronic fence wire. The base unit needs to be outdoors. You can attach the base unit to both wires if they're twisted together, as they often are near the house, or to only one wire.

    • 4

      Turn on the hand-held portion of the wire break locator. When you are near the base unit, you should hear a sound of some sort, a beep or hum. Turn the sound level down as low as you can to keep the unit "sensitive." Only if it is sensitive will you know as soon as you wander away from the wire or come to a break in the wire. If you leave it turned high, it will not be sensitive enough and might "jump" right over the break because it will continue to pick up a transmission from the wire. As you walk along keeping the hand-held unit over the wire, the sound will continue. When you are over the wire and the sound stops, you have located the break.

    • 5

      Pull the broken ends of the wire together. If they do not reach, you will need to add some new wire. Peel back the plastic insulation that covers the wire, and twist the bare wires together. Cap them with an outdoor wire connector.

    • 6

      Turn on the transmitter box to see if the electronic fence again is working. If it isn't, continue to search for another break.