How to Troubleshoot an Electric Fence

The best fence for animals is one they don̵7;t touch. If they won̵7;t touch it, they can̵7;t get tangled and injured in it. Electric fencing fits that bill. Animals learn that the fence ̶0;bites̶1; and avoid it. An electric fence can stop charging or create a weak charge that animals might not respect. When that happens, troubleshooting is essential.

Things You'll Need

  • Voltmeter
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Instructions

  1. Troubleshoot Electric Fence Problems

    • 1

      Inspect the charger or energizer to see if it is the source of the problem. After unplugging or switching off the energizer, disconnect the fence. Turn the energizer on and use the voltmeter to determine output. If there is no reading when the voltmeter is in contact with the output terminals, look for corroded terminals, AC circuit breaker or outlet, dead or discharged batteries; and a blown input circuit fuse. If the energizer is old, it could be faulty. The rechargeable wet cell batteries on solar chargers eventually need to be replaced. With the voltmeter, check the solar charger in full sun to determine if it is producing power before you buy a new battery.

    • 2

      Inspect the ground rod and connections. If the soil is very dry near the ground rod, you may have to move it to a wetter area such as under the drip line of a roof or expand the ground with additional ground rods wired together. Check that the ground wire is securely attached to the energizer and the ground rod connection is good and tight. After time, ground rods can deteriorate below ground level, so check the condition of the ground rod.

    • 3

      Inspect the fence. A common cause of electric fence failure is a dead short caused by a fallen tree branch, very heavy weeds or the hot wire touching a metal fence post or fence wire. Turn off the fence energizer with the switch on a solar or battery-powered charger or unplug the AC charger and inspect the fence. Remove branches or weeds that touch the fence. Disentangle the hot wire from metal fence posts or fence wire. Turn the charger back on and check the fence with the voltmeter.

    • 4

      Inspect the condition of the hot wires. Use the voltmeter to check the voltage at any suspected worn wires or insulators. If the voltmeter shows a low reading, replace the wire or insulator.