Now Repairing:
Search
FAQ's
- What causes an electric fence to fail?
- What does the term "low impedance" mean?
- What is a Joule?
- How does the Joule relate to the performance of an electric fence charger?
- What is a Stored Joule?
- Is the amount of Stored Joules (energy) the same amount of joules produced on the fence wire?
- Why is a good ground important?
- Why are AC models damaged by lightning more often than battery operated models?
- How do you troubleshoot a fence charger?
- Recommendations on which fence charger to use under various needs.
- What are the output specifications for Parmak fence chargers?
- Fence chargers and phone, radio, and modem interference.
- Charging a solar battery before use.
- When my fence charge is operating, I hear a clicking sound. Is this normal?
- How do I get my Parmak fence charger serviced?
1. Q. What causes an electric fence to fail?
A. The biggest cause for a failed electric fence is HUMAN!! Most people do not fully understand what it takes to correctly install and maintain an electric fence. They do not understand that any electric fence requires routine maintenance to keep adequate power on the fence or maybe they just are too busy to take the time to do the required maintenance.
The biggest maintenance problems are inadequate ground (poor ground), poor connections, using wrong wire size, using too small of an electric fence charger for the job (under powered fence charger), etc.
It all goes back to the "human factor":
| - - - Poor knowledge - - - - - - Too complicated - - - - - - Too much time to do routine checks - - - |
If you decide to use electric fence, take the time to learn how to correctly build the fence and maintain it. Buy the correct electric fence charger for the job and read your owners manual thoroughly. For more information see our Online Fence Planner.
2. Q. What does low impedance mean?
A. In non-technical terms, low impedance means the fence charger is designed to effectively shock through vegetation and other foreign matters contacting the charged wire. Vegetation such as grass, weeds, vines, etc., contacting the charged wire tend to impede or stop the flow of electricity by "grounding out" the fence. This is a common problem which exists on most electric fence installations. The low impedance fence charger is a solid-state capacitor discharge design and has enough power to force the shock through vegetation.
It is recommended that the charged fence wire be kept clean of all vegetation, etc. to ensure maximum performance from your fence charger.
3. Q. What is a Joule?
A. The joule is defined as a unit of energy used to measure the distance a given weight can be moved in a unit of time or the amount of heat produced in a resistor by electrical current. The joule is commonly described as one watt second. The joule does not measure the effectiveness or safety of electric shock.
4. Q. How does the joule relate to the performance of an electric fence charger?
A. It doesn't. It would take a lengthy discussion to explain all of the different factors which make an electric fence effective and safe. The joule does not measure the effectiveness or safety of electric shock.
Two easily measured factors determine fence charger performance. Guard voltage and shock current. Safety dictates that the amount of shock current, on time (the amount of time the shock is on the wire) and pulse rate be held within strict tolerances established by recognized safety agencies such as Underwriters Laboratory (U/L) and Canadian Standards Assoc. (CSA). The value expressed in the joule does not decode to the user the effectiveness of a shock.
What controls livestock is voltage and current. You must have voltage in order to force electricity through the conductor (fence wire) as well as vegetation touching the fence, etc., and you must have current in order for the livestock to feel the shock.
The most effective fence charger will have the highest, safest power (voltage and current) possible with the shortest on-time, thereby allowing the fence charger to develop a shock which is more effective and at the same time is safe to use.
In summary, it is important to point out that Underwriters Laboratories (U/L) or Canadian Standard Assoc., (CSA) do not recognize the joule as a measurement when applied to electric fence chargers.
5. Q. What is Stored Joules?
A. The term "Stored Joules" refers the the amount of energy stored in the fence charger capacitor. Low impedance fence chargers are equipped with one or more capacitors which store energy until that energy is released to the fence wire through the the fence charger's output circuitry.
6. Q. Is the amount of Stored Joules (energy) the same amount of joules produced on the fence wire?
A. NO. It is important to know that the amount of Joules produced on the fence wire is much less than the amount of stored Joules.
As an example, a fence charger that claims to have 15 stored Joules may only produce 2 Joules on the fence wire. The loss of energy between stored Joules and the amount of Joules actually produced on the fence wire is caused by the loss of energy within the discharge circuitry of the fence charger. Poorly designed fence chargers can lose up to 90% of the stored Joules resulting in substantially reduced shock on the fence wire.
Knowing the stored Joules of any fence charger is useless information and can not be relied on to determine the shock power on the fence wire.
7. Q. Why is a good ground important?
A. Regardless of make or model of fence charger, it is essential the fence charger be grounded properly. Think of an electric fence as an independent electrical circuit. In order for the circuit to operate properly, it must be grounded. AC models operated on poor ground will continuously blow fuses and will eventually be damaged by a poor ground. Battery models operated on a poor ground will have little or no shock on the fence. Remember, poor ground costs you. Refer to the fence charger Owner's Manual for detailed grounding instructions.
8. Q. Why are AC models damaged by lightning more often than battery operated models?
A. Battery operated fence chargers are not connected to AC power lines. Most lightning damage to AC powered fence controllers comes in through the AC power line. The lightning may actually strike a long distance away from the fence charger but is transmitted through the power line and will damage equipment connected to power lines, such as televisions, stereos, fence chargers etc. Lightning arresters help to eliminate much of the lightning damage, however, it is impossible to stop lightning damage 100%. It is recommended whenever possible that the fence charger be disconnected from the AC outlet during electrical storms. We also recommend that you plug your AC fence charger into a surge protector. The surge protector will give additional protection to your fence charger. If your fence charger is damaged by lightning and is still under the factory warranty, it is covered by that warranty and the fence charger can be returned for service.
When using an AC operated fence charger, we recommend using Zareba® Storm Guard lightning protector for increased protection of your AC fence charger from lightning damage.
9. Q. How do you troubleshoot a fence charger?
A. Over the years it has been proven that the biggest problem with electric fence is a direct result of poor fence installation (i.e., poor ground, shorts on fence, weeds, etc.) and not the fence charger.
ALL FENCE CHARGERS
First check your ground rods. Here are some good tips:
- Use at least two or three 3/8" -- 5/8" diameter, 6 to 8 foot long copper clad or galvanized rod. Drive ground rods a minimum of 6 to 8 feet deep into permanently moist earth.
- DO NOT use painted fence post or any metal rod which has a painted surface because paint is an insulator and will not conduct electricity.
- DO NOT use utility ground or water pipe to ground your fence.
- DO NOT install fence ground rods within 50 feet of any utility ground system. This causes a poor ground condition. Your fence charger MUST HAVE its own separate ground system.
- DO install first ground rod within 20 feet of fence charger.
- DO use ground clamp to attach ground wire to each ground rod.
- DO replace ground rods every two years or so. The ground rods will rust under ground and over time will no longer be a good ground.
- Sandy, rocky, frozen, dry, or clay soil can reduce the effectiveness of your ground rods so additional rods may be needed to increase the shock delivered.
If you are still having problems, you should then check you fence line. Make sure that you are using insulators on all of your posts unless they are fiberglass or plastic posts. Wood posts DO need insulators because while wood is an insulator, it absorbs water and then it can cause a short in the fence.
Make sure there is nothing leaning against or in contact with the fence wire that can cause a short.
If fence charger still does not operate we have the solution. REMEMBER, any electric fence requires routine maintenance.
- For In Warranty Serviceclick here.
- For Out of Warranty Service please click here.
If you have additional service questions, you can call 800-214-7721 and speak to our service department.
10. Q. Recommendations on which fence charger to use under various needs.
A. The application of electric fence varies widely from fencing small pets such as cats, dogs to domestic livestock, cattle, horses, hogs, sheep to fencing wild animals, deer, bear, etc. Please use our Online Fence Planner to achieve best results.
11. Q. Fence chargers and phone, radio, and modem interference.
A. Most fence chargers are thoroughly shielded and filtered against radio, television, and telephone interference. When interference occurs, it is usually caused by one or more of the following:
- A current leak (spark) to ground at some point along the fence line. This may be a result of very dirty or cracked insulators, wire touching a post, trees, a building, or vegetation.
- A loose connection in the fence wire, possibly due to poor splices, gate opening, or a rusted wire causing a spark.
- Poor ground connection.
Any of these conditions could cause a "spark gap" resulting in a spark jumping the gap when the fence controller charges the fence wire. When the spark jumps, it acts as a broadcast antenna and noise is transmitted to all radios, telephones, televisions, etc in the immediate area, and you will hear a "clicking" sound each time the fence charger pulses. A careful check of the fence wire installation will disclose the trouble. Two people checking together will help locate the source more easily.
To determine if the fence controller or the fence is at fault, disconnect the fence wire (ground and fence wire) from the fence charger, letting the fence charger operate while disconnected from the fence installation. If the clicking noise continues with the fence disconnected, the controller is at fault and needs repair.
- For In Warranty Serviceclick here.
- For Out of Warranty Service please click here
If you do not get the clicking with both the fence and the ground wires disconnected, this means the problem is in your fence line. You should check the fence line for loose connections in the fence wire possibly due to poor splices, gate opening, rusted wire, or cracked/damaged insulators. Check for spark gap due to vegetation (weed, grass, tree limb, etc) contacting the charged fence wire. Poor ground can also cause interference.
12. Q. My solar fence charger manual states that my fence charger was shipped with a fully charged battery but it also says that I should let it charge for 5 days in the sun before use. Why?
A. The batteries in all solar fence chargers are fully charged before they leave the factory; however, sometimes the units are stored at you local dealer’s warehouse. Depending on the length of storage, the battery may become discharged. This is why we recommend letting the solar panel recharge the battery in the sun for 5 sunny days prior to using the fence charger. Be sure that the fence charger is turned OFF while recharging the battery.
In some cases you can also check the date stamp located on the top of the battery (shown in month/year). This will let you know when the battery was manufactured and when the battery was last charged. If the battery is older than six months, you should recharge the battery.
20. When my fence charge is operating, I hear a clicking sound. Is this normal?
A. YES. All fence chargers make a clicking noise, this is normal.
21. How do I get my fence charger serviced?
A. Zareba (Red Snap’r, Blitzer and other energizers made under the Zareba brand) warrants energizers with a mile rating under 20 miles for 12 months (a full year) from the date of purchase (or date or manufacture if proof of purchase is not provided) against defects in materials and workmanship, and from damage caused by lightning. Energizers with a mile rating over 20 miles have a 24 month warranty (two years) total. Energizers with a mile rating over 50 miles have a 36 month warranty (three year) when registered on line at the time of purchase. For any sized energizer, retain your receipt for proof of purchase or register your energizer on line at www.zarebasystems.com immediately after purchase.
- For In Warranty Serviceclick here.
- For Out of Warranty Service please click here.
If you have additional service questions, you can call 800-214-7721 and speak to our service department.
What's New?
 |
Our Online Store is coming soon. Check back often!
Call us directly with any questions: 530-345-7779
