More electric fence trouble

This is a low power fence meant for rabbits. When I touch the fence wire with my feet on the soil I get a mild tingle. When I touch the burried grounding rod and the fence wire I get a severe jolt. What am I missing?
Thanks for the help

Re: More electric fence trouble

The path through the dirt is not a perfect conductor! Wet it down a little and try it.

Re: More electric fence trouble

In dry conditions a weed burner fencing unit will work much better that unit has minimal power.

Re: More electric fence trouble

When I had cows, I used a weed chopper fence and if you accidentally touch it when the grass is wet, you really get a bite, but definitely works great to kill any grass or weeds that touch it. I guess some cities won't allow you to use them because they do bite.
If you get a big weed against the wire and it arcs, your neighbors won't like you much, especially if they have a radio on. They get a buzz!!!!!!/buzz!! every time it arcs.

Re: More electric fence trouble

I agree with Bruceb58. The earth around the ground is best kept wet.
Growing up on a farm, we used to carry around a 5 gallon jug just to wet the earth the ground is in.

Unplug the charger before you wet the ground, or you might look like an old video I have in my mind of our bird dog hiking his leg over the ground. I remember his yelp as he took off running full speed back to the home place.

Re: More electric fence trouble

Sound's about right. In scenario two, you have no resistance between hot and ground.

You have about one of the weakest chargers made. I had a similar size and never got a real decent shock, even over short distances.

Your's might work for rabbits, even with the mild shock. If not, get something much hotter.

Re: More electric fence trouble

The sand makes a horrible conductor, so you are fairly well screwed unless you keep a soaker hose buried under the perimeter of the fence. The only other solution would be to wire multiple grounds pins along the perimeter.

Re: More electric fence trouble

How many grounding rods do you have? My fence called for 2 close to the charger. I also need to add some around the perimeter of the fence when it gets further away - to keep the ground good.

Go to tractor supply and get one of those electric fence testers - one that reads out how much voltage, rather than just some leds that light up in sequence.

Wetting the ground would certainly increase its conductivity. However, it seems like it would be a fair bit of work to continually do that.

You might think about adding another wire - but a ground wire rather than a hot wire - so that the space between the wires is such that a rabbit would have to touch *both* to get through. Then the voltage is going from the hot to the rabbit to the ground *wire* rather than from the hot to the rabbit to the ground (and back to the ground rods).


-V