How To Make An Electric Fence
Electrical fences have long been relied upon to protect land, livestock, and property. From farmyards and distant fields, to domestic gardens and vegetable patches, sometimes the only manner to ensure that your animals, country and produce remain safe is to enclose them in an electrified fence. Nevertheless, electrical fences tin can often require many hundreds of metres of expensive wiring, in addition to a generator which constantly requires expensive fuel to operate.
Solar-powered electric fences are relatively inexpensive to buy, and like shooting fish in a barrel to install. The solar panel which charges the electric fence needs simply sunlight to generate electricity; a resource which is infinite and complimentary. Here at Semprius, we break down the installation of solar-powered electric fences footstep-by-step.
Installing a solar electrical contend can dramatically reduce your farm or habitation'south running costs, eliminating the need to purchase gas to fuel a generator, whilst remaining simply as efficient and dependable every bit a fossil-fuel-powered electric fence. When looking to install a solar electric fence, there are several of import considerations to make, and steps to take. Follow our comprehensive installation guide below to install your very ain solar-powered electric fence.
Step ane: Choose Your Fence
This is undoubtedly the virtually important step in the whole process. Solar electric fences come in diverse lengths and strengths, and with varying intended functions. Choosing the correct solar-powered electrical fence for yous depends entirely on how you lot plan to use it. If you lot're looking to seal off a vegetable patch from pesky rabbits and rodents, then you will need a much shorter length of fencing, and amuchlower voltage solar charger, than y'all would if y'all were protecting a large field of livestock, say, from bears, wolves, coyotes, and the similar.
Solar-powered electric fences are each designed to piece of work effectively (and humanely) confronting a range of animals, and across a range of distances, but it is paramount that you make sure the animals and distances you wish to cover are inside the range of your chosen solar electric contend's capabilities. Why not take a moment to read our 'Best Solar Debate Chargers' article, to requite you an thought of where and how to look for your perfect contend.
Step two: Lay the Boundary with Posts
Having purchased a solar-powered electric fence all-time-suited to your needs, it's time to lay the boundary effectually which the fence shall run. If you're keeping foxes out of a craven coop, the the boundary is going to be the chicken run; similarly, if you lot're keeping horses in a field, the boundary is the perimeter of the field. Pretty self-explanatory, but worth making certain you are aware of the boundary you need to embrace, and accept enough materials to exercise so.
The outset footstep in laying the purlieus is to constitute wooden corner, or end posts at the corners, or extremes of your boundary, around which the electric wiring will bend, to line dorsum upward with the T-posts in between each corner.
Dig the holes for your end posts/corner posts with a mail hole digger, excavation down about 2-3 feet. Having positioned your pole in the pigsty, y'all tin make full up your excavations with cement in guild to secure the pole firmly. Before leaving the cement to prepare, exist sure to use a level and tape measure to ensure that your corner posts are all level, and at the same height. Your cement should accept 24-48 hours to fully set, earlier y'all can movement onto the next stage of the solar-powered electrical fence installation.
Side by side, it'due south fourth dimension to lay the metal or plastic T-posts. T-posts should exist spaced at about 15-20 foot intervals, with shorter distances between them on steep, hilly sections, and longer distances between them (if y'all like) on apartment, open spaces. You can employ a length of string fastened to one pole and pulled taught to mark the location of the side by side.
To install T-posts, apply a T-post driver, and beat the posts into the basis, downwardly about two feet (on v.v ft T-posts), ensuring that the posts' brackets face away from the land you are surrounding with electric fence. It is on these brackets that you will hang your electric wiring in stride 3.
Stride 3: Hang the Wire
Now, information technology's time to hang the actual wiring, which will exist electrified by the charger you connect in the next step. To practise so, unspool your wiring as you lot go around your corner and T-posts, hanging the wiring on the brackets of the T-posts at an equal pinnacle, the entire style around your perimeter. Y'all may exist installing a unmarried wire, or many at unlike heights, depending upon your requirements, and the tiptop(s) of the animals yous seek to control or go on out.
When you come to your corner and end posts, you can affix the wire to the posts with U-pins, or merely wrap the wire around the post and use the tension of its connection to the next T-postal service to continue information technology in place. Yous can kickoff and stop your wiring wherever you like on the perimeter.
You can use tensioners and insulators to fix the wire firmly in place, and can install plastic rubber handles at intervals should y'all need, which would permit y'all to safely disconnect the electric fence in order for yous or your machinery to pass through it. Once you have covered the entire perimeter with your wires, you can motion onto the side by side step.
Stride 4: Install the Solar-Powered Charging Unit
Now that the perimeter has been marked with poles, and the wire(s) attached to those poles, making a tight purlieus all the way around your called area, it's fourth dimension to prepare-up the unit of measurement which will electrify the fence: the solar electric fence charger.
Whilst some solar fence chargers differ in installation methods, typically they are designed to be mounted on T-posts. Thus, to start, we're going to take to establish a T-post beside the fence at one point along the line. The most important decision to make hither, though, is exactlywhereto mountain the charger. The solar panel built-into your charger requires every bit much exposure to sunlight as possible in order to keep your electric contend powered to the right voltage at all times. In club to ensure that it receives the necessary sunlight, you should cull a mounting position for information technology with good, solid southern exposure, and no obstacles around which might cast shadows on the console during the mean solar day.
Once you've decided on the spot, plant a T-post into the ground just similar yous did when setting up the poles forth the boundary. Make sure the T-postal service is close to the electrical fence. Adjacent, mount the solar charging unit of measurement on top of the T-post, and swivel it to face south (provided you lot're in the northern hemisphere, thus maximising its potential for sunlight exposure).
Recollect: Go on the charger turned OFF at all times during installation, especially during the grounding process.
Pace v: Ground the Charger
Next, it'due south time to ground the charger. To do this, you'll need to sink earthing poles into the ground nearby to the T-post y'all've just planted. The type, number, and depth of the poles you'll crave will depend on the strength of your specific solar electric fence charger, and so check the transmission which came with it to determine how all-time to ground your charger. We'll connect up the right clamps to the grounding rod(southward) in a moment.
Lastly, it'south time to connect the positive and negative clips/clamps of the charger. Have the positive lead(due south) and connect this to your electric fence wire(s), then take the negative lead(southward) and connect this to the grounding rod(s), remembering to keep the device switched OFF throughout this procedure.
If y'all are using a battery to store and transmit the solar-generated electricity, connect the leads to the battery beginning, and so to the electric debate.
Stride half dozen: Complete the Initial Accuse
Your new solar-charged electric debate is going to crave an initial charging menses ofat least 24 hours before it's fix to use, though you could leave it for 48 hours if y'all take the time. (Keep the device OFF, or in charging mode throughout, and if unsure about whatever role of the charging procedure, delight refer to the device's specific manual.)
Step 7 (Concluding Pace): Conduct Tests
Once your solar charger has had time to charge, examine the accuse status of your battery or device, in order to ensure that your set-up is running as planned. Next, turn the device ON (carefully, taking all appropriate condom precautions).
Now, information technology's time to test the voltage you lot're receiving from your solar electric fence charging unit. To do so, apply an electrical contend tester/voltage tester on the electrical fence. Information technology'southward worth testing the voltage of your solar electric contend at regular intervals, and adjusting it accordingly (note that disruption along the fence from weeds and debris may cause fluctuations in voltage).
One time happy with output voltage and bombardment capacity/charge condition, yous tin leave the solar charger ON and call the job a good one! You have successfully installed your own solar-powered electric debate, which should now work continuously, requiring little to no maintenance, except regular testing of the line, weed maintenance, and the occasional cleaning of the solar panel (for which the equipment should exist turned OFF).
Benefits of a Solar-Powered Electric Fence
We've discussed in great detail the installation of a solar-powered electric fence, but what if you remain unconvinced that one will actually meet your needs? Let'south take a quick wait at the master advantages to solar-powered electric fences, which we feel confident will allay your fears, and instil you with confidence as to solar power's capabilities.
Humane livestock protection and pest prevention
Obvious, right? An electric argue is congenital to keep your livestock, pets, and animals from escaping their assigned fields and living areas, and go along pests out; so, obviously a solar electric fence would as well? Well, aye! It is a mutual misconception, nonetheless, that a solar-powered electrical fence would not be every bit good at the job as a generator-powered, or mains-powered electric debate would be. We're here to right that misconception!
Non only is solar ability up to the job (provided it is installed correctly and provided enough sunlight), information technology is more humane than the power sources used in traditional electric fencing. Solar electrical fences are designed to deliver a consistent, reliable voltage specifically designed to humanely ward-off intruding animals, and safely comprise your livestock. On the other hand, 'traditional' electrical fences can often kill animals past delivering far too high a voltage.
Availability
Solar power products have never been as affordable and accessible every bit they are today. There are simply hundreds of solar electric contend chargers and kits on the market, each tailored to a dissimilar user, and all readily available. For a list of our favorite marketplace picks, see this article here.
Free, light-green, renewable free energy for life!
What could possibly be more attractive than free electricity? Solar panel products generate electricity simply through their exposure to sunlight, which is not merely incredibly beneficial to our planet (reducing our dependency on subversive fossil fuels), but likewise saves you an absolute fortune in utility bills and money previously spent on fuel.
Minimal maintenance
We've mentioned it before, but we'll mention it over again: solar console products require seriously little maintenance. Just keep the panel clean, and check the voltage it's putting out from time to time, and your solar electric contend tin run for years and years. Some of these solar console electrical debate chargers can actually work for two whole weeks on a single full-charge, without any boosted sunlight, and then even low low-cal or poor weather weather aren't necessarily enough to stop a solar electric fence.
Impedance engineering
Many of today'southward height electrical fence solar chargers come with born 'impedance technology', which, in short, is designed to recognise the impedance of weed growth and debris touching the electric wire along your fence, and to ignore this (rather than electrifying the line and continually wasting electricity). Moreover, weeds and castor won't affect the charger's ability to transport a shock along the wire when an animate being actually does come in contact with the argue.
Determination
Solar power has never been more affordable, accessible and, frankly, necessary. Our world is in the midst of a climate crunch, and the more nosotros can do to help it out, the better our futurity and our children's time to come volition be. Solar electrical argue chargers are a reliable, rubber, and powerful off-grid culling to mains-powered or generator-fuelled electric fencing, and deliver humane protection to livestock, whilst preventing pests and predators from inbound your state. Installation of solar electrical fences is easy and can be completed lone, by even an unskilled private. Just remember to follow advisable safety precautions, and follow our instructions in this guide advisedly. If you come up confronting any issues, consult your solar charger'due south manual, or a professional electrician.
FAQs
Can I install a solar-powered electric fence on my own?
Yes, you lot tin can install a solar electric debate on your own, without needing whatsoever help from a professional or even another person. To learn how to do so safely, efficiently, and confidently, simply follow the step-by-step guide we've laid out for you higher up.
Is solar power strong enough to reliably charge an electric fence?
Yeah, solar ability is stiff enough to reliably charger an electric fence. In fact, solar power is more efficient at generating electricity than a traditional gas generator, and tin can produce all the power you need to keep your animals in, or certain animals out. Just exist sure to purchase a charger appropriate to your needs, and y'all won't be disappointed.
How will I know what grounding rods to apply, or how many?
Different solar electric fence chargers will require different amounts or lengths of grounding rod, depending on their voltages (some may non even crave grounding rods, but may simply require you lot to ground them to an existing nearby post). Read the transmission which came with your solar fence charger carefully to determine how to properly ground it.
Do solar-powered electrical fences work overnight and in low light?
The answer to this all depends on your setup. If you are connecting your solar charger directly to your electric debate, and so information technology will merely be able to electrify the fence when it is exposed to sunlight (i.e. during daylight hours). We would, therefore, recommend that yous first connect the solar charger to a high-capacity battery, andsoto your fence. This fashion, surplus free energy generated by the electric fence solar charger can be stored in the battery for usage during low calorie-free hours and overnight, keeping your solar-powered electrical fence up and running no matter the weather, or the fourth dimension of day.
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Author Bio
Robert is a renewable energy and sustainability specialist with 10+ years of experience in the solar and renewable energy space.
With experience in different organizations in the manufacture, he operates semprius every bit a passion project promoting sustainable renewable free energy ideas and products.
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Source: https://www.semprius.com/how-to-install-a-solar-electric-fence/
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