Fencing Help Needed

[Kellykidz]

I have an electric net fence powered by a solar charger. I have had problems with the solar charger since day one. Customer service told me our area is too sunny and to cover part of the charging panel and that worked for several weeks but now it is shutting off for no reason we can figure out. I will be returning it! We are in the process of fencing in aprox 2 acres for the cattle with High Tinsile Wire but part of the reason for getting livestock was to move them around the property to eat our grass and weeds I want to be able to move them to areas FAR away from electricity.

Can you give us recommendations for what electric chargers do you use for your plug in electric fence? I have 16 acres I hope to eventually get fenced but right now 2 wires 2 acres.

Do you recommend a solar charger or should I have my wonderful husband hook me up with a wagon with a battery and a charger?

THANK YOU for your help

 

[ourflockof4]

Well, in my opinion, I wouldn't want to mess around with a battery. I also wouldn't want to mess around with a solar charger for 16 ac also though. But I also believe that if you are going to make a fence hot it better be real hot. A solar charger hot enough isn't cheap. It may be able to get away with less though if your animals are not fence pushers. Ours are not, but I also don't want to take the chance.

 

[Kellykidz]

I want to use an a/c charger for the permanent fence but one of my goals with getting the livestock was to have them eat off the land so I would like to fence off small areas with temporary fencing and use a solar or battery charger there. So I will end up needing 2 systems to get it all done.

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Sounds a bit like here. The whole farm has electric fence (bull strength, mains powered) but I want a solar charger so I can fence small areas of the landlord's paddocks for the goats to clear weeds in the paddocks I don't rent. I live in a very sunny area and I have never heard of covering half the panel because it's too sunny.

I can't recommend brands (I'm in Australia so I don't know your brands) but I can say I was warned not to try using a normal car battery as it will die quickly. I was told to buy a deep cycle battery as I'd already bought a duel mains/battery charger. Unfortunately it would have been cheaper to just buy a solar charger than the deep cycle battery and so I've never used it.

 

[Tokoloshe]

I've never heard of a solar panel being in too much sun as they all should have a over-charging protection diode and even if they did not the only effect would be to the battery getting hot and having a shorter life. The fence energiser should still work off the energy from the panel even if the battery is ruined. The normal problem is from too SMALL a panel being applied to an energiser so it cannot keep up with the draw from the battery. In situations like this there are techniques available to increase the capacity of the panel.
A Deep cycle or leisure battery (the types also called Marine battery used in boats and caravans) is preferable to a car battery. It will survive more recharging cycles and will last longer between charging.

 

[Alice Acres]

One summer we pastured a herd of our neighbor's dairy calves. We did a temp electric fence and ran it off of a marine battery. It worked really well!

 

[Kellykidz]

I have cardboard covering 1/3 of the solar panel on the charger and it works fine. I am uncertain how I will know when it isn't getting enough sun. Dh and I go back and forth on sending it back. We have ordered an a/c electric charger and high tensile wire. We are backwards because we picked up the Dexter Cattle this weekend. So I am buying hay for the cattle and keeping them in an old pasture with no grass in it.