Installing hot wire

[mystang89]

Thanks for the replies you all!
@Bruce I think I wasn't clear by about the h braces. I didn't mean the horizontal wood that formed the H but the posts that the horizontal piece was connected to.

@greybeard that's great to know about the pin type. For one they are much cheaper. Two, they are much easier to install. I do have a couple of trees though that I think I will still buy the screw in insulators. I think I read one of the reviews for the pin ones and it said they are pushed out of the tree over time.

 

[mystang89]

Has anyone used these. They seem to have a few decent reviews but figured I'd ask anyway.

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Expandable-E...16-Z-Zareba-Systems-/152061862059?_mwBanner=1

 

[greybeard]

I've used a smaller version that's been around since Moby Dick was a minnow and Capt Ahab was seaman apprentice. Not a dime's worth of difference in any of them. Just a spring, an insulated grip and a place on each end to attach the wire or hook the handle to a wire or loop.
The one you linked to just has a lot longer spring.

 

[mystang89]

I bought two of them. I was hoping it would help the children not to leave the gate wire just dangling since it retracted. Still have 3 of the regular ones.

 

[mystang89]

HUGE EDIT: I just went and walked the line and found the problem. One of my insulators had fallen off an irregular t post and so the wire was touching the post/fence. I fixed that problem and went to the furthest part of my line which read 7000+v. Happy to finally have this project finished. Happy to finally know my dog and sheep are safe INSIDE my pasture and that I have a deterrent for coyotes coming in.


Ok, so we finally finished the project and there's some good and some bad. The good is that it work...ish. The bad is that it doesn't work completely which is why I'm posting this right now. First I'll run down the items used. I've used a combination of insulators. For the t-posts and wood posts I've used:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/T-Post-Ins...h-Insulators-for-Electric-Fence-/320924082736
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zareba-...g-T-Post-Insulator-25-Per-Bag-ITY-Z/203266569
http://www.kencove.com/fence/T-Post+Cap+Insulator_detail_ITPCW.php
https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...MIo9PD7oCp2gIVRbXACh0CYwzHEAQYBSABEgLkYvD_BwE
https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...MIo9PD7oCp2gIVRbXACh0CYwzHEAQYAiABEgLHYfD_BwE
https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...MIo9PD7oCp2gIVRbXACh0CYwzHEAQYBCABEgLfhfD_BwE
https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/supatube-for-high-tensile-wire?cat_id=46&option_id[0]=82
https://www.jefferspet.com/products...MIp5aexIGp2gIV07jACh0nJAjxEAQYAyABEgJhofD_BwE
The SupaTube insulators I used mainly to go from the hotwire to the expandable gate wire seen here https://www.ebay.com/itm/Zareba-16-ft-Expandable-Electric-Fence-Gate-/251753368670
I purchased 50' of that same insulator and slid the hotwire in it to run around the barn.
The furthest the wire is away from the fence, (which is 4x4 sheep and goat fence) is 2 1/2". The closest is probably 1/2" but isn't touching the fence or anything all the way down the run. A picture of the run can actually be seen https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/installing-hot-wire.36390/page-5 at the very top of the page. The charger I'm using is http://www.zarebasystems.com/resources/zareba-25-mile-ac-low-impedance-charger-eac25m-z/images/0 and I'm running around 1300feet of wire.

Now that all the hardware is out of the way I can get on to the problem. I purchased a 5 light tester which ranges from 600v to 7000v. Coming from the charger its 7k no problem. Once I hit the hotwire itself it falls to 2000v. The further down the line I go the less it is. About 500feet down the run I get nothing at all. I'm able to touch with my bare hands and not get shocked. When I called Zareba to ask them to help me trouble shoot the problem I was told my problem was probably because the line was too close to the fence and so the fence was zapping the electricity from it. Is this really the case? They said the wire would need to be at least 5" from the fence. It's literally around 500ft that I can't even hear the ping anymore. If that is the problem I'll be completely honest, I won't be a happy camper. I've spent a great deal of money on all the insulators. Why would they make insulators that aren't 5" away from the t-posts? Why would they make insulators for wood posts that were right next to it if this stuff grounds out or gets sucked out or whatever?

Skipping past my griping and rambling....within that 500ft there isn't really any place that the wire is terribly close to the fence.

 

[greybeard]

My opinion? I'll be as sensitive and politically correct as possible here.
Zareba's guy is full of feces, and you can take that to the bank in Denver..
But, I know where he's getting it from. There's a many decades old adage floating about that says: You need 1" of air gap per 1000 volts".

The electrons, to flow thru (jump) air, the air first has to be ionized, and to ionize clean dry air (not heavily polluted) requires immense voltage potential. For this to happen (the ionization) it requires about 3 million volts per linear yard or 75,000 volts per inch. Look at the bare hot wire on power lines. The one in front of my house carries 48,000 volts and the insulators are such that the bare wire is about 6-8" away from the (right now) wet wooden cross members.

The much more correct rule of thumb is 'for every 1000 volts (1kv) an air gap of 1 millimeter (.039" or approx 1/16") is usually sufficient'. That means, for 5000v, an air gap of .195" or 5/16" will usually work, tho in wet air conditions, you'd probably need to go a whole 1/2 inch to insulate 5000v just to give ya a cushion.

You either have ground rod problems, have an underground metal pipe run close to your energizer, or one of your wires is touching something.

 

[greybeard]

BTW, I f you talk to Zareba guy again, you might ask him why they make and sell many thousands of these insulators that are carrying the bare wire a scant 1" or less away from the Tee posts.

Air gap calculator:
https://sciencing.com/calculate-voltage-spark-gaps-8776030.html

 

[Bruce]

GB already posted in his second post what I was going to say! And, of course, nailed your problem with the last sentence of his first.

Congratulations on getting your fence done!!

 

[mystang89]

Thanks, it was definitely that wire touching the t post that messed everything up. Reading 7000 volts across the board now and couldn't be happier to have it successfully finished.

 

[greybeard]

Now that you have it done, some time in the near future, you will be well served to get one of the better fence testers that give you a lot more information than just the voltage on the fence. (assuming you don't already have one)
They cost a lot more than just the ground probe type unit but can tell you so much more.
There's a thread in this section about them.