How to keep your electric fence running at optimum.
If you want your electric fence to function as intended when you need it, you must maintain it in excellent condition. Here are a few pointers.
Regarding property protection, an electric fence can serve as a potent deterrent to potential trespassers. Regardless of how long you’ve had an electric fence installed or whether you just bought a house with one already in place, it’s important to realise that regular maintenance is necessary to keep these fences operating at their peak. Here are some essential things you should know and some basic do-it-yourself tips for maintaining an electric fence.
Knowing your electric fence
Let’s take a look at how an electric fence operates before moving on to maintenance. It functions essentially as an electric pulse-passing wire fence. An energiser produces this pulse, which transforms power from a battery or the main electrical grid into a high voltage, low current electrical pulse. (Since current is lethal, fences operate on a low current.) To complete the circuit, the energiser is grounded and connected to the fence.
The significance of appropriate earthing
Perhaps the most crucial element of an electric fence system is earthing, and improper earthing is the root cause of most electric fence problems. The circuit must be completed for the fence to function. When an animal or intruder touches the fence, the circuit is finished through their body and returns to the energiser through the earth. Make sure you have enough earth stakes buried in the ground to maintain adequate earthing, particularly in dry conditions where wire grounding may be weak.
Typical problems and routine upkeep
How to keep your electric fence maintained
Let’s now discuss some typical problems and the fundamental maintenance actions you can perform:
Be careful — turn off the power.
To be safe, always turn off the energizer’s power before beginning any maintenance.
Examine the fence wire:
Make sure there are no impediments, such as leaves, weeds, branches, or insects touching the ground or the fence by routinely checking the fence wire. An electric fence wire that continuously clicks is frequently a sign that something is touching it. To keep foliage from coming into contact with the wires, prune shrubs and trees. Additionally, clean out any debris inside the insulators that might come into contact with the steel fence dropper and complete the circuit.
Inspect the wires for breaks, damage, or corrosion.
Additionally, look for damage to the insulators that hold the electrical wire to the fence posts. The wire may come into contact with the fence dropper and complete the circuit if there are damaged insulators. Replace any damaged parts as necessary.
Make sure the wires on your electric fence are tight.
Electric fence wires should be appropriately tensioned so they don’t come into contact with the ground or one another. In the event that you must tighten them, exercise caution to avoid damaging the wire by over-tightening. Just tighten them until the wire is no longer slack.
The backup battery
Make sure that the backup battery in the energizer is functioning on a regular basis. Taking this action is crucial to keeping the electric fence on during blackouts.
That’s all there is to it; maintaining an electric fence is easy and will protect your family and property.
Visit Metocus for all of your electric fence installation in Kenya questions and home security needs. Get us online at electric fence maintenance near Nairobi.