Horizontal stay

Suitable for field gate, high-tension strainer.

Very simple to erect and most suitable as a high tension strainer, excellent in areas where the soil gets very wet or where heavy frost occurs.

Installing and testing an earth system

Select a suitable site for the earth system. Sites need to be:

•At least 10 m (33') from other earth systems (e.g. telephone, mains power or the earth system of another energizer).

•Away from stock or other traffic that could interfere with the installation.
•At a site that can be easily observed for maintenance.

•Ideally at a site that has damp soil (e.g. a shaded or swampy location). Note that the earth does not need to be directly adjacent to the energizer installation.

Drive the required number of earth rods into the ground. Use high-voltage, insulated cable and earth clamps to continuously connect the earth rods and the energizer's Fence earth terminal. Make sure the insulation is stripped back to ensure good contact between the wire and the earth rod. The table below specifies the minimum number of 2 m (6'6") earth rods recommended for an earthing system:

Energizer

 

Earth rods

1 J model

1

2 J model

2

3 J model

3

Test the earth system, using the following procedure:
1Turn off the energizer.

2At least 100 m (330') away from the energizer, short circuit the fence by laying several steel rods or lengths of pipe against the fence. For best results, the fence voltage should be lowered to 2000 V or less. In dry or sandy conditions, it may be necessary to drive the rods up to 300 mm (12") into the earth. Note: It is not acceptable to short-circuit a fence return system to the earth wire of the fence.

3Turn the energizer back on.

8

4Using a voltmeter, ensure that the fence voltage is below 2 kV.

5Check your earth system. Insert the voltmeter's earth probe into the ground at the full extent of the lead, and clip the other lead to the last earth rod. The voltmeter should not read more than 0.3 kV. Anything higher than this indicates that better earthing is required. Either add more earth rods or find a better ground area to drive in the earth rods.

Note: When earthing energizers located in dairies, earth at least 20 m (65') away from the dairy using double- insulated wire to avoid touching the dairy building or equipment.

Temporary electric fencing

A temporary fence can be quickly erected and easily moved allowing the farmer to:

•Make smaller paddocks (fields)
•Keep herds of animals separated
•Ration feed

Note: Use more wires for smaller animals and wild animals. Politape should be used when greater visibility is required (e.g. horses).

An example of a temporary fence is shown below.