EARTHING YOUR ENERGISER
Why earthing is important      Earthing site      Types of earth system      Testing your earth system

  WHY EARTHING IS IMPORTANT

• Lack of adequate earthing is one of the most common causes of poor performance of electric fences.
• A correctly installed earthing system is essential.
• The earth stakes form part of the total electrical circuit which begins at the LIVE 'fence' terminal on the energiser, follows the lead-out, then continues along the fence, through the animal, into the soil and back to the earth stakes and returns to the energiser.
• The circuit back to the earth terminal is completed by the stake and the wire connecting it to the energiser.
• If any part of this circuit is broken, no current will flow and the animal will not receive a stock.
• Most difficulties occur from the contact between the soil and the stake.
• If this is poor, as it often is, the flow of electricity is restricted.
• This is the same as saying that there is a very high resistance between the stake and the soil.
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  EARTHING SITE
  
• Select an earthing site that is regularly moist, at least 10 metres [33ft] away from:
  an earth stake for another electrical system
• any telephone earth stake
• any plumbing system including any disused system
• any building using structural or reinforcing metal in contact with the ground.
• Finding moist ground may require siting of the earth system some distance away from the energiser.
• SPECIAL NOTE : Regulations prohibit the connection of two or more energisers to the same electric fence.
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  TESTING YOUR EARTH SYSTEM
  
• To test the effectiveness of the earth, create a dead short on the fence line at least 100m [330ft] from the earth stakes.
• Using an electric fence voltmeter at the earthing site, place one terminal on the earth wire, extend the probe as far away from an earth stake as possible and push into the ground.
• If a voltage reading in excess of 400 volts is obtained, the earthing system is inadequate and more earth stakes will need to be installed.
• If after the installation of 12 earth stakes the earth voltage still exceeds 400 volts, extend the earth wire to continue as a bottom wire along the fence line until a more wet area or greater conductive type of ground is encountered.
• Install more earth stakes in this new area and join them to the extended earth wire
• Some energisers indicate inadequate earthing by a flashing warning lamp.
• If using another type of energiser, test the earth voltage regularly so that changes may be observed and steps taken to correct any voltage variations.
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