How to test Your Electric Fence

As an animal owner, ensuring the safety of your livestock is a top priority. That’s why it’s essential to inspect your electric fence regularly to make sure it is functioning properly. Spring is an ideal time to carry out a full inspection and maintenance check, ensuring your fence is ready for the season. However, regular checks throughout the grazing season are just as important!

With proper care, a professionally installed electric fence can last 25–30 years. The key to this longevity? Routine inspections and minor maintenance when needed.

Follow our recommendations to extend the lifespan of your electric fence.

Regular Visual Inspection

We recommend walking along your fence regularly to check for any issues. Pay attention to the following:

Are the conductors (wires, ropes, or tapes) properly tensioned?

• Use a tensioner to tighten any sagging lines.

Are the fence posts intact and standing upright?

• Replace damaged posts and straighten any leaning ones.

Are the conductors in good condition?

• If not, install connectors or tensioners, or replace the damaged sections.

Are the connections between fence lines secure?

• Use wire clamps, rope connectors, or wide tape connection cables where needed.

Are the insulators intact?

• Replace any damaged insulators.
• If using XDI ring insulators, check the orange wear indicator to determine when they need replacing.

Are the fence gates working correctly?

• Ensure gate handles are functional and that conductors remain properly tensioned.

Maintenance: Checking the Fence Energiser and Grounding System

1. Check the Fence Energiser

To test whether your energiser is working correctly:

1. Turn off the energiser or disconnect it from the power source.
2. Disconnect the lead-out cable from the energiser (red terminal).
3. Turn the energiser back on.
4. Measure the output voltage using a digital voltmeter or a fault finder.

Is the voltage above 6 kV?
Yes: Your energiser is functioning correctly. Note the measured voltage for the next step. Then, turn the energiser off, reconnect the fence to the red terminal, and switch the energiser back on.
No: Your energiser may be faulty. Contact our customer service team to check if it can be repaired.

2. Check the Voltage on the Fence

1. Walk to the far end of the fence and measure the voltage on the conductors using a fault finder.
2. Compare this reading to the voltage at the energiser.

Is the difference greater than 1.5 kV?
Yes: Go back to the energiser and check the grounding system.
No: The voltage is fine, and the fence is functioning correctly.

3. Check the Grounding System

We recommend checking the grounding system regularly, even if there are no visible issues with the fence.

How to test the grounding system:

1. Create a short circuit on the fence
• About 100 metres from the grounding system, place a metal rod against the fence conductor.
2. Measure the fence voltage

Is the voltage below 1 kV?
Yes: Proceed to measure the voltage at the grounding rod.
No: Install additional grounding rods until the voltage drops below 1 kV.

1. Measure the voltage at the grounding rod

Is the voltage below 0.3 kV?
Yes: The grounding system is working correctly. Remove the metal rods from the fence to clear the short circuit.
No: Install additional grounding rods until the voltage drops below 0.3 kV, then remove the metal rods from the fence.

Helpful Tools for Fence Testing

For easy and efficient testing of your fence and grounding system, we recommend using our fence testers. With a simple step-by-step process, you can inspect your fence quickly without spending too much time on maintenance.