All About Fence Chargers

Charger Placement Tips

Your charger should be installed in a clean, sheltered location away from direct moisture and sunlight (with the exception of solar powered chargers). It also needs to be accessible to a separate ground rod system from a home or barn.

If you're using an AC charger, the location should be as close to the power source and the electric fence as possible. Even though the charger's enclosure is basically weatherproof, it is advisable to install it indoors or in weatherproof housing.

Be sure to install porcelain tube-type insulators (or equivalent) in the walls of buildings or housings where the fence wires feed through.

Never allow the fence wires to come into contact with objects which may conduct the electric "charge" to ground.

Frequently inspect the area where the charger is installed and maintain it as a clean and dry environment.

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Proper Grounding

Over 90% of the time when an electric fence is not working it is because the system has not been grounded correctly. The charger, or energizer, is designed to alter the electric charge into a power that is safe for animals and people.

When an animal that is touching "ground earth" also touches the charged electric fence, the animal is completing the circuit and will feel the static charge. Birds landing on the wire will not be harmed -- they are not completing the circuit since they are not touching the ground while they are on the wire.

When installing an electric fence system, people often make the mistake of connecting the wire to both terminals of the charger. They connect the fence to one of the terminals on the charger, run the wire along the length of the fence, then connect the other end of the wire to the other terminal. This would be like putting a fork into both holes of an outlet in your home! It would blow fuses/circut breakers and potentially destroy the charger.

Follow the instructions -- they will guide you through the process. One terminal will connect to the fence while the other will connect to the ground wire.

Chargers are electrified and should only be opened by experts.

Never open a charger that is carrying a charge

Many chargers must be protected from the weather.  Follow the instructions carefully for each fence charger.

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There is a Zareba® charger to meet your needs whether it's to protect a small garden area from the neighbor's dog or to fence in bulls with 150 miles of electric fence. We have Solar powered, DC powered or AC powered electric fence chargers.