COMPONENTS
FENCE CHARGER FAQs
FENCE POST FAQs
INSULATOR FAQs
FENCE WIRE FAQs
GROUNDING FAQs
GATE HANDLE FAQs Answers to the FAQs FENCE CHARGER FAQs
Q: What is an energizer? A: Often called "Chargers" or "Fencers", the purpose of an energizer is to convert t electrical input from a dangerous charge to an effective and safe electrical charge. The energizer, or charger, lowers Amps and increases volts.
Q: Which energizer or charger should I use? A: There are three questions to ask before this question can be
answered: -
What power source do I have? If you can use AC (regular outlet) power, that would be preferred. Other options include DC (Battery powered) or Solar power. -
What is the perimeter distance? Each Fi-Shock charger has clearly marked on it the range of wire that it will charge. Remember that the range is for one strand of wire, so if multiple strands are being charged then more power is needed. -
What animals are being contained or repelled? Dogs, cats, raccoons etc, are very sensitive to electrical charges and thus need a smaller charger. Predator control as well as sheep and large livestock need more power to help in the training process.
Q: Do I need to protect the charger from the weather?
A: Yes. Follow the instruction on each charger. Solar units obviously need direct sun light and need to face the sun for best results.
Q: What battery should I use for my DC charger? A: You need to make sure you put the right voltage battery on the charger. A charger that needs a 4 volt battery can not manage a 6 or 12 volt battery unless specified by the manufacturer. Fi-Shock™ recommends using marine deep cycle batteries for best results.
Q: How often do I need to charge the battery? A: It depends. Each electric fence charger is different. How often a battery needs to be charged depends mainly on how often the circuit is completed. In other words, if there are a lot of weeds, grass or branches touching the hot wires, then the battery will be drained faster. In addition, any animals that touch the fence will drain the battery quickly. This means that while the animals are learning the fence, the battery will be draining faster.
Q: If weeds interfere with the area I am enclosing, do I need
a special charger?
A: You should keep your fence line clear of weeds to insure best performance from your electric fencing system. Where this is just not possible we recommend using a Low-Impedance Energizer rated at 2 Joules or more.
Q: I want to fence off some areas on my farm temporarily for
grazing purposes. Do you have any suggestions for the
charger?
A: Intermittent chargers are preferred over a continuous charger. Costs will go up slightly but intermittent chargers use less energy and they are safer for the animal. Either will work, however.
FENCE POST FAQs
Q: How deep should I put the wood posts?
A: In sandy or rocky soil the posts need to be deeper than in clay or dirt. Also, the amount of tension on the wire at the corner will determine the depth as well. Another factor is if the corner posts have brace posts to support them. A depth of 3-4 feet will usually work.
Q: Can I make a fence for my garden using just step-in posts? A: The corner posts take on the most tension and even the smallest areas pull the corners in. In very small areas, a step-in post will work; however, in most areas a T-Post or a wood post will be needed for a garden.
Q: How do I drive a T-Post into the ground?
A: Some people use a large hammer, but this is challenging and not recommended. You can purchase a "post pounder" from the same source you buy your electric fence supplies. A heavy pipe with a closed end can work also.
Q: Which post is more durable, T-posts or Step-In Posts? A: T-Posts are made of recycled train tracks and are designed to be used in permanent fencing. Step-in posts are designed for temporary fencing. Although the Fi-Shock™ Step-in post is made from a specially blended polypropylene that will endure all weather types, they are still designed for temporary fencing projects.
Q: If I want to section-off an area on my farm for short-term
grazing, which post is best to use?
A: The Step-in post (Fi-Shock™ offers two: A-48 in white and the A-48B in black.
Q: How did T-posts get their name? They don’t look like a “T”. A: If you look at the top or the bottom of the post you can actually see the shape of the “T”. The “U” posts look like the letter “U” from the top or the bottom but the “U” posts are not as strong as the “T” post.
INSULATOR FAQs
Q: Which insulator should I use?
A: It depends on a few key things. What type of post would be the first question, wood post vs. T-posts? Next is what kind of wire is being used, steel, polytape or polyrope? Another thing to consider is the number of corners and end posts you will be using since they take more tension and need to be stronger.
Q: Why do I need to use an insulator for my electric fence?
A: The electric fence insulator keeps the charged wire from grounding out on the post or other grounded wire. If a “hot” wire touches a post or ground wire, there will be a short in the line and the fence may not be charged, then the animal will not feel the shock.
Q: Why are there both porcelain insulators and plastic
insulators? Is one better?
A: Both porcelain insulators and plastic insulators will keep the charged wire from grounding out on the post or other grounded wire. Porcelain insulators are used for standard electric fence systems and for high tensile fence systems. They are usually more expensive than plastic insulators. Plastic insulators are generally used for standard electric fence systems only, unless otherwise designated for a high tensile fence.
Q: Will the plastic insulators withstand bitter cold
temperatures? What about porcelain?
A: Both types of electric fence insulators can withstand bitterly cold weather. Porcelain insulators will last long but will cost more.
FENCE WIRE FAQs
Q: Which wire is more durable for use with horses: polytape,
polyrope or polywire? Which do you recommend?
A: Most people use the Polytape with horses because horse can see the tape better then wire of rope. The number of connectors (wire that is woven into the poly) will determine how long the tape/wire/rope will last and how much pressure can be put on the electric fence. Polyrope is thicker so it will usually last longer. The benefit of polywire over steel wire is that it can be spooled back up to relocate the fence. Spooling steel wire is almost impossible.
Q: Why should I use high-tensile wire instead of just aluminum
wire? Isn’t aluminum wire really sturdy?
A: High tensile wire is designed to function in two ways: -
It can carry a shock and thus is a physiological barrier -
It is strong enough to stop the biggest bull (when installed properly) from running through the fence so it also functions as a physical barrier.
Aluminum carries an electrical charge about 4 times better than galvanized steel wire, however, when there is tension applied to the aluminum wire it can slowly stretch over time. Fi-Shock offers a high-tensile wire that has been dipped in alumin um so it has the strength of High-Tensile but the electrical charge of aluminum.
Q: What does “galvanized” mean in the term “galvanized steel
wire”? A: Galvanized steel wire is designed to prevent rusting and is a very
shiny silver in color. It is an extremely versatile wire, used by
landscapers, craft makers, ribbon manufacturers, tag manufacturers,
jewelers, contractors, etc. It's aversion to rust makes it extremely
useful around the stockyard, in the backyard, or anywhere else.
GROUNDING FAQs
Q: How do I drive the grounding rod into the earth? A: Using a hammer to drive a 6-8 foot grounding rod into the earth would take a long time and could be very painful. The same store that suppplied your electric fence products should also have a post pounder that would make installing a grounding rod much easier.
Q: Can I just twist a wire around a T-post to use as a grounding
rod?
A: If that provides enough of a ground to complete the circuit all the way to the end of the fence, then yes that could work. Remember that as the earth dries or freezes, the ability to complete the circuit becomes more difficult. As a result, the circuit can be completed on the day you install the electric fence, but over time, the changing earth may stop it from working.
Q: Will electric fencing interfere with my power lines or phone
lines in the ground?
A: An electric fence system should not cause a problem to power or phone lines. To insure that there is not a problem, locate the grounding system for the fence charger at least 50 feet away from the phone's grounding system as well as any underground phone or power lines.
Q: Is there a way to check if my electric fence is properly
grounded without shocking myself?
A: There are electric fence testers that serve this purpose: Fi-Shock™ offers three different testers with varying sensitivities and information provided. 
The basic tester has one light that will light if the wire is charged. This charge occurs when one end touches the “hot” wire and the other end is placed in the dirt. 
The next level of tester is the that has 5 lights: when touching the wire and the earth, the more that light up, the more volts are in the wire. 
The premium tester is a digital volt meter which has a display that indicates the number of volts in the wire.
Q: The soil here tends to be fairly sandy. How many grounding
rods should I use for my 30’ by 30’garden? I’m trying to keep
the rabbits and squirrels out of my vegetables!
A: Small areas like that even in sandy soil will probably be fine with one grounding rod. Note: Rabbits can be hard to keep out (or in) because they can run fast so by the time the feel the shock they may already be through. Rabbits can also jump over low fences. Multiple low wires and a few higher wire will work with enough charge. GATE HANDLE FAQs
Q: What’s the main difference in use between a rubber and
plastic gate handle?
A: Plastic gate handles are the least expensive. As a result, plastic gate handles are more likely to break during cold weather or when stepped on or run over. Rubber handles will last longer and endure more contact stress. Heavy duty plastic gate handles will last many years in any weather.
Q: If I have six wires in my electric fence, does that mean I will
be needing to purchase six gate handles at each gate in my
fence?
A: Yes. If you plan to easily walk of drive through a gate in the electric fence you will need to open all strands of wire. If you are running a double wire system, meaning some strands are “hot” while other strands are grounded, then you can touch the grounded wire with no risk of being shocked.
Q: I see gate handles are usually in bright colors – is that to
make it easier for humans to see or does that have something
to do with UV protection?
A: The color is in place to help people see them. UV protection is added to all gate handles. The plastic or rubber of the handle affect the life span of the handle.
Fi-Shock™ electric fence systems provide safe, secure, superior quality electric fencing for all your animal containment and control needs. 
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