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Catalog > Electric Fence Chargers > Accessories Lightning Chokes, Diverters, and Guards
Lightning poses a threat to electric fence chargers because the spread-out fence wires are vulnerable to lightning strikes, and a struck wire is likely to conduct a huge jolt of electricity right into the charger, where a good deal of it may pass through before blowing the fuse and may damage delicate charger mechanisms. Three types of devices can help counter this problem. Lightning chokes send the huge charge through parallel runs of wire or some other conducter where it generates magnetic fields that interfere with its own passage. Lightning diverters, which require a separate ground rod, offer the charge an easier passage to the ground than that afforded by the charger and its connections. And so-called storm guards, which attach to the charger’s positive and ground terminals, do much the same thing closer in–by offering the charge an easy passage to the ground that does not require passing through the charger’s circuits. Obviously, none of these devices will protect the charger from a direct lightning strike, but all will markedly diminish the lightning problem. Surge Protector, Fused Plug, and Fuses An AC-powered electric fence charger can be damaged by power surges coming in through ordinary house current and its electric cord. Like other electrical appliances, it can be protected against such surges by means of fuses (which limit severe overloads) and by surge suppressors (which limit minor surges). These devices will not necessarily defend against the sharp, powerful surge that sometimes follows a nearby lightning strike. However, they can significantly increase a charger’s life-span by limiting lesser problems. The fuse-holding plug below (product 01-21) provides added protection against power overloads–not just for electric fence chargers but for any household appliance–while the fuses (product 01-20) serve to stock the plug (which takes two fuses) and also to replace any burnt-out fuses in the charger. Zareba’s UL listed surge suppressor (product 01-36) comes with an indicator light and provides affordable protection for chargers and other electrical appliances against AC power surges of up to 6,000 volts.
Battery Clip If one uses a wet cell like a marine or car battery (marine batteries work better) to power a fence charger, connecting the charger to the posts on the wet cell can pose a minor problem. Zareba’s battery clips (which come two to a pack, and which can easily be connected to electric fence hookup wire) are designed to cope with this. Electric Fence Hookup Wire and Insulator Tubing Insulated hookup wire (referred to elsewhere as “undergate and hookup wire” is essential for connecting an AC-powered charger to the active wire on an electric fence–whether the electric fence is nearby or as much as 500 feet away. Running ordinary house current (110 volts) through an outside extension cord or other wires is dangerous, which is why building codes demand that such outside wires be placed three feet underground in a protected conduit. In contrast, for most purposes the output from a low impedance electric fence charger is safe, so it makes sense to place the charger in a sheltered spot close to the AC outlet and to run the charger’s output through an electric cord to the fence. Unfortunately, an ordinary outdoor house current cord won’t serve this purpose because it is not sufficiently insulated. In the world of electricity volts are equivalent to pressure, and fence chargers put out very high voltage–which gives them their shocking power. An ordinary insulated outdoor house current wire is designed to contain 110 volts, not the 5,000 to 10,000 volts produced by most electric fence chargers. Therefore, one must use a special wire for this job. The highly insulated wires listed below are all designed to contain a minimum of 20,000 volts. Besides serving to connect the charger to the electric fence, these “undergate and hookup wires” are commonly strung under electric fence gates to ensure that all sections of the electric fence are charged whether or not one or more gates are open. They are also useful for connecting multiple fences (which permits one to run two or more separate fences off a single charger) and for making a multitude of other minor corner and gate connections. The wire offered below has plenty of UV protection to be left above ground, but it is a good idea to bury it an inch or so below ground in order to get it out of the way of feet, lawnmowers, cars, trucks, and livestock. It is also advisable to run it through a pipe (taking care to ensure that water cannot gather in the pipe), especially in areas where heavy automated or foot traffic might break the insulation. Even though copper conducts better that most other metals, all of the hookup wires below provide sufficient conductance to power an electric fence, so for most purposes the gauge of the wire and its metallic content make no major difference. The main difference in the wires below is length. Another significant feature is stranding (see product 02-33), because stranded wire is a good deal easier to work into firm electrical connections than is solid (unstranded) wire. The insulator tubing offered below (products 02-85 and 02-86) is essentially hookup wire insulation without the wire. String a wire of your choice through it and use the combined wire and tubing for any purpose that would otherwise be served by ordinary undergate and hookup wire. |
