installing electric wire (not net) on wood fence, how to add ground wire

[gorhamg]

I saw this post and it was somewhat helpful
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ectric-fence-not-netting-around-current-fence

I have a 4 foot tall fence with pressure treated 4x4 posts, 6" board along the bottom, and two 6" boards along the top.

I plan to put a hot wire about 6" above ground level on 5" spacers. If I put a hot wire at the top I would also need a ground wire to give the shock.

My question: How would you recommend they be positioned at the top?

(I do have one chicken that is able to fly to the top and out - might have to clip her wings even though I prefer not to.)

I am trying to keep a fox, maybe raccoons too, out.

The next step will be to put wire mesh on the grass, half outside, half inside to prevent digging.

 

[numzldr]

How are you planning on making the wire Hot? You need an elec. fence controller and one wire from controller is hot the other wire goes to a ground rod. You wouldnt need insulators on 5" centers unless you meant 5' If you want both wires Hot just run an insulated jumper wire from bottom wire to top. Its grounded from the controller. Or ron insulators up a post at the end of ur run and continue the bottom wire up and around.

 

[gorhamg]

I have a solar 0.7 J "energizer" I guess it is called.

Can a shock be received if the animal touches the hot wire without also touching the ground(earth)? Do I need the animal to touch both the hot and ground wire to get the shock? If so, that is why I assumed I needed to have a hot and ground wire in close proximity to allow the critter to touch both to receive the shock.

Even though the fence posts are wood, non-conductive, the store guy recommended using the 5 inch plastic spacers to have the wire off the posts. (they didn't cost that much but they may make it easier to bump them and break them??) I was going to staple to the wood fence posts knowing the wire mesh fencing is attached to the opposite side of the post.

 

[123RedBeard]

Sounds like you have an exsisting wire mesh fence, with wooden posts ...

Your "energizer/charger" will have two terminals, the hot one you run a insulated wire to your hot wire(s), the ground wire (doesn't have to be insulated, can be buried to give a better ground/earthing) is attached to your ground rod(s) which is pounded into the earth ... You could either run another ground wire from the charger to the exsisting wire mesh fencing, or run a wire from the ground rod to the exsisting wire mesh fencing, or make sure the exsisting mesh fencing is making contact with the ground ... Same with the dog barrier ...

The idea is the critter will get shocked if climbing up the mesh fence, by being grounded from the exsisting wire mesh, and then touching the hot wire, that will complete the circuit, just like or actually probably better than if they were standing on the ground/earth!

 

[123RedBeard]

I have a 4 foot tall fence with pressure treated 4x4 posts, 6" board along the bottom, and two 6" boards along the top.

Just re-read first post ... I don't quite understand the bold quoted ... Do you mean you have 12" of wood horizontal on the top of the fence?

Could you post a picture?

If it is wood all along the top of the fence ... You could wrap the wood with wire mesh, and hook that to the other fence meshing which is ground like I wrote above ...

Wood is not the best insulator, and some grounding will still take place, the wetter it is, the better conductor it is ...

 

[numzldr]

I have a solar  0.7 J "energizer" I guess it is called.

Can a shock be received if the animal touches the hot wire without also touching the ground(earth)?  Do I need the animal to touch both the hot and ground wire to get the shock?  If so, that is why I assumed I needed to have a hot and ground wire in close proximity to allow the critter to touch both to receive the shock.

Even though the fence posts are wood, non-conductive, the store guy recommended using the 5 inch plastic spacers to have the wire off the posts. (they didn't cost that much but they may make it easier to bump them and break them??)  I was going to staple to the wood fence posts knowing the wire mesh fencing is attached to the opposite side of the post.

I misundstood the 5". I thought u wete putting insulators at 5" apart. I would not use long insulators. Ur right in they'll break easy. As long as the wire is taut n not sagging a 1-2" insulator would b better imo. Thete are plastpic insulators that will screw to wood that will work 4 for u. The animal gets shocked cuz IT is grounded (standing on the ground)n touches the hot wire completing the circuit. Sorry just reread n u know that. If ur worried about something missing the bottom hot n climbing than I see 2 ways. Run a few more hot wires at 3-4" intervals above the bottom 1 hoping to catch the critter still on the ground but reaching up or put a wire fence on the outside (same side as your elec.fence) n ground it. The critter touches the hot wire while being grounded thru the metal fence.

 

[gorhamg]

I like the idea of grounding the existing wire mesh fence... it is plastic coated, will that be a problem?

 

[numzldr]

Yes. The animal has to touch the metal and the plastic is insulating it.

 

[gorhamg]

You asked about the top boards...There is a pic in original post

 

[numzldr]

LOL I shoulda done that at first. I' m picturing board fence with wire. R u worried about coons climbing the fence? If the birds r locked up in the coop overnite they should be safe. A hot wire along the bottom should keep a fox from getting to close. In my experience they tend to dig right beside the fence to tunnel under