Pet safe invisible fence

[Daren Todd]

We have a houdini dog that doesn't know the meaning of a fence Around four years ago, we put in one of those invisble fences to keep the dogs in the yard. Fence has worked really well except for one issue. The contoller for the fence seems to be pretty sensitive to lightning. Came home from work a couple years ago and found the controller and transformer blown to bits Had to replace around 800ft of wire, plus the controller. Fast forward to tonight. We had a hellacious thunder storm come through. Heard lightening strike right behind the house. Immediately after the strike, I heard a pop out in the garage. The fence controller blew again. Boards burned up, but not as dramatic as the last time

Does anyone know of any way to make one these less susceptible to lightning?


Here's what we installed for the fence

http://www.lowes.com/pd_261200-538-HIF11-11052___?productId=1075061&pl=1&Ntt=petsafe+fence

 

[Russell King]

You should install a surge protection device (SPD) as the circuit breaker and another at the outlet where the controller is plugged into. These are not GFIC devices but sometimes there are both a GFIC and a SPD in the same device. See this link for probably more information than you want to read through.

http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/IEEE_Guide.pdf

One on circuit would probably be enough but two will give you a better sense of protection.

 

[ShaunBlake]

Good timing on your thread, DT! I've been using a SportDog collar on my labs (one has wanderlust worse than me!) but I'm going to have to put in an electronic fence.

What Russel said: get a device with surge protection, and spike protection, and plug your controller in it.

But doesn't your houndini know where the fence is after all these years? I'd think you could leave it off and he'd still avoid it.

 

[Daren Todd]

One leaves it alone and keeps it's distance. Battery hasn't been replaced in his collar in a couple years The other creeps up to it till the collar starts beeping and will test it daily to see if it's still working When his collar dies, he's out, nose to the ground hunting critters

 

[ShaunBlake]

One leaves it alone and keeps it's distance. Battery hasn't been replaced in his collar in a couple years The other creeps up to it till the collar starts beeping and will test it daily to see if it's still working When his collar dies, he's out, nose to the ground hunting critters

laughing... my runaway gurl is bad, and extremely clever, but not to the degree of creeping up on it. However, she knows the instant I fall asleep, go downstairs, or otherwise can't see her do something naughty, and bam!

I wish I could be furious, but she's so good at it that it's historical!

 

[D2Cat]

historical! or hystirical? Two totally different thoughts!

 

[Daren Todd]

Thanks guys, I'll swing by best buy when I go to town to get a new fence controller. Checked the board in the controller and it's toast. The fuse soldered to the board is popped and part of the board is fried. It actually looks like the lightening traveled in through the loop for the back yard. You can actually follow the path it took on the board. I really hope that I don't have to replace the ouside loop again That's a lot of digging

 

[Daren Todd]

laughing... my runaway gurl is bad, and extremely clever, but not to the degree of creeping up on it. However, she knows the instant I fall asleep, go downstairs, or otherwise can't see her do something naughty, and bam!

I wish I could be furious, but she's so good at it that it's historical!

Surprisingly, the jack russell that didn't know the meaning of a fence is the one that has the collar that doesn't work. He used to find all the weak spots. Once I got all the spots on the bottom fixed so he couldn't get out, The bugger started climbing the fence He would go get one of the neighbors and escort them to the gate to let him back in the yard before my wife and I got home so he wouldn't get in trouble He had a treat route worked out in the neighborhood too kept wondering why he started getting fatter and fatter shortly after we moved in. The dachshund respected the fence and didn't try to get out. Had to open a small section of fence for water drainage so he got a coller too since he can walk under that spot. He's the one that try's the collar

 

[coachgeo]

....I really hope that I don't have to replace the ouside loop again That's a lot of digging

They don't have to be buried. A 6" tall fence carrying the signal line alone (put flags on wire) will work. or put it along a Faux falling stone fence. A Split Rail fence could be done too.

Faux stone or rail fence would bit more expensive/time consuming than digging new trench but:

. you'll never have to dig a new one
. You would have more fun tractor activities to do as you build it
. the line would from that point forward be a snap to repair or replace.

 

[D2Cat]

Daren, you can cut a trench (slot) for the wire with a lawn edger.

 

[Tooljunkie]

tried the petsafe thing,traumatized my lab

 

[Daren Todd]

Daren, you can cut a trench (slot) for the wire with a lawn edger.

That's the best idea I've heard for that I'm mad at myself now since I didn't think of it and have run the wire twice They make an edger attachment for my weed eater. I'll pick one up when I get the controller. I have an extra roll of the wire in the garage from the last time it got cooked.
Gotta install one at my kids house after he closes on it in a couple weeks. Was planning on taking the tractor with the box blade over there and just drop one ripper and drive around the property since he doesn't have a fence . Was just gonna call dig safe and have the utilities marked so we know where we have to do it by hand.

 

[Daren Todd]

tried the petsafe thing,traumatized my lab

It took a week for the dogs to get used to it. The jack Russell went tearing towards the fence the first time, got popped and went about 3' straight into the air. Headed for the porch and wouldn't come back off it. Carried him around the perimeter. Then hooked his leash to him and walked the perimeter a couple times with him and after that he was fine. He was a little skittish for a couple days. It was the same for our dachshund also. I had to chase him down the first time in the collar to get him away from the fence. Let him settle down for a couple hours, hooked his leash and walked the perimeter a couple times and he was fine also. He adapted to the collar faster and was back to normal with it within 24 hours. I shocked myself with the collar first on the inside of my wrist before putting them on the dogs to see how it would feel. Suprised the hell out of me, but didn't hurt Tried it on the wife too I wouldn't reccomend doing that one though She knocked the living snot out of me

 

[Pepsiboy]

We have a houdini dog that doesn't know the meaning of a fence Around four years ago, we put in one of those invisble fences to keep the dogs in the yard. Fence has worked really well except for one issue. The contoller for the fence seems to be pretty sensitive to lightning. Came home from work a couple years ago and found the controller and transformer blown to bits Had to replace around 800ft of wire, plus the controller. Fast forward to tonight. We had a hellacious thunder storm come through. Heard lightening strike right behind the house. Immediately after the strike, I heard a pop out in the garage. The fence controller blew again. Boards burned up, but not as dramatic as the last time

Does anyone know of any way to make one these less susceptible to lightning?


Here's what we installed for the fence

http://www.lowes.com/pd_261200-538-HIF11-11052___?productId=1075061&pl=1&Ntt=petsafe+fence

Darren,

We have that same system for our dogs up here in Missouri. have had it for about 10 years. had the same trouble with lightning, too. Fixed it with the serge protector from Pet Safe. No more blown boards on the unit. We have our wire about 2 inches in the ground (Put there with a square spade making a slot in the ground) around our 1 1/2 acre back yard. ALL of our dogs learned real fast where the wire was buried. We wouldn't have anything else for this and our dogs.

Dave

 

[Daren Todd]

Dave, where did you get the surge protector? Did you have to order it or is it something they carry at lowes? Does it hook to the line loop or the outlet?

 

[coachgeo]

tried the petsafe thing,traumatized my lab

My lab would just run thru it at full speed, Yelp on the way by it. Then wonder on his joyous way around where ever he pleased.

 

[D2Cat]

Daren, get that pup out of your lap and read the thread, "Fixed it with the serge protector from Pet Safe."

 

[bxray]

Hi Daren,

A surge breaker and outlet will help when the lightning hits the pole and travels to the unit.

The fence loop antenna is a lighting rod on itself and can sent it back to the unit.

You will need a device to catch the lightning strike from the wire before it hits the unit. ( see link).
This connects between the wire antenna and the unit.
It will not protect the wire.

I would put this on a dedicated outlet, not use the plug and put in a ground rod on the outlet to try and route the energy away.


I had a neighbor that had two dogs. One would heed the fence.
the other found out that if he ran fast he can get to the other side of the pain. you can watch him run, roll over and yelp to the other side. Get back ip and strut away!


Ray


http://www.petstuffwarehouse.com/lightningprotection.aspx

 

[Daren Todd]

I was able to find the surge protector at lowes. They don't sell it separately at lowes, but comes in the 5 acre kit. Can't buy just the contoller either in town. But in my case I needed the controller too, and I'll put the wire on the shelf in the garage if I don't end up using it. Kids installing one soon so he won't have to buy the extra wire, and will have an extra collar if needed A quick google search showed it from $25 to $40 for just the surge protector by mail.

 

[sheepfarmer]

The wire from the electric fence, if it doesn't actually act as an antenna to attract lightning, at least conducts it well into your household circuits. I unplug the fence charger and my cable modem from the computer when it is storming. A surge protector will only protect from current coming in via the power cord.

I saw lightning hit a tree out in the pasture, the current jumped to a woven wire fence, followed around to the shed where there is a charger and the fuse panel for the barns, jumped into that set of wires, followed it up to the house where it was close enough to the cable and came into the house on that wire. I lost the fence charger, and the cable modem.

The ground for the fence charger, a pipe 3 or 4 feet in the ground, is supposed to prevent that happening when the lightning hits the fence, but it doesn't always.

Another strike that I was home for hit an oak that was way too close to the house (now gone), jumped to the eavestrough and welded it, followed the eavestrough around the house and jumped into the house to some kitchen light wiring and the rest of the wiring. I lost the kitchen lights and a little clock radio tv in the bedroom. And I was standing in the living room, glad I wasn't washing dishes

Bottom line, the best you can do is detach your underground wiring from the control box and the box from the wall, and have everything on surge protectors. But the charge will jump feet if it takes a mind to.