Compared to installing almost any sort of barrier fence, installation of an electric horse fence is easy. Even so, various points about installation are worth considering. The following account does not give guidance about the sort of electric horse fence to select (see Fence Options), the nature of electric horse fence components (see Fence Parts), or specific electric horse fence products offered on this website (see Products). However, for those who are new to electric horse fencing, it does provide a look at a number of fundamental points relating to installation–starting with electric fence chargers and proceeding from there to posts, insulators, conductors, ground rods, and other items.
Installing Electric Fence Chargers
There’s not much to installing electric fence chargers. They generally come in tough cases (all the Parmak chargers come in cases that have a lifetime guarantee against rust). Even so, AC-powered electric fence chargers are designed for indoor installation near an AC outlet. If your AC outlet happens to be outdoors, it’s a good idea to provide the charger with shelter against rain and snow–partly because it is worth keeping electric terminals dry and partly because this protection guards against the possibility of moisture getting inside the charger’s case.
Another point relating to AC-powered electric fence chargers is this: Since they are usually installed indoors (near an AC outlet), one needs to attach them to a special insulated wire capable of containing high voltages (see hookup wire), and this insulated wire needs a way to get out to the fence. The wrong way to do this is to put the wire through a window or door opening, where repeated opening and closing of the door or window is likely to crack the insulation. A better way is to drill a small hole about the thickness of a pencil through a wall, window frame, or door frame. This step is a little more drastic than using an existing window or door opening, but it works.
Regarding battery-powered and solar-powered chargers, these are typically installed right next to the fence or are actually mounted on the fence (the installer needs to provide the mounting arrangements). In that case it may be possible to connect the charger’s positive terminal to the fence with a charger-to-fence connector (see products 02-87, 02-87A, and 02-88A) or with ordinary electric fence wire, avoiding the need for undergate and hookup wire. However, solar-powered chargers need to be positioned so as to give their panels good sun exposure, and that sometimes means they should be placed at a little distance from the fence line and should be connected to the fence with undergate and hookup wire.
