Best electric fence testers

Lady Jane

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Firstly, please don't recommend a blade of grass! Or even worse my hand! I have one that you put the probe on the ground, hook the other end on the fence and in theory see the voltage by how high the lights flash. Its really difficult to see the lights and today I can't see any lights so I think its not working. I did use grass and could feel the current but don't think its strong enough.

There are loads of devices on the market and I like the look of one that gives the reading in a digital display in numbers. Some have an arrow that shows the direction of the power loss along the fence but are very pricey.

What do you all use these days?
 

LEC

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Small children - preferably not your own. They give very quick feedback and you will get a clear idea of strength based on the feedback. Relatively easy to get hold of as well. Though supply will dwindle if regular testing takes place. Best to be sporadic to keep a good supply.
 

oldie48

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Little Fatty the sect A was brilliant at it, he could not only tell if the electric was on, he could also estimate the strength and where the best place to break through was and he was quick! Seriously, I've only ever used a long piece of grass but OH uses an electrical tester, sorry I don't know which.
 

ycbm

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Small children - preferably not your own. They give very quick feedback and you will get a clear idea of strength based on the feedback. Relatively easy to get hold of as well. Though supply will dwindle if regular testing takes place. Best to be sporadic to keep a good supply.

???
 

Leam_Carrie

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I seem to use myself fairly often by accidentally touching the fence.

I have one of those fence testers you describe, a probe goes in the ground and it tells me how many volts. It seems to work fine.

My horse and pony are also good judges!!
 

Lady Jane

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Small children - preferably not your own. They give very quick feedback and you will get a clear idea of strength based on the feedback. Relatively easy to get hold of as well. Though supply will dwindle if regular testing takes place. Best to be sporadic to keep a good supply.

@LEC Great answer- I'm allergic to small children though so not many around here!
 

Lady Jane

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Update: My OH insisted that I was doing something wrong so we went out as the sun went down. The tester is working and the current out the energiser is 6000V. Its still losing voltage but going down to 2000v at worst and I think a length of electric fence is very old and may have breaks in the individual wires so I think we will replace that whole length next. Will obviously check for something touching the fence but we ran out of light. So crisis over. I think I will get a tester that shows a digital number in sunlight - unless someone can suggest better than small children. Not keen on leaving it to horses as they may not tell me, they have not much desire to investigate the fences in summer fields. So tomorrow's field change can go ahead!
 

phizz4

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Small children - preferably not your own. They give very quick feedback and you will get a clear idea of strength based on the feedback. Relatively easy to get hold of as well. Though supply will dwindle if regular testing takes place. Best to be sporadic to keep a good supply.
Absolutely made my day, brilliant answer.
 
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