Reconnecting an earth wire to an electric fence solar energiser?

[santas_spotty_pony]

Our perimeter fence (6ft deer fencing) has a strip of electric wire across the top but unfortunately it’s not working as the earth wire has snapped, presumably been caught up when the field was topped in the summer. I’ll take a photo if I get a chance tomorrow to be able to explain it better but it’s run off a solar panel so doesn’t have a battery… any ideas how I can reattach it? I’m no electrician but willing to have a go!

 

[meleeka]

Has it broken in the actual unit or just the wire snapped? If it’s in the unit I’d carefully unscrew the box and see how it’s connected and try and replace. If it’s the wire you can just get connectors to rejoin.

A photo would be good to see what you are dealing with.

 

[Lady Jane]

Agree with @meleeka a picture would help

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

Thank you both. So this is the wire. I can see that the electrical box could be unscrewed where the nut and bolt is, I’m guessing I need to open that and reassess. Perhaps I just need to reattach the wire inside somehow?!

 

[meleeka]

Thank you both. So this is the wire. I can see that the electrical box could be unscrewed where the nut and bolt is, I’m guessing I need to open that and reassess. Perhaps I just need to reattach the wire inside somehow?!

There’s no photo

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

I have more but it just keeps saying file is too large

 

[Nasicus]

Hard to tell as photo is small, but I suspect if you undid the bolt (which just holds the wire connector in place), there would be a ring connector underneath that slides off. That would have been attached to the end of the wire.
If you strip some of the wire coating back like 1cm or so, you should be able to reconnect the end of the wire to the ring connector (If needed, buy new ring connectors and use a crimping tool), slide it back on and do the bolt back up again.

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

So I’ve got the wire back on aaaanndd - it’s still not working

The energiser switches on and you can hear it ticking so it can’t be a fuse or the battery… there are no breaks in the wire and I have cut back all of the weeds and hedge that we’re touching it. Really not sure what else is could be at this point..?!

 

[blitznbobs]

So I’ve got the wire back on aaaanndd - it’s still not working

The energiser switches on and you can hear it ticking so it can’t be a fuse or the battery… there are no breaks in the wire and I have cut back all of the weeds and hedge that we’re touching it. Really not sure what else is could be at this point..?!

What is the earth wire connected to at the other end? New earth wires are available to buy and are not expensive but the earth rod needs to be deep in the ground. Is yours?

 

[cauda equina]

It looks as if there's a lot of earth stake out of the ground - can you knock it in as far as it will go?
And try pouring a few buckets of water over it, earths work better in wet ground

 

[PeterNatt]

Please show a picture of the energiser and all the electrical terminals.

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

Please show a picture of the energiser and all the electrical terminals.

Thank you Peter I will try and get one tomorrow.

It’s a Patura P35 solar energiser though.

The earth is attached the metal pole that the energiser is placed on, it was dug deep into the ground last February when it was put in (it’s a very long pole!) I can try putting water down but this particular field is very wet and with all the rain we’ve had the ground is sodden.

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

PeterNatt - sorry it has taken me so long but here are the photos. Front and back of the energiser which is mounted on a long metal rod which was placed very deep into the ground when it was put in nearly a year ago. The earth wire has snapped so intially thought that was the problem but it has been resplit and reconnected to the metal rod (as shown) the energiser is working as it pulses when switched on but there is no current going to the fence. Any ideas on what’s wrong with it? My guess is it’s still something to do with the earth?

 

[PeterNatt]

Check the integrity of each cable by putting a testmeter on to each end of the cable and testing the conectivity. Also check the output from the live cable. If both cables are o.k. then the energiser is faulty and you would be best buying a new one.

 

[meleeka]

Check the internal battery if you can. My friend lent me a 9v battery unit, along with new battery, straight out of the box. The light blinked but it didn’t work. It turned out to be the battery, which had been sitting in a cupboard for a year, so had gone flat over time.