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Troubleshooting Invisible Fence (24 replies)
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Last summer, I installed an invisible fence to keep my dogs out of the perennial beds that are next to my property fence. To make it easier on myself, I mostly fastened the wire to the fence, weaving it in and out of the pickets for security. Only the first section, along the west side of the property was buried. In the process, I found out my puppy likes to chew copper wire. Needless to say, this greatly complicated the laying of the fence, which was too big a job to be done in one day, especially if I was going to bury it. The main reason I chose the quick route of weaving it through the pickets was my young bitch's delight in chewing on the wire. I had to get it up and working ASAP, before I ran out of wire AND patience!
I didn't need the fence during the winter, so I turned it off, and stopped using the collars. Today I finally found the time to inspect the fence, and try to get it running again.
I can't get it working. The section that seems to have been damaged is, of course, the one section that was buried. The dogs UNburied it, and chewed it up. I repaired the only break I could find, but still, it's not working.
So, a couple of questions: how long does the underground wire last? Have any of you strung the wire out in the open the way I did, and did this affect its lifespan? Ever had trouble with those orange connectors with the gel inside them?
I also used another type of connector on the fence, as I found to order more of the orange ones would cost over $100 in shipping fees, despite the small size of the shipment! They are the type used for telephone wire. They are small and round with a red button on top, that you depress with the pliers to lock the wires inside the connector. Is anyone familiar with these connectors? How weatherproof are they?
And does anyone have some of the orange connectors they could spare me? I'll gladly pay expenses, of course!
Now, excuse me, I have several major excavations to fill in, then I have to vacuum the mud and hair off the floor for the 3rd time this week....
Maybe I'll just sod the whole damn yard.... It's this time of year when outdoor kennels start to sound like a really, really good idea! |
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My Invisible Fence was installed in 94. Had it professionally installed which is what I always suggest. Some of the wire is on top of the ground, it shouldn't make any difference. I've have a few breaks, none for 4 or 5 years, most were my fault for cutting it with an edger. I call the IF people and they come out with their equipment, find it and fix it ASAP. If I know where I cut it, I fix it myself and wrap it with tape and coat it with a waterproof substance made just for that purpose. I have no connectors, the wire is continuous. If you're using them to splice the wire together, you might not need them. Just peel of the insulation and twist both ends of the wire together and do the above.
Sounds like you have a break somewhere and you might have to hire someone to find it if you can't figure it out yourself. An electrican might be able to help since the wire is all above ground. Never install an underground fence yourself - it will cost you more in the long run  . |
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Well, the wire WOULD have been continuous, if it hadn't been for a certain puppy that seems to like the taste of copper!
I have a friend whose husband is an engineer with an elevator company. I may ask him to come and help. If that fails, I guess I'll have to call Innotek, and pay for a service call. |
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Sunsilver,
You can buy the connectors at any electrical supply house and they are not that expensive. The wire is like an antenna to transmit a signal to the collar, any similar wire would probably do the same job. The wire is safer in the ground as you have already discovered. It should last a very long time. |
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You have at least one break in the outside antenna wire. This wire needs to be connected in a continuous loop to and from the transmitter box, connected at two terminals, one wire to each terminal.
The solution is to buy or rent a signal generator/receiver kit. Then you disconnect both wires at the fence signal generator box at their terminals and hook up the signal generator to one of the wires and turn it on. Most signal generator/receiver kits are battery powered.
Then when you place the receiver above the wire you connected the signal generator to, it will beep louder the closer you get to the wire. Follow the wire from the box outward until the beeping stops. Then dig up the wire at that point until you find the break, being careful not to pull the wire and create another break in doing so.
Splice or reconnect the break in the wire using an insulated connector and then rebury it. Resume tracing the wire and dig again if the beeping stops. When you are able to trace the wire with beeping all the way back to the end of the other side of the wire you disconnected from the boxes other terminal, then the job is done.
Some Home Depots and Lowells sell signal generator/receiver kits. Otherwise try Grainger or maybee see if you can rent one. Never connect a signal generator to any live AC wire, but only one that is disconnected and unenergized. Signal generator and reeiver kits are useful for tracing broken wires inside walls to or finding circuits. If you are going to have an invidiable fence system it is always nice to have a signal generator/receiver kit for any problems that develop and it wuill pay for itself over time. |
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How much do they cost, Preston? |
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Maren,
Why not simply replace all the wire.....may be easier than renting or buying equipment you do not know how to use etc. As for the general concept, though you did not ask, I am totally opposed to such fencing. They are headaches, and worse yet, do not often do the job and one finds that out all too often the hard way.
Good luck. |
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Hodie, Preston, as much as I respect you both, it would be nice if people would take the time to read my original post. I DO NOT AND WOULD NEVER rely on this type of fencing to keep my dogs confined, as it is just not safe. It may keep them in, but would not keep other dogs out. The sole purpose of the fence is to keep them from digging in my flower beds, which parallel the existing picket fence. My yard is fully fenced. If it's the shock collar you object to, I see that as preferrable to having to keep the dogs confined to a run or a kennel.
And Preston, you, too, misread my post. The one section of the fence I've found that was breached WAS the buried section. They dug it up, and chewed it to pieces!. So far, I have not been able to find a breach in the above-ground section, which I wove between the pickets.. |
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No, I did not misread your post and I made no assumptions other than you have a break in the antenna wire loop somewhere. A loty of folks have fenced in yards but use electric colar systems to keep their dogs away from the swimmig pool or garden when they are outside with their owners. Some use them above ground and some use them on the ground or buried (it doesn't matter). I merely told you how to find the break(s) and fix them. Sorry I wasted my time. Next time you ask for any info I'll refrain. |
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Arrrgh. My apologies, Preston. I thought you were the one who said this when actually it was Two Moons: "The wire is safer in the ground as you have already discovered. It should last a very long time. "
I do appreciate the information, really. I'm sorry. Looks like I've been hoisted by my own petard!  |
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Walmart has a very good petard remover for just a few dollars and its environmentaly safe......................:) |
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Two Moons...does it take the egg off my face, too?  |
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LOL.... just a little touch up with the wash cloth and you'll be right as rain.
I wouldn't worry bout it too much, I think it will blow over soon enough.
Do you think you've figured out what you'll do with your hidden fence system now? |
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Given my dog's love for digging, I think it's safer above ground. I'm going to check it very carefully for breaks, and check all connectors on the weekend. If that doesn't get it running, I guess I'll just have to replace all the wire, which will be a total PITA, as my lot is not small, and some of the areas on my fenceline are not easily reached. There's also a section where I had to put it underground, to bridge the gap between the house and the fence, and of course, I found a huge tree root there, and had to thread the wire under it... then there's the area where I had to climb 20 feet up a ladder (I live alone) to string it high enough that it wouldn't zap the dogs when they come up the steps to enter the house.
Nope, NOT fun.
Maybe I'll just call Innotek if I can't find the break myself. |
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Sounds like a pain for sure. I can't hardly put a shovel to the ground without finding a tree root or a rock. I have seen home made wire layers similar to what the phone company use's only manual instead of powered.
Honestly tho, if you need connectors or wire try to find an electrical contractor supply (wholesale) house, they will usually sell to the general public over the counter on most items for cash. If you end up needing to replace your wire.
If you were just trying to keep animals out of your garden a conventional electric fence might be cheaper and it can be easily moved. The dogs wont chew on it for sure..LOL
Anyway I hope my week ends nice, I have some outside work to do myself. And now that the kids are grown I might as well be alone, they are too busy anymore to help out ole dad. I have squirrels eating my sweet corn and am thinking about a hot wire around my garden. Damned squirrels!!
Good luck with the fence Sunsilver. |
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If the fence is turned on and working, the dogs can't get close enough to chew it, can they? |
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That's true, but I don't need the fence in the wintertime. That's when they damaged it. |
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Home depot sells a cheap signal generator/receiver kit for about $19-29. So do most similar stores in their electrical dept. It will work easily for above ground wires, and since mostof your wires are above ground, connect it to one lead at a time and by elimination you can find the break and repair whatever section you need to. This is what innotek or any electric fence installer woulod do anyway and its a nice tool to have in your tool box for future problems than may occur. |
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That certainly sound like it would be cheaper than having Innotek do a service call! Thank you, Preston! If I can't find the break by checking the wire by hand, I'll give that a try! |
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From your description, I began with a similar setup by having my wire exposed above ground, but that lasted for only a short while. My current setup is a fence wire burried only a few inches underground and I've had excellent results. In fact, I'm on my fifth dog and have only had minor problems with the fencing. My fence is an insulated wire, 800' in length, which initially required one underground splice, since the wire only came in 500' lengths. Since then, due to various wire burials by phone and cable companies, it has had four or five additional splices. Burial isn't difficult, as there are tool rental companies that now rent wire burial equipment. Mine took about 1 hour to bury. When making any splices, twisting wires together and coating them, then taping them has always seemed reliable and can be done however, the easiest and quickest method has been to use wire splice connectors. These are available at many hardware stores (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) and only require crimping the ends after the bare wire ends are inserted. The key is to use the connectors that have a heat shrinkable outer jacket. They come in different colors, depending on the wire sizes, but the yellow ones will accomodated the most common invisible fencing wires. Once the wires are inserted, and the ends are crimped, simply heat the ends of the connector with a Bic lighter and the outer jacket will shrink down to seal around the wire. One really nice feature with the heat shrinkable connectors is that they contain a silicone gell, which seals around the wire as the outer jacket shrinks. Once done, the connection is good for longer than I can say. To date, at least two of my splices have been burried for 18 years, with no failures. I'm currently getting ready to bury an additional 700' feet of wire, to tie into the rest of my fence, and will be using the heat shrinkable crimp connectors for that as well. |
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I'm happy to report, I have the fence up and running! My best friend's hubby is an engineer and handyman, and brought over a current detecting tool that located the break. It was at one of the connectors. Apparently, I'd bitten a little too deeply into the wire with the pliers when stripping the coating, and the wire broke inside the connector.
I have also extended the fence to protect my rose bed, which required burying it in the lawn. As my fenceline is a real obstacle course (bushes in the way, a section with a patio right up against the fenceline where the wire can't be buried) putting it along the top of the picket fence was really the best solution. Also, the dogs love to dig in the perennial beds, which mean they will dig up the wire if I ever put them out without the collars on, or if the batteries run down. I saw no point in using the collars during the winter, and they did indeed dig up the wire in one spot, and chew a gap in it. I think my year old bitch must like the taste of copper... |
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Well bust my buttons, but I'm with Blitzen on this one. A professionally installed e-fence by a reputable company takes away all the headaches. They have the proper tools to find the breaks, and can fix them pronto. Of course the wire is safer under the ground from dogs, kids, vermin and assorted power tools. I might also add as well, from lightning strikes. Our neighbors two doors down actually had a small house fire because of that.
Professional companies can also help with adjusting the units to increase set backs, pump up the juice and provide training if one so desires. Plus the automatic battery delivery is helpful to keep it all working seamlessly.
Not all dogs are candidates for such a fence, but for the ones that are, it is a wonderful tool that allows safe enjoyment of your yard or garden with or without your dog. Other animals and their owners may have a problem if they cross the line, but our shepherd is definitely not the problem.
I just wish the paper boy would develop a stronger arm, because he never throws the paper far enough for Mojo to get it all by himself! |
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You got gophers or GSD's, Sunsilver? You're going to hate me for telling you this - Blitz has NEVER dug a hole in any of my flowerbeds. If he didn't try to bite strangers, he'd be the perfect GSD  |
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Sunsilver,
Just a thought on wire chewing: it seems there was a huge problem with rats liking to chew wires on Lexus's and inside of McMansion's. Then it was divulged that the wire coating actually contains animal fat, and thus was attracting the vermin. No doubt fido can differentiate the same. |
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You're lucky, Blitz! Three of m four GSD's have had a liking for digging, especially in nice, soft, freshly turned earth. It's guaranteed to make an avid gardener like myself tear their hair out! You no sooner get something planted than the dog digs it up! Based on experience, they do tend to outgrow the habit, though.
Beetree, thank you for that tip! Laying the wire was a terrible headache, because my yard was too big for it to be done all in one day (given the many obstacles, and my no-longer youthful bod!) No sooner did I turn my back than she'd find the portion that wasn't buried yet, or stapled yet, and chew it to pieces! She damaged the wire where it runs down the side of the house to the garage at least 3 times before I got the fence up and running, so she'd get a shock if she went near it! She also thought the wire spool was a WONDERFUL playtoy! This is the same bitch that also ate half a black Kong, and all but the last 3 inches of one of my socks. I swear, she's part goat! |
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