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Is your steel gate giving you an electric shock?

Is your steel gate giving you an electric shock?

Is your steel gate giving you an electric shock?

If you’ve experienced an electric shock when touching a steel gate, it may be the voltage from the electric fence is travelling past the end strain insulator on the post and continuing over the gate. While this won’t cause a fault or short on the fence, it can be a nuisance. 

To learn how to remedy this issue, without affecting your main fence voltage, we spoke to Shane Nolan, Head of Sales -Livestock at Datamars.

Shane says to grab some uninsulated wire from around the farm, either 2.5mm or 4mm and a hammer and staples. Then go the fence line beside the steel gate and place a wire in the top of the post closest to the gate, that the gudgeons are mounted through. Hammer the wire into the core of the post, then run the wire down the post and finish by inserting the wire into the ground. By doing this, you’ve created an ‘earth wire’.

To be effective, the wire needs to be stapled so it is touching every wire wrapped around the post. Then simply insert the wire into the ground as far as possible to. Having completed these steps, you should have created an earth that eliminates the unwanted voltage transferring through the gudgeons to your gate.

If, even after doing the steps above, you’re still receiving a shock when you touch the steel gate, Shane recommends measuring the voltage on the gate using a fault finder, and if voltage is present, run a second wire down the post following the steps outlined above.

For further assistance on how to remedy the magnetic field from your electric fence transferring voltage onto your steel gate, contact your local PGG Wrightson Technical Field Representative. Remember to always read the label for installation instructions. 

To grab the equipment and tools you’ll need, visit PGG Wrightson’s store online to view our complete range of fencing tools and equipment. Purchase now and enjoy the convenience of delivery or click n collect.