Earthing your electric fence and why it is important

Electric fences work on the principle of simple electronics. For a good flow of live positive energy there needs to be good path to the negative earth. In standard electric fencing this is achieved in two ways.

1. Through the ground with electrical flow returning to an earth stake
2. In poor soil conditions a return through an earth wire.

Both of these methods can be used in conjunction for better efficiency.

There are differing opinions on what a sufficient earth system is but the fact of the matter is everyone’s fence setup will require different amounts of attention depending on various factors. Varying factors may include, the condition of the soil (moisture and element make up) the distance being fenced, the type of animal that the fence is for and vegetation along the fence line.

The main thing to keep in mind if you are unsure how much effort you need to put into your earth system for your fence is:

You can never have too much earth – but you can easily have too little.

Below are a few short videos relating the differing opinions.

More information on how to make a proper earth for an electric fence can be found in any of these PDF downloadable manuals.