39
Gallagher 3E1164 Power Fence Systems User Manual
Fault Finding
6. FAULT FINDING
6.1 Fence tools and testers
Smartfix is Gallagher’s voltmeter (see
Figure 6.3
), current meter and fault finder
in one. It saves hours checking fence lines
for faults.
Digital Volt Meter DVM3 (see
Figure 6.2
)
– a tool for monitoring fence voltage and
helping trace fence line faults.
Neon tester – a simple tool for testing
whether there is sufficient power on the
fence.
Livelite – tells you in a flash whether your
fence is operating.
6.2 Troubleshooting
Monitor the fence voltage using either
a Digital Volt Meter (DVM) (G5030) or a
Smartfix (G5090) in voltage mode.
If your fence has less than the
recommended 3000V (3kV) minimum,
check that:
1. The energizer earth is O.K.
2. The energizer is powerful enough.
3. There are no shorts on the fence line.
4. The fence is correctly constructed.
5. Vegetation growth is not causing
power loss.
6. The leadout wire is adequate.
To trace a fault using a DVM travel along
the fence line and check the voltage about
every 100m (330ft). If the short is serious,
the voltage will continue to fall until the
fault is reached. If the fault is passed the
voltage will remain fairly constant. You
should then backtrack to find it. At fence
junctions isolate different fences with a
Cut Out Switch (G6076 and G6087).
To trace a fault using a Smartfix (G5090)
place it on the fence with the wire in
the measurement slot and making good
contact with the contact plate. The
arrow on the LCD display will indicate
which direction the current is flowing.
The amount of Amps flowing in the wire
is indicated by a number on the display
screen when the Smartfix is operating in
current measurement mode. The higher
the number, the bigger the fence fault
(short).
Progress as above. If the current reading
drops significantly the fault is back towards
your previous reading. The process is
similar to finding water leaks, where the
smartfix is reporting the amount and
direction of the flow.
6.3
Induction
Induction is the transfer of voltage
from a live wire to a neutral wire by
electromagnetic rather than direct physical
contact.
If you are getting a small shock from
“non-live” wires or steel gates, particular
in dry weather, this is likely to be caused
by induction. Neutral wires (neither live
nor earth) can be charged from live wires
(usually leadout or offset wires), running
parallel. It is not a short and will not reduce
fence voltage. To remove the problem,
earth / ground out the offending wires by
pushing a heavy gauge galvanised wire
as far as possible into the ground next
to the strain post and staple it across the
offending wires. This will not reduce the
voltage on the insulated powered wires.
