In most cases, after the installation of an electric fence in Kenya, homeowners may forget to regularly maintain the fence or carry out periodical repairs. Also, it is possible for trees and vegetation to grow and attach themselves to the electric fence. This interferes with the proper working of the electric fence. It is in this regard that a professional electric fence is needed. Indeed where the electric fence has suffered serious damages, an overhaul is usually the best solution. At Electric Fences Kenya, we have perfected the art of electric fences repair and maintenance in Kenya. Our dedicated team will ensure that your electric fence will be back to working order in no time. Call us on 0722 708034 or Email us at info@electricfences.co.ke
How much does it cost to repair and maintain an electric fence in Kenya.
Whereas a new installation of an electric fence can be estimated easily, for repairs, the total cost depends on how extensive the damages are. For instance, a replacement of a damaged electric fence energizer machine can be high – check prices here. At the same time, a replacement of a damaged fence wire maybe a few hundred Kenya shillings. In brief, the price will depend on the requirements at the site which we can determine by carrying out a free site survey.
In particular for companies and institutions as service level maintenance contracts will ensure that your electric fence is working all the time. Regular and scheduled maintenance contracts are the most ideal for commercial setups.
Why is my electric fencing not working in Kenya?
How to Trouble shoot your electric fence in Kenya.
It can seem a daunting task to pinpoint and repair a fault on your electric fencing. But while there are a number of things that go wrong, working through them systematically will help you quickly discover and correct the problem. Following the guide below will take you through a series of simple tests, starting with your fence energiser as the power source. Remember that fault-finding is simply a process of elimination, starting with your energiser (power source), then checking the earth, underground cables, connections and fence line. However, you do need a Digital Voltmeter or a Fault Finder to deal with a fault on a fence. These will tell you the level of power on your electric fencing, and where there might be a problem. For very small installations, a Neon Fence Tester will suffice. Follow the process until you isolate the fence fault.
- Measure the Voltage on your Electric Fence Line
- Check Your Energiser is Working Properly
- Checking Your Earthing
- Verify the Electric Fence Connection at the energizer machine
- Test your Electric Fence with a Fault Finder
- Checking your Electric Fence with a Digital Voltmeter or Neon Fence Tester
- Measure the Voltage on your Electric Fence Line
- Use your voltmeter to take a reading on your fence line. For a small drop in the normal level – say 10-20 per cent – then the chances are the fault lies on your fence line. Large mains energisers will operate at around 5000 volts and will maintain this even under a significant load from vegetation;smaller energisers will run at 6-7000 volts but those levels will drop rapidly with any kind of load or problem on the fence.
Check Your Energiser is Working Properly.
Disconnect the earth and fence cables from the output terminals, then check the voltage by connecting the voltmeter to these terminals. (The output voltage varies between energisers and can be found in the instruction booklet, but is normally well over 5000 volts or 5kv.) DO NOT open the energiser case. Switch off power when changing cables.
If over 5000 volts, go on to Checking Your Earthing
If the voltage is below 5000 volts, call us on 0722708034. There could be a fault with the fence energiser itself.
If there is no voltage, check the power supply and the plug fuse on a mains energiser. For battery energisers, check that the battery is fully charged, and that the fence leads are not broken or frayed. If the energiser still doesn’t work, contact us.
Checking Your Electric Fence Earthing.
Poor earth installations are often the cause of low voltage on your electric fencing. You can read up on earthing in our Earthing Guide or run through the quick checklist below.
Your earthing rods should be made from galvanised steel and linked to the energiser via underground cable.
The rods should be ten metres away from any other earth installations, ie. Those used by telephone or electricity supply companies. Do not use steel water pipes or steel framed buildings as earth.
As a rule, you will need one metre of the earth for every joule of energy, ie a five-joule fence energiser will require five metres of earth. Your earthing rods should be at least four metres apart.
If your earthing seems correct, test it by creating a dead short several hundred metres from the energiser. Lay an iron bar across the wires, making a direct connection from the fence line to the ground. Then place your voltmeter on the last earth rod in the line to see if there is any voltage between the earth rod and the ground.
No reading to under 500 volts – move on to Checking your Fence Connection. Electric Fences Repair and Maintenance in Kenya should ensure that your energizer machine has proper fence output at all times.
Any reading above 500 volts. Any voltage registered represents a loss on the fence line. Add more rods at four-metre spacings until the reading is below 500 volts.
Electric Fence Connection at the Energizer Machine.
Now you need to check the cable linking the power from the energiser to the fence. Disconnect the cables where they join the fence, then check the volt reading on the ends of the cables.
If your volt reading matches the reading you took earlier on your energiser, then the fault is on the fence line. Move on to Checking your Fence Line with a Fault Finder or Checking your Fence Line with a Digital Voltmeter or Neon Fence Tester.
If the reading is substantially lower than the energiser, then there is either a break in the cables or they are not large enough to convey the power. Electric Fences Repair and Maintenance in Kenya will include verifying that the connection at the energizer level is made properly and to the standard.
Test your Electric Fence with a Fault Finder.
A short in your electric fence occurs when the power escapes to the ground. This can be caused by a broken underground cable, broken wire or insulator, a loose connection, or something touching the wires, such as excessive vegetation. The Fault Finder can help you locate the source of a short by measuring the flow of energy from the fence energiser to the ground.
Place it on any section of fence wire, moving it laterally to get good contact. In sound electric fencing with no shorts, the amp reading on the main screen will be zero, as nothing is flowing out of the system. The volt reading on the top right screen should read around 6000 volts. Any reading on the amp scale indicates some kind of fault on your fence. The more severe the fault, the higher the amp reading. You will also see an arrow pointing in the direction of the fault.
Follow the arrow until the reading drops or disappears – this indicates that you have moved just beyond the fault. In multi-wire electric fences, you will need to test each wire in turn, starting at the top. If multiple faults exist it may be easier to isolate sections of the fence, using cut-out switches, so you can clear one section at a time.
Where an electric fence splits in a Y or T junction, take a reading of each line and follow the one where the reading is highest. The same applies if your fence is constructed with up and downlinks at the beginning of each section.
If you have an electric fence with live and earth wires or an earth return system and there is a high reading on the earth wire, then you should assume that a live wire is touching an earth wire, creating a dead short.
Pay particular attention to gateways and underground cable joints.
Checking your Electric Fence with a Digital Voltmeter or Neon Fence Tester.
A short in your electric fence occurs when the power escapes to the ground. This can be caused by a broken underground cable, broken wire or insulator, a loose connection, or something touching the fence, such as excessive vegetation. The Digital Voltmeter can help you locate the source of a short by measuring the voltage in the fence line. You can also use the Neon Fence Tester, although it is not as accurate.
Attach it to the fence line, move it laterally to get a good contact, and place the probe in the ground. You will see a reading on the screen – on a good electric fence line this should be in excess of 6,000 volts.
If the voltage is just slightly below normal – say 5,000 volts – then you probably have a small fault caused by light vegetation, for instance. However, if the reading is substantially lower, then a major fault exists.
To find this fault, move along the fence line, taking readings every 100 metres or so. As a rule of thumb, the voltage will drop roughly 100 volts every 100 metres as you head in the direction of the fault, and will then level out once you pass the fault.
If the fault is not obvious, you should systematically isolate areas of your electric fence using cut-out switches. Once you have located the problem area, you may have to isolate individual wires to pinpoint the problem.
Therefore, Electric Fences Repair and Maintenance in Kenya is very important for security for your home, office, factory or farm in Kenya. Do not stay with a badly maintained electric fence.