AMERICAN FARM WORKS Solar Powered Manual

AMERICAN FARM WORKS Solar Powered User Manual

AMERICAN FARM WORKS Solar Powered User Manual

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

FOR OPTIMAL RESULTS, WE RECOMMEND YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING:

1. Electric Fence Tester
2. Three 6-8’ Ground Rods
3. Three Ground Rod Clamps
4. 2 Two Lengths 20 KV Insulated Hook-up Wire (one long enough to connect to fence energizer to ground system and one long enough to fence energizer to fence line)

WARNING:

THE FOLLOWING CAN RESULT IN DECREASED FENCE
PERFORMANCE

1. Brush, weed and plant growth around the base of your fence.
2. Improper grounding.
3. Snow.
4. Cracked or broken insulators.
5. Fence wires that are less than 4” apart.
6. Dry, rocky or sandy soils.
7. Insufficiently charged battery

Manufactured by:
Woodstream Corporation
69 N. Locust Street
Lititz, PA 17543
For customer support:
1-855-592-7322
Distributed By:
Tractor Supply Company
5401 Virginia Way
Brentwood, TN 37027
www.TractorSupply.com

BEFORE YOU START

• WARNING: Read ALL these instructions. Only use electric fence energizer products for the purpose intended as defend in this manual.
• This controller must be grounded. If it should malfunction or break down, grounding reduces the risk of electrical shock by providing a path of low resistance for the electric current. Grounding this product is provided by properly installed ground rod electrically connected to the fence controller output ground terminal.
• To reduce risk of electrical shock do not remove cover. Refer to service personnel.
• Never electrify barbed wire! The barbs may injure animals if they become tangled in the fence.
• Always disconnect battery-powered fence controllers from the battery before recharging the battery. Failure to do so may damage your fence controller and battery charger, and void your warranty.
• Never run more than on fence controller on the same fence line at one time. The pulses of short shock solid state fence controllers will be too close together and may be hazardous to animals and people. It will also damage your fence controllers.
• Instruct all persons how to disconnect a fence controller in case of emergency. Post signs on
  electric fences along public roads or near residences.
• WARNING: Risk of electric shock! Do not connect an eletric fence to any other device such as a cattle trainer or a poultry trainer. Otherwise lightning striking your fence will be conducted to all other devices.
• WARNING: Energizers requiring an external ground must be properly grounded.
• WARNING: Many AC energizers are internally grounded and are equipped with polarized 2 prong
• Install fence lines powered by seperate fence energizers far enough apart to prevent contact with both fence lines at the same time. Simultaneously touching two fences powered by separate energizers could be hazardous.
• WARNING: Users of electric fencing should avoid contacting the fence with the head, mouth, neck or torso. Users should not climb over, through or under an electric fence. Please use a gate or an area designed as a crossing point.
• WARNING: Do not connect this energizer to any mains-operated equipment.

ENERGIZER ELECTRIC FENCING OVERVIEW

How Electric Fencing Works

• Copper or Galvanized metal ground rods driven at least 6’ deep, spaced 10’ apart.

The system works when an animal provides an electrical path by touching the fence wire and the earth simultaneously. The electricity then passes through the animal, into the soil and back to the ground rods, which are connected to the fence energizer. At that point the circuit is complete and the animal instantly receives an eletrical shock.

FENCE ENERGIZER INSTALLATION

STEP 1: Mount Fence Energizer

Solar T-Post Installation

Solar Wood Post Installation

Adjustable Mount

Seasonal dials explain where to leverage your energizer to get the best amount of sunlight exposure. Used for both T-Post and Wood Post. The Spring/Fall setting is the general recommendation for optimal use throughout the year but yo can maximized your battery by making adjustments to the angle during each season

STEP 2: Connect Ground and Fence Terminals

• Your fence energizer will have one of two types of terminals – strip wire and connect as shown below

• Connect hook-up wire to GROUND terminal

Note: Wire to metal contact is essential when hooking up your ground and fence terminal.

• Connect hook-up wire to FENCE terminal

STEP 3: Connect to Ground System

• Hook-up wire from fence energizer to ground terminal

STEP 4: Connect to Fence Line

Aluminum/Steel/Poly wire connection

• Galvanized line clamp
  

Poly tape connector clamp

STEP 5: Power Fence Energizer

NOTE: Fence energizer will be outputting voltage at this point – to avoid shock do not touch fence terminal or fence wire.

• The Switch is located on the left side of the energizer. circle. “O” means the energizer power is o and “-” means the energizer power is on.

IMPORTANT: Solar energizers must be placed in the sun and turned o for three days before use in order to ensure the battery has a sucffient charge to power your fence. Failure to charge for three days could result in decreased performance.

ELECTRIC FENCING TESTING

Testing Ground System

1. Short the fence using a metal bar or wire.
2. Push probe into ground.
3. Touch ground rod with tester. If reading is over 400 volts, grounding is inadequate. Add additional ground rods 10 feet apart connected by hook-up wire until reading is under 400 volts.

Testing Hook-up Wire

1. Push probe into ground
2. Touch tester contacts to hook-up wire

To test the hook-up wire, remove fence energizer power source (unplug or disconnect from battery) and disconnect the hook-up wire from the fence line. Power fence energizer and then check hook-up wire as shown.

Testing Fence Line

1. Push probe into ground
2. Touch fence contacts to fence wire. For poly tape, insert between contacts and rotate 1/4 turn.

Voltage is displayed while maintaining contact with the fence line.

Testing Fence Energizer

Remove fence energizer power source (unplug or disconnect from battery) and disconnect the fence and ground wires. Reconnect the energizer to its power source and touch metal bolts of the ground and fence terminals with ground and fence prong from a tester.
If output is less than 2,000 volts, there may be a fence energizer problem call us at 855-592-7322

Testing Battery Health

To test your solar fence energizer battery health – press the push to test button on the face of the solar energizer.
The fence energizer will measure your battery health and will display one of the following LED’s below:

GREEN= FULL CHARGE Battery is in a healthy state
YELLOW= PARTIAL CHARGE Battery is still healthy, but not up to full charge.
RED= NEEDS ATTENTION Battery voltage is low, this may be due to poor exposure to sunlight. Continue to monitor battery health.

Fence Energizer Warranty

30-DAY FULL WARRANTY

Wood stream guarantees your satisfaction. You can return product with it receipt to the place of purchase within 30 days for a full refund. Proof of purchase is required for a full refund.

LIMITED WARRANTY

Wood stream warrants New American Farm works Solar Energizers for 3 years from the date of purchase (or date of manufacture if proof of purchase is not provided) against defects in materials and workmanship, and from damage caused by lightning.
For any New American Farm works Solar Energizers, retain your receipt for proof of purchase or register your energizer online at www.zarebasystems.com immediately after purchase. Also, please reference the web page for a list of Certified Repair Centers and instructions on returning fence controllers for service.
TERMS APPLICABLE TO BOTH 30-DAY RETURN POLICY AND THE LIMITED WARRANTY. Neither the 30-day return policy nor the limited warranty applies to any defect caused by improper installation, misuse, product alterations, tampering, neglect or any similar reason not related to product malfunctions or defects in the materials or workmanship of the product. The 30-day return policy and the limited warranties are given only to the original purchaser of the product and not to any subsequent owners or to any other user or person when installed and used in accordance with the instructions found in the owner’s manual. No person is authorized to grant any warranty additional to or different from this written warranty. To make a warranty claim, you must contact Wood stream Corp. at 800-800-1819 or zarebasystems.com regarding defective product or parts during the warranty period or contact one of the Certified Repair Centers listed on zarebasystems.com If you have not registered your energizer online immediately after purchase, you may need to provide additional information such as, your name, mailing address, proof of purchase date and a description of the problem. If the defect is covered by the limited warranty, Wood stream Corp. or a repair center will repair or replace (at its option) the defective product or parts.
NEITHER THE SELLER NOR THE MANUFACTURE SHALL HAVE LIABILITY FOR ANY ACCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM OR CAUSED BY ANY DEFECT, FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF ANY PRODUCT.

Wood stream

SERIAL NUMBER INFORMATION

The serial number for all Wood stream Corp. fence energizers will go to a 12 digit serial number. The format for the 12 digit serial number is as follows:

EC	XX	XX	XX	XXXX
Category	Year	Month	Day	Serial number

If no sales receipt is provided with the return, we will use the date of manufacture shown in the serial number.
Please contact Wood stream Corp. for all warranty claims or returns:
Wood stream Corp.
69 North Locust Street
Lititz, PA 17543
855-592-7322

LIMITATION OF DAMAGES

The directions for use of this product should be followed carefully. It is impossible to eliminate all risk inherently associated with use of the product. The effectiveness of Wood stream brands of fence controllers may depend on
the effectiveness of connections, interruption of power source, accidental grounding of wires, weather conditions or the manner of use or application, all of which are beyond the control of Wood stream or the seller.
All such risks shall be assumed by the buyer. Wood stream warrants that this product is reasonably t for the purposes referred to in the directions for use, subject to the inherent risks referred to above. Wood stream makes no other expressed or implied warranty of fitness or merchant ability or any other expressed or implied warranty. IN NO CASE SHALL WOOD STREAM AND THE SELLER BE LIABLE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OR HANDLING OF THIS PRODUCT. WOOD STREAM AND THE SELLER OFFER THIS PRODUCT AND THE BUYER AND USER ACCEPT IT, SUBJECT TO THE FOREGOING CONDITIONS OF SALE AND WARRANTY WHICH MAY BE VARIED ONLY BY AGREEMENT IN WRITING SIGNED BY AN OFFICER OF WOOD STREAM.
Some states, however, do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. This limited warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

FAQS

Who makes American FarmWorks?

Rich with history, American FarmWorks™ finds it roots in the 1960s as part of Water Instruments, Inc. Through a series of corporate transformations, American FarmWorks™ became part of the Woodstream™ family of brands.

How many volts is a 15 mile electric fence?

Output Voltage – 9.7 KV.

What is one of the biggest problems with an electric fence?

Poor grounding is one of the most common faults in electric fencing systems. If the ground is not completed correctly, the energizer cannot operate at is maximum potential. A rule of thumb is three feet of ground rod for each output joule of energy from the energizer.

How many volts is an electric dog fence?

That said, most sources recommend a minimum of 4,000 volts for hard-to-control species, and a minimum of 2,000 volts for more docile animals. Anything greater than 8,000 volts is considered more than necessary (some sources say 6,000), and more likely to cause injury.

Can you make an electric fence with a car battery?

Place two 12-volt batteries, one in front of the other, in an enclosed area next to the electric fence controller. Turn the batteries so that the positive and negative terminals are on the same side and next to each other. For example, place both positive terminals on either the left or right.

What happens to electric fence when it rains?

However, due to the small size of raindrops, they do not do any damage to the electric fence. It would only be a problem if the electric fence had already been destroyed by the time it started raining.

Will an electric fence work if it touches the ground?

If the wires are hanging in the grass, they will no longer work. Electric fences also cannot touch the ground. Electric fences work through suspension. While the fence can be attached to the ground, the electric fence wires cannot lay on the ground.

Can you use rebar as a grounding rod for electric fence?

In most cases, pipe or rebar can be used. The grounding rod needs to be made of galvanized steel and also needs to be at least four feet in length for best results. Using copper rods will diminish the overall effectiveness of the electrical fence system.

Should an electric fence be a closed loop?

For an electric fence to be properly installed it should not be a closed loop. When an animal touches the electric fence, this should be the missing link in the loop for the animal to get the shock. The loop can also be formed by vegetation touching the fence. This results in the fence leaking power.

Why is my electric fence clicking?

It is almost entirely due to a spark or arcing of the electrical current across the fence hardware that most radio noise created by electric fencing is caused. This form of interference generates a distinctive tick-tick-tick sound that can cause communications to be disrupted over distances of up to a mile in length.

What happens if you don’t ground an electric fence?

When an animal touches the electrically charged fence wire, the animal feels the electric current as the charge passes through the body. The charge then completes the circuit through the soil via the ground rod and then up the ground wire to the ground terminal charger.

What is the difference between a solar powered fence controller and a battery powered fence controller?

Battery powered controllers are more common. The batteries are charged by the solar panel during the day, and at night the battery powers the energizer. This system is more efficient and allows for longer fence runs. Solar powered controllers are less common, but they do have their advantages. They are lighter, and they do not require a battery or charging system. However, they are only efficient for small areas.

How long will my solar fence controller last?

The life of your solar fence controller depends on many factors including how much sunlight it receives, how often it is used, and how well it is maintained.

How do I know if my fence is working?

A properly functioning fence will have a low impedance (resistance) reading on your electric fence tester. If you get an extremely high reading on your tester, this indicates that there may be a problem with your fence. You should check your grounding system first to make sure it is working properly. If you still get a high reading after checking your ground, then you may have a problem with your energizer or wiring.

How do I know if my energizer is working?

If you hear buzzing or humming coming from the energizer, then it is working properly. If you do not hear any noise coming from the energizer when you press the button to turn it on, then there may be a problem with the battery or wiring connections.