electric fence query

[1maestro1]

Hi everyone,

I have just set up an electric fence and it is brill!! I dont want to have to lug my bat home to charge it all the time so was looking into getting a solar panel. can anyone recommend one? and do they really work? also do you still have to charge the bat? sorry for all the questions. also i'm not wanting to spend a lot as I've paid a lot for the fenceing. Thanks

 

[Louki]

Dont bother, total waste of time, they dont produce enough charge for the battery for it to be worth the added expense.

2 batteries, 1 charger, always have a fully charged battery sitting in the car ready to change over.

 

[AengusOg]

And use leisure batteries.....like those for boats and caravans, as they last longer than car batteries and are more suited to electric fence work.

 

[old_woman]

I use solar from March - October and have no problems.

However, northern England is on the boundary of the limits of acceptable levels of light for charging for most of the year according to the supplier of my solar kit. I am careful to keep the panels scrupulously clean, in an area which is never shaded, facing south and at the correct angle to the horizontal.

The further north you go - and the further west, too - in the UK - the lower the light levels, and the less use are solar panels. I have seen a small wind-powered charger attached to an battery up on the hills somewhere.

 

[Soot]

Lots of solar panels in sunny Sussex - work very nicely for most of the year -- however would always recommend having a fully charged leisure battery as a backup, esp in autumn/winter as the nights gets longer and the days shorter ... Good solar panels are fairly expensive, however!