Lightning Protection
Lightning poses a threat to electric fence chargers because the spread-out fence wires are vulnerable to lightning strikes, and a struck wire is likely to conduct a huge jolt of electricity right into the charger, where a good deal of it may pass through before blowing the fuse and may damage delicate charger mechanisms. The devices below can help counter this problem. Lightning chokes send the huge charge through parallel runs of metal where it generates magnetic fields that interfere with its own passage and choke it off. Lightning diverters offer the charge an easier path to the ground than that afforded by the charger and its connections. Both of the lightning protectors in the table below require a separate grounding system (ground rods) superior to the charger’s grounding system, one employing more interconnected ground rods than those connected to the charger’s ground terminal. Obviously, neither of these devices will protect the charger from a direct lightning strike, but all will markedly diminish the lightning problem
Surge Protector, Fused Plug, and Fuses
An AC-powered electric fence charger can be damaged by power surges coming in through ordinary house current and its electric cord. Like other electrical appliances, it can be protected against such surges by means of fuses (which limit severe overloads) and by surge suppressors (which limit minor surges). These devices will not necessarily defend against the sharp, powerful surge that sometimes follows a nearby lightning strike. However, they can significantly increase a charger’s life-span by limiting lesser problems. The fuse-holding plug below (product 01-21) provides added protection against power overloads–not just for electric fence chargers but for any household appliance–while the fuses (product 01-20) serve to stock the plug (which takes two fuses) and also to replace any burnt-out fuses in the charger. Zareba’s UL listed surge suppressor (product 01-36) comes with an indicator light and provides affordable protection for chargers and other electrical appliances against AC power surges of up to 6,000 volts.