The right fence charger is the heart of your electric fence system. Finding the best-matched charger for your fence is imperative to successfully contain/exclude animals.
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Powering your fence charger. The recommended and most reliable choice is AC-power. If you need to power your fence from a remote location, DC or Solar powered fence chargers are an excellent choice for remote locations. Solar powered fence chargers feature the benefits of charging your battery using solar power.
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Type of fence line. Steel wire creates less electrical resistance than poly wire, rope or tape, which draw more power. If you are using poly rope or tape, we recommend a low impedance fence controller. Aluminum wire has less resistance than steel wire.
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Number of fence wire strands. As a general rule for multi-wire fences, divide the charger’s distance rating by the number of strands, then select a charger with a mileage rating that meets those needs. NOTE: 1 square mile = 4 mile perimeter = 640 acres. Remember that poly wire, rope and tape have a higher resistance rating and thus will need a charger with a higher distance rating.
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Amount of weeds. The more weeds touching your fence line, the more draw from your charger. If you have light to medium to heavy weeds near your fence, we recommend a low impedance fence controller as they can maintain high energy on the fence even as power is drawn by weeds.
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Area to enclose. Give some thought to the possibility of your fence area expanding (which may require a more powerful charger). Gallagher chargers list a mileage rating, but keep in mind that rating is for a single strand of steel wire on a weed-free fence.
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Type of animal controlled. Large animals with thicker hide, hair, hooves or foot pads require a stronger shock. Also, determined animals like bulls or stallions require a more powerful fence charger.
