Instructions For: Installing a Fence to Keep Squirrels from Select Trees

Transcription

1 Instructions For: Installing a Fence to Keep Squirrels from Select Trees Two rings of electric wire installed around the trunk of a tree. These rings can be added to an existing fence system. These pages include the following: A list of fence parts A list of tools and other materials needed Step-by-step installation instructions Maintenance tips 1 of 7

2 Parts list: A charger/energizer: joules (AC, battery, or solar-powered) Insulated wire Aluminum electric fence wire Insulators: Nail-on style with 5 extension (nails not included) Wire to wire connectors: Split-bolt style Warning signs (optional) An electric fence tester Tools and Supplies: Tools: Wire-cutters, Hammer, Trowel, and Measuring tape Weatherproof electrician s tape Nails A. Installing a Charger/Energizer: Unless you already have an existing electric fence and charger/energizer 1. Read the instructions, including the safety provisions that come with your charger/energizer. If Using an AC Powered Charger/Energizer: The charger must be plugged directly into a 110-volt AC outlet. If you have a professionally installed AC outlet outdoors, you may use it. Do not use an ordinary extension cord to carry house current out to the fence; and don t use anything except hookup wire to connect the charger/energizer to the electric fence wire on the fence. (Regular extension cords are not made to carry the type of power utilized by the fence.) 2 of 7

3 If mounting your AC charger outdoors, provide it with shelter: This can be as simple as a cut-off 1 gallon milk bottle with a small vent hole cut in the top of the part going over the charger. If mounting your AC charger indoors, make a passage for the insulated wire: Drill a small hole or create another opening through which your hookup wire can pass out to the fence. Don t pass the insulated hookup wire through a door or window opening, as the opening or closing of the door or window can damage the insulation. If Using a Battery-Powered Charger/Energizer: Insert the necessary batteries; usually just D-cell flashlight batteries are required. Provide shelter for the charger: To prolong the charger s life, provide some protection from the weather (rain and snow). This can be done with wooden housing or with something as simple as the bottom of a 1 gallon plastic milk jug, with a small vent cut in it. If Using a Solar-Powered Charger/Energizer: Place the solar panel in a sunny place near the fence and oriented so as to catch maximum sunlight. Wait the necessary time to charge the battery 2. Plug in/turn on the charger: Upon activation, check to ensure that the indicator light comes on. (if featured) 3. Test the charger: Use your tester to touch both the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals of the charger. The tester should display a voltage reading advertised on the charger label, or cause the light on the tester to go on (if using a simple model). If the tester does not activate, then there is a problem with your outlet/battery/charger. If you can confirm that the problem is with the charger itself (by testing the outlet/batteries) you may need to activate your model s warrantee. 4. Turn the charger off and/or unplug it. 3 of 7

4 B. Installing the Fence: 1. Nail the insulators to your tree(s): Starting at a height of 3 or more feet above the ground, nail two full rings of 5-inch insulators around the trunk of the tree. Arrange the two rings so that they are separated from one another by 3 inches or less; when wire is hung from each ring of insulators it must not touch either the tree trunk or the other wire at any point. The insulators in each ring should be spaced so that the wire running along them comes down to within two inches of the tree trunk. (to prevent the squirrels from sneaking under it) 2. Hang the wire from the first ring of insulators: Start by taking a few turns around the end of the first insulator in the ring to secure the wire firmly to that insulator. Then hang the wire from the other insulators in the ring. If there seems any chance that the wire might come loose from any insulator, take one or more extra turns around that insulator to attach the wire securely before proceeding to the next insulator. When you have come all around the trunk to the first insulator, take a few turns of wire around the end of it and cut off the extra wire. 3. Hang the wire from the second ring of insulators: Repeat the stringing of wire with the second ring, just as in the previous step. Do not connect the wire between the two rings, and make sure that none of the wire in either ring is touching wire in the other ring. 4. Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 on each tree to be protected. 5. Attach the first tree ring to the positive terminal of the charger/energizer: Cut a length of insulated wire that is about 2 feet longer than the distance from the charger/energizer to the lower ring of insulators. Strip an inch of insulation off both ends of this wire. Attach this bare wire to the first ring on your tree with a split-bolt clamp, and the POSITIVE (+) terminal on your charger/energizer. The hookup wire should not be taut but should rest on the ground comfortably. 4 of 7

5 If you already have an existing electric fence, you may instead connect the active wire from your tree ring to the active wire on your existing electric fence. 6. Attaching the second tree ring negative terminal of the charger/energizer: Use another length of insulated hookup wire and split bolt clamps to attach the other tree ring to the NEGATIVE (-) terminal on your charger. If you have an existing electric fence, you may instead attach the second tree ring to your existing ground rod (it also travels back to your energizer s negative (-) terminal) If the hookup wire has any significant length, you can run it along the ground. However, you may want to place it underground to protect it from feet and lawn mowers. 7. Connect your protected trees together (if you have multiple trees to protect): If more than one tree is being protected, use two more lengths of hookup wire and split bolt clamps to connect each ring of wire on the first tree to the corresponding ring of wire on the second tree. Proceed in this way from tree to tree until all the trees are connected. Make sure that one ring of wire on each tree is directly or indirectly connected to the electric fence charger's positive (+) terminal, and that the other ring of wire on each tree is connected directly or indirectly to the electric fence charger's negative (-) terminal. 8. Test the rings: Go back to your charger and plug it in or turn it on. Confirm that its indicator light is lit or flashing (if it has one). Touch the fence tester to both the active (+) tree ring and grounded (-) tree ring on each tree. If the indicator light comes on, it means that the tree is protected. If the light does not go on, use our troubleshooting instructions below. 5 of 7

6 Troubleshooting: 1. Check the charger to see if its light is lit or blinking. If it is, your fence is most likely working properly. You may not get a shock when you touch a charged wire because your footwear may be providing enough insulation to prevent passage of the charge. Use your fence tester to confirm that voltage is on the fence. If the tester s light is too dim to read, take a cardboard tube from inside a roll of paper towels and view the tester s light through that. If both the charger s light and tester s light are lit, your fence is in business. If the charger s light is lit but the tester s light is out your tester may be defective. If the tester s light is lit but the charger s light is out the charger may be working but its monitoring light may not be working. If both the tester and charger indicate no charge on the fence, you need to determine whether the problem is with the fence or with the charger, so take step 2 below. 2. Detach all wires from the charger s positive (+) terminal. Then plug it in or turn it back on and see whether the charger s light is lit or flashing. 3. If the charger s light is flashing, while it was not before, the problem is almost certainly with your fence. Inspect the fence carefully for any weeds, blades of grass, or anything other than insulators touching the charged wire(s) and remove any such objects. In addition, confirm that the charged wires are not connected to the ground rod or any part of the grounding system, and also confirm that the wire connecting the charger s ground (-) terminal to the ground rod is tightly connected at both ends. Then reconnect the fence to the positive terminal on your charger and see if you get a reading. 4. If the charger s light is still not lit after all wires on the positive terminal have been removed, the problem is either with the charger or its power source. If you have an AC-powered charger, unplug the charger and plug an ordinary lamp into the outlet to confirm that the plug has power. If you have a battery-powered charger, use an ordinary voltmeter or other battery tester that can test across the battery s terminals to make sure the battery is charged. If you have a solar-powered charger, remove the solar battery from inside the charger s case (so long as you can do this without voiding your warranty) and test across the battery s terminals to make sure the solar battery is charged. 6 of 7

7 5. If your charger has a suitably active power source but is not putting out power, you need to contact the charger s maker to activate your warranty and/or get a new charger. Maintenance Tips: The soil and mulch near the wires should be damp enough so that any animal touching the wire will be grounded. Wetting the area during normal garden watering can accomplish this. If you have a battery-powered charger you should know how long the battery will last so that you can recharge or replace it before that time arrives. A good way to do this is to note the date you installed it and write the next replacement date on a label affixed to the charger. A small amount of vegetation in contact with the charged wire can neutralize your system. Thus, it is essential to periodically inspect the fence and remove encroaching vegetation before it touches the lowest charged wire. In gardens with grasses or weeds growing just outside the mulch barrier, or with vegetables planted close to the barrier, this should be done every week or so. Witch grasses and certain other sharp grasses can pierce the plastic mulch. When the fence is inspected, these grasses should be removed from around the area of the mulch barrier. Your system can be left out in winter. Simply disconnect the charger and bring it inside. (If your charger is solar-powered, follow the instructions that came with the unit regarding winter storage. In the spring remove any accumulated leaves from around the fence and wires, and make sure the two electrified wires are held in their insulator clips and do not touch the fence or soil. Undo the ground-rod nuts or clamp and make a new connection between the wire and ground rod using the old wire. If your charger is battery-powered put in fresh alkaline D cells or connect it to a fully charged battery. Then reinstall or plug in the charger and turn it on. Check the light to see that the unit is working (refer to the installation instructions that came with your charger). If the light does not turn on, check to be sure that all the connections are secure (see Troubleshooting above). 7 of 7