Could you guys walk me through this so I don't get electrocuted?

[Meredith Clark]

I'm attempting to section off a piece of pasture and I'm very worried I'm going to walk away from this project with alotta electricity flowing through my body :lol:

The pasture is 3 board fencing with 1 strand of electric wire. I've drawn a horrible diagram that my dad (an architect) would be humiliated by, but I don't have any design software on my PC!

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2013471640068747398cOFbon

So the big red line (A) is where I want to put my fence to make the section to its' left a riding area. B is the existing fence line with 12 posts that I will line my T-Post up with. Both B and D are 3 board fencing with electric wire. C is a creek and D is the barn. The tack room is next to the barn and where the electric wire is charged.

So I have T-Posts, the driver, T-Post caps, insulators, and things for gates.

What do I do now? :lol:

I know how to drive the T-Posts in, cap them and put on the insulators but i'm not sure what type of wire to get and how to electrify it. I went to tractor supply to look at wire and I wasn't sure what to get and I don't need much since it's only about 50-100 feet. Can I attach my new wire to the existing electrified wire or does it have to go all the way to the charger?

Help Please !!

[sk_pacer]

For such a short run, yes, you can attach the wire to the old one...there are things called T-connectors for this but only connect on one side. Use the same type of wire on your current fenct to avoid resistance differences. If it were me, I wouldn't go through the bother of t-posts, would just use step-in posts - less effort and easy to pull up if you ever need to move or pull them up completely.

I tried looking at your diagram...what I saw before it was covered by ads wasnt all that bad - typical idea sketch, not high design but readable nonetheless

[Frank B]

You can make a durable "tee" splice by using two pairs of pliers. Wrap the wire to the new fence around the existing wire by holding the point of contact with one pair and winding 8-10 turns of the new wire tightly around it with the second pair.

Print out this manual (http://www.parmak.com/Install/Parmak_Energizer_Booklet_English.pdf) and keep it handy. There's a wealth of info in it, especially on the subject of grounding in areas with poor soil conductivity -- which includes the Northern US & Canada when the ground's frozen solid.

You didn't say how you were going to get into the new area, which brings up the subject of gates.

[mellsmom]

If you are going to do this as a permanent fix... look into putting in treated 4 x 4 posts.
By the time you buy t posts and caps or t posts and the plastic sleeves, you can pretty much put in a few posts.

My ring area which is about 250 x 150 is done with posts...set 14 or so feet apart. I have teh thick white electric rope attached to it by the white screw in plastic fence holders. I have two "rails" of rope. I have a solar charger. I love this set up. I have a 12 foot gate on either end for tractor access and a small 10 foot gate by the barn. It looks nicer than the t-post arrangement.

My neighbor had the t posts with caps set up and had a horse run into her fence and get hurt pretty badly. About a week later her husband rippped it up and put it up in 3 board. They can get hurt pretty badly on anything.... but I just thought you might like to see other ideas as well :-)