Installing hot wire

[mystang89]

Ok, so I'm getting closer and closer, albeit slept, to actually installing the wire and I want to make sure I have this down as well as possible. When I run the wire I should start at the furthest point from what I can tell which would be the dead end. The dead end is of course a wood pole. How do I start? Do I wrap it around the wood pole to itself them run it the rest of the way down, (with tube insulator keeping the wire from the wood)?

Also, how do I go about tightening the wire from around all those bends? Do I have to cut it at each end? If someone finds a video on google that would be helpful. I couldn't find anything that actually helped on this stuff. I'll have more questions in a bit but strapped for time atm.

 

[Latestarter]

You attach the end to an insulator. If you attach it to the wood or around the wood pole, you'll be attaching it to ground and defeat the purpose of the fence. You need an insulation medium between the wire and anything it touches that might act as a conductor.

 

[Mike CHS]

Many think that wood is a non conductor but I have found my wire arcing where it was touching a wet fence post.

 

[mystang89]

You attach the end to an insulator. If you attach it to the wood or around the wood pole, you'll be attaching it to ground and defeat the purpose of the fence. You need an insulation medium between the wire and anything it touches that might act as a conductor.

Thishttps://www.ebay.com/i/152906757264...3D711-117182-37290-0%26rvr_id%3D1463981584241

Is what I was thinking about skipping the wire through so it wouldn't touch the pole.i also have a couple of very old t-post that the normal insulators for won't for. I'll take a picture of those tomorrow and post them. I'm guessing I can't just have the wire touching the pole or that would ground it out as well.

 

[greybeard]

The wire should not touch anything metal or wood.
The tube you linked to (eBay) is just a hollow insulating tube you would use between the fence charger and the start of the hot wire...and, around, over or under a gate...you would run your normal bare wire inside it. I am not a fan of that tubing. They tend to get full of moisture and ground out, and IMO, that particular eBay item is overpriced considering it has no conductor inside the tube.

They sell high voltage insulated lead-in wire, insulation rated at 20,000 volts specifically for those type situations.
http://www.kencove.com/fence/Underground+Wire_product.php
https://gallagherelectricfencing.com/products/patriot-underground-electric-fence-leadout-wire-100

the 14 ga below is a little thin, but will probably work.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zareba-14-Gauge-Hook-Up-Wire-01404-92/203265814

 

[Bruce]

I used these at the beginning and end of the run and on wood posts (H braces)

I used these on the T-posts

I used these on the corner posts

All those allow you to run the wire without having to twist it. That doesn't matter much if you are using braided wire but with metal wire it was a lot easier just to run it off the spool and pull the pins on the second 2 types.

I used these mid-run between wood posts to tighten

though @Mike CHS has some that you can put at the beginning or end and I think that would be better.

All from Premier1 https://www.premier1supplies.com/c/fencing/insulators

 

[mystang89]

Thanks @Bruce ! I'll look into a few of those. I'm still a bit confused with tightening it up. I'll look at the description on that too and see what it says though

 

[Mike CHS]

We have put the plastic tension pieces on all of our fences and really like them. We have only had to tighten a couple of them due to hits by deer but that rarely happens now that the deer are used to having to go around.

 

[mystang89]

I didn't see the plastic tension peices on that web site Bruce linked me. Are they from a different place?

 

[greybeard]

What kind of wire are ya'll using and how much tension are you putting on it that plastic will work on anything other than tee post or nail of wooden post insulators just to keep it from sagging?
These would never stay in the post on the 12ga electric wire I was running.

I have used some screw in insulators, but the shank of the tapered screw is a lot bigger and longer than what that one is.
I use a version of these, or the old porcelain ones that have steel backing embedded in them.

https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/pi-20-high-tensile-terminal-insulator