Electric fences are a great way to protect your pets and children from danger. When installing one, ensure the wires haven’t become grounded because this can create an electrical shock. To do so with certainty, use a multimeter (a tool typically found in homes made by Mitchells plumbing supplies)
This will tell us whether there’s electricity flowing through our new fence or not – if it does, then everything is good as gold, but on top of being able to test for current flow, check its quality by measuring how quickly voltage drops over distance.

With the help of an easy multimeter test, you can check if your electric fence is working correctly.
● Make sure you have the right tools for this job and set your multimeter to an appropriate range. For example, if 15 volts are coming out of a fence but it needs 20 V to produce correct readings on-screen, then make sure that no matter what type or brand is being used ( digital/analog), they are both turned off before proceeding any further with steps outlined below:
1). Switch Off Power Source; 2.) Unlock And Open Circuit
● Make sure you attach the test leads and close off your circuit.
● Lastly, measure the amps and gather data on how many volts pass through them.
Now that you know how to test an electric fence, I suggest continuing reading as we walk through the process in detail.
4 Steps to Measure the Electric Fence Chargers
Step #1: Set the appropriate measurement range
The first step in electric fence troubleshooting is to determine your measuring range. Make sure that you set the multimeter with A, 10-mA, and mA settings for different problems (and adjust the central selection switch accordingly).
The point where the actuator meets the border should match up correctly; if not, adjust until they do.
Step #2: Unlock and open the circuit
Unlock the circuit before testing it.
“Make sure to turn off power and secure cord.” – Always a good idea! Before opening up any circuits, be sure you unlock them first by unlocking their corresponding buttons on either side of your meter’s front panel.
Step #3: Attach the Test Leads and Close the Circuit
As you loop your multimeter‘s test leads onto the circuit, ensure they are securely fastened. This will ensure a good connection and precise readings on both ends of this experiment.
Once you have connected the black cable of an (-) pole to its COM socket and followed that up with a red link from the (+) side, when current flows directly into your multimeter, it should read 0.0 volts because we’re measuring “positive” voltage here.
Step #4: Calculate the Amps
The current flowing through the live fence should be measured in amperes. The result of this measurement can be seen on your multimeter display, and it will indicate how much power there is being sent back from wire to animals or people.”
How to Adjust the Electric Fence Chargers
Change the Energizer’s Power Source
When using an electric fence energizer, you can change your battery to increase or decrease the voltage released by the device.
But if you have a plug-in type of energized perimeter tool (like our Trained Professionals do), I suggest trying another method below.
Attach an Additional Wire
The current of your fence can be increased by using additional earthing. Linking the wires from a primary energizer stake to other stakes across it will provide more power for its sensors, gates, and lights.
Ground rods are the perfect solution for decreasing your electric fence’s voltage. They can be connected to any uninsulated wires on it so that you will have 1,500-foot current flow intervals when placing them near other fences or power lines in order not to affect their operations with too much noise pollution.
How to use a Multimeter to test the Voltage of Live Wires
Top 5 Best Klein Tools Multimeter
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should you use a multimeter to test your electric fence?
A specialized testing device is necessary when troubleshooting any high voltage system. This includes electric fences, which are often powered by batteries or other sources of electricity to provide their protective barrier effect.
A multimeter is an excellent tool for testing your electric fences. It has different testers that can be used depending on what type of fence it may have been designed to work with, and this way, you will know if there are any problems before they get worse.
A multimeter is an essential tool for any electric fence tester. It can measure voltage differences, current, and resistance to help you identify problems with your fences quickly.
How much voltage should my electric fence have?
It is important to note that the best voltage for fencing will depend on your cattle’s species and temperament. However, any voltage between 5,000 – 9Kv should work fine as long as these animals respect their fence.
What is good reading for an electric fence?
To ensure that your fence is functioning correctly, you will need to have readings above 2000 volts. This means all livestock should be reading at least 4000 volts and horses even higher than this amount to feel safe and stay healthy while on the other side of their enclosure! As we travel away from any energizer sources along our route of measurement, there should generally decline gradually with lower voltage levels until eventually reaching zero just before reaching National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standards which are required by law if no fences exist around cars both inside or outside garages.”
Common Reason Why An Electric Fence Is Weak
Solutions for the most prevalent electric fencing issues include properly grounding your energizer and rods. This will ensure that it can reach its total capacity, which could prevent occurrences such as short circuits or flips when one side is poorly connected with metal objects Important: You should place three eight-foot long ground wires on each rod so they are at least 10 feet apart from each other before connecting them tightly.
Now that you know how to test an electric fence, I’m confident that this is a task best left up to professionals. But don’t worry because we’re here at Fence America, so if any problems arise or questions about our product line – give us a call.