tania Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I've just purchased an electric fence kit and thought that all I needed was a car battery, now I'm confused by car or leisure batteries. What does everyone else use and how do you protect the battery from the wet etc.? My fencing is not near any shelter. I have been told that car batteries don't last long when not being charged by the alternator (we have got a charger) This really is a blue job I feel!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livvyshens Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 That is also my understanding about car batteries so I got a leisure battery. As it is I charge it up every 2 weeks because I am nervous about the charge dropping. I do know someone who uses a car battery and charges it up once a week. To insulate it I have taken a sort of half-way house route because I didn't want to box it in completely. It sits on a sawn off tree trunk with a plastic box leaning against the trunk and just covering the top of the battery. The idea I was aiming for was to keep the rain/snow off and allow air to circulate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finger lickin good Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 We have a solar powered battery cahrger which is made to protect the baterry from the weather and also charges it while in use. We got this as we didn't want wire trailing up the garden to the outdoor socket. been using it for a month now and not given us any problems. It was from flytes of fancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Leisure batteries do keep their charge for longer but they are more expensive. The one I have is 85 amp-hour but I only have to recharge it every 7 weeks. The smaller the amp-hour the more frequently it has to be recharged. There is a green light on my battery which when it turns black means I need to recharge it. I also have an Electric Fence Indicator Light Tube which lets me know if enough charge is going through my netting to deter Mr and Mrs Fox. Car batteries work just fine but they do need to be watched more carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 We started with car batteries but splashed out on a couple of leisure batteries as they do work better. We also have an indicator hanging off the wire. We keep one battery charging/charged and one on the fence. Ours are on a cut off of railway sleeper and have a large, dark green, plastic flower pot over the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
