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Ohio

I have about 150 ft of some older underground telephone wire (drop wire,from pole to house) that I was thinking about running from the fence from my first patch underground (approx 100ft) to my fence on my second patch.

I was wanting to know if you think this wire is thick enough to use to run current through from my 20 mile electric fence unit? I planned on using all the wires that's in the telephone drop line, red, blue, green, yellow, black.. etc and twist them all together and then use the drop as one line. Are these wires to thin to do this with, and do you think it will work OK?

Thanks!
Brooks

4/7/2008 4:52:55 AM

Long Island,New York

Thanks Brooks. You are the reason I'm gainfully employed as a building/construction inspector for the last 25 years of so. Keep up the good work !....G

4/7/2008 6:36:09 AM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

I think that Glenn is trying to say that unpleasant things will occur if you apply 10,000 volts to wire that is designed to carry only 30 volts.

4/7/2008 9:19:35 AM

Indiana

I used extra phone line as speaker wire....LOL

4/7/2008 9:22:12 AM

anytown U.S,A,

not good brooks telephone wire is low voltage wire.

4/7/2008 9:22:31 AM

Grants Pass, Oregon

Now I understand the statement about men going first lol, woman would never think of doing that.

4/7/2008 10:12:20 AM

Oz

On the casing of the wire,you should find max voltage specs.
I do not know what the voltage is on electric fence.
The problem lies in the insulation between the two conductors.
If the insulation will not keep the current from "shorting",you will be wasting time and electricity.

The cost of electric fence wire is cheap.
The scrap value,let alone the service value,of copper phone line,would pay for the electric fence wire,and perhaps some insulators.
Find a farmer,etc,who has some electric fence wire.
Offer to trade the phone wire for the electric fence wire.
Phone wire is good for,burglar,remote phone,low voltage lighting.The "flooding" in the underground wire is sticky, and a pain to deal with.

High voltage has "properties" that low voltage does not.
It likes to "jump" to ground.Keep your conductors,even insulated wires,off of the ground.

4/7/2008 3:10:28 PM

Denver, CO

check the wire for voltage max as stated. But I understand you to say its the drop line wire, and not the telpehone wire we see in our phone cords. It can't take 10000 volts but might take what you fence has to offer. Also could use resistors to get down to a safe level but you have to know exactly what you are doing.

4/7/2008 4:55:03 PM

Pinedale, WY

Get a role of 12 gauge stranded house wire. You can get a spool of 50ft-500ft. Just get black or whatever color. That will work fine.

4/7/2008 5:09:13 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

You can buy insulated electric fence wire that is intended to be buried.

4/7/2008 5:38:53 PM

NILES , CALIF

If, your buried drop wires have the colors,red-green or yellow black, it is old. These old drops are around 16 gauge. You will need needle nose pliers to bend the ends because they are so thick. If you put power on these wires, because your dealing with old buried wires, they don't last long, they get water intrusion,through the years and they go open or create static.

4/7/2008 6:26:09 PM

Hobbiton New Zealand

Hook it up Brooks and go touch the end of the wire you will find out pretty quick if it works or not. LOL
Electric fences are fun to play with!

4/7/2008 7:35:15 PM

Utah

Brooks, Maybe you should try it around your house first... :O

4/7/2008 8:04:33 PM

Clarence, NY, USA

Brooks,

Can I have your 1400 club jacket after you fry yourself and your patch? LOL

4/8/2008 1:39:12 AM

Puyallup, WA

You people "break me up!"

4/8/2008 3:02:02 PM

Sort of Sunny Sometimes, WA

Hey Brooks. . . if you haven't done this already, would you leave your 1068 to me in your will?

4/8/2008 10:36:50 PM

Ohio

Hey! thats the reason I asked!,lol

4/9/2008 12:39:20 PM

Ohio

the wire is carring dc voltage only anyway right? Im not running the telephone line to plug my unit into a wall socket! Im using it on the output of my unit to my fence! Look how small some of the mesh wire type fencing is, there is at the most maybe 5 tiny strands of wire in the mesh the size of a human hair.

4/9/2008 12:42:59 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

I asked my son who is a electrican and he says it might last a year. But he says it's not coated for under ground use. He says to try it and test it. Just grab right a hold of it and see if you get a shock. It won't kill ya

4/9/2008 8:49:17 PM

Ohio

lol! PumpkinBrat, I ain't grabbin nuttin! I hate getting zapped with my electric fence! LOL. Couple years ago I was weed-eating around my electric fence with out a shirt on, and my sweaty shoulder touched it, Dang! it felt like someone walked up behind me and hit me with a baseball bat! It dropped me to my knees! Ha!!! Ill use the tester instead.

4/10/2008 6:58:09 AM

Buffalo, new York, USA

Brooks...Perhaps you should be wearin' your "1400 club jacket" when weed wackin' around the patch? LOL

4/11/2008 9:27:36 AM