Any Invisible Fence experts?

[Wade Lippman]

I ran short on wire while installing an invisible fence (actually an Innotech brand).

The wire comes on 500' spools for $26. It is PE insulated 20 gauge wire. HD had it for that price, but they also had regular 14 gauge wire for $12. The clerk said it would work just as well. The manual says you have to use really fancy waterproof connectors for splices. The clerk said would cheap gel-filled connectors would work just as well.

Any comments before I stick it in the ground? (What is normal insulation, PVC?)

(I only needed about 200' of wire, and I figure I might someday use the 300' of 14 left over, but would never use the 20)

[C.J.]

My "Dogwatch" system was installed with #14 THHN stranded, about 1,000 feet overall. While moving some boulders around with a backhoe I unearthed/broke the wire in one spot, and a year later an errant town snowplow tore up about

30 feet of curbing along with about 30 feet of wire. Both time, I spliced it together with nothing more than a wire nut and some tape, as directed by the guy who installed it. No problems.

[Noble Pepper]

The biggest difference is going to be how long the stuff will last underground. Nylon and PVC (yes, that is what is on most "regular" wire at HD)has a reputation of deteriorating over time underground but it would likely last 5-10 years, PE will hold up much longer underground, for pratical purposes forever. That said, most USE (UL & NEC rated for underground) is PVC, so it can't be too bad.

You most likely will have to repair the wire because of digging or other damage before it deteriorates.

I would stay fairly close to the same gauge maybe 18 or 16, but 14 would probably work fine. Smaller is usually cheaper too. See if you can find MTW, it is available in smaller sizes than THHN or other building wire. Protecting splices is a VERY good idea underground, adhesive filled heat shrink would be my choice.

[Randy Calhoun]

Dont you see, they're all invisible here.

[Dave Gower]

"Wade Lippman" wrote

I've used a couple of crimp connectors sealed with silicone sealant. Worked fine for the past 3-4 years.

[Noble Pepper]

The biggest difference is going to be how long the stuff will last underground. Nylon and PVC (yes, that is what is on most "regular" wire at HD)has a reputation of deteriorating over time underground but it would likely last

5-10 years, PE will hold up much longer underground, for pratical purposes forever. That said, most USE (UL & NEC rated for underground) is PVC, so it can't be too bad.

You most likely will have to repair the wire because of digging or other damage before it deteriorates.

I would stay fairly close to the same gauge maybe 18 or 16, but 14 would probably work fine. Smaller is usually cheaper too. See if you can find MTW, it is available in smaller sizes than THHN or other building wire. Protecting splices is a VERY good idea underground, adhesive filled heat shrink would be my choice.

[Brian O]

insulation,

If this is the kind of fence that is used to keep pets near the house, one thing you need to know. It will mess up any AM radio reception that you have. You may want to test the unit before buying it. B