Testing a 164-Foot Electric Net Around a Vegetable Garden with a Voltage Tester: 5,000 Volts at the Energizer, 3,000 at the Free End, and Walking the Net for Shorts

Electric netting around a vegetable garden with an energizer and digital fence tester

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On a single roll of electric netting around a garden, test the energizer alone first and look for about 5,000 volts, then test the net's free end, which sits right beside the gate but is electrically the farthest point. Hold at least 3,000 volts there; anything under 4,000 at the energizer terminals points to the energizer or battery, not the net.

How many volts should electric netting read at the far end?

Electric netting should read at least 3,000 volts at the end farthest from the energizer. Read the energizer by itself first; if it shows more than 4,000 volts with the net unhooked but the net reads low, the problem is in the net, usually grass or a strand touching a post spike.

Premier1 Supplies' Fencing FAQs guide sets a minimum of 3,000 volts at the end of the fence and 5,000 volts between the energizer terminals. With the fence unhooked, a reading under 4,000 volts means the energizer or its battery is at fault; above 4,000, the fence is the problem.

For netting, the same guide lists three faults to look for: the lowest live strand touching a post's metal spike, damaged strands touching the soil, and netting touching a wire or steel post. Kansas State University's raccoon and sweet corn advice notes that electric net kits also keep out rabbits.

Test Points on One Roll Around a Garden

Test point Pass If low
Energizer, net unhooked 5.0 kV Under 4.0 kV: energizer or battery
Free end post 3.0 kV or more Walk the net for faults
Battery, 12 V unit 12.2 V or more Recharge before testing again
Free end after fixes Back over 3.0 kV Check the ground rod next

A 36 x 44 foot garden has a 160-foot perimeter, so one 164-foot roll closes it with both end posts at the gate.

Materials and Tools

  • Electric fence voltage tester with a numeric kV readout and ground probe
  • One 164-foot roll of electric netting and a pulse-type energizer sized for it
  • A ground rod, clamp, and lead wire
  • A string trimmer and a notebook for logging readings

Testing Steps

  1. Turn off and unhook. Switch off the energizer and disconnect the fence and ground leads.
  2. Read the energizer. Turn it on, touch the tester's probe to the earth terminal and its tip to the fence terminal, and log the number.
  3. Check the battery. On a 12-volt unit, touch the battery terminals; recharge if it reads under 12.2 volts.
  4. Reconnect. Switch off, hook the fence and ground leads back up, and switch on.
  5. Go to the free end. Push the ground probe into moist soil and touch the tip to a live strand at the last post.
  6. Judge it. 3.0 kV or more passes; below that, walk the full roll.
  7. Walk the net. Look at every post for the lowest live strand touching the spike, and lift any strand sagging onto the soil.
  8. Retest. Read the free end again after each fix until it is back over 3.0 kV.

Keep the two end posts at the gate apart; the net's ends should not be clipped together into a loop.

Netting Faults on a Garden Fence

  • Tall grass pressed against the lower strands after rain
  • A sagging span on a slope, where the low strands drop to the soil
  • The net leaning on a steel T-post or an old wire fence
  • A dry ground rod, which lowers readings everywhere at once

For a non-electric barrier against rabbits, see rabbit-proofing a vegetable garden with a 24-inch hardware cloth wall. Taller deer setups are covered in testing a 5-wire polywire deer fence with a voltage tester.

Mesh sizes for permanent animal barriers are in the hardware cloth mesh size and gauge guide.

If the free end stays low after every fix, work through testing the ground rods on a garden electric fence.

FAQ

Can a fault finder show exactly where a net is shorted?

No. Premier notes it can show which net in a series is at fault, but not the exact spot inside one net.

Why not test with a screwdriver or multimeter?

A screwdriver spark doesn't measure anything, and fence voltage can damage a multimeter.

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