Topic overview
A well-grounded pasture fence has low resistance and is therefore susceptible to lightning strikes. Without lightning protection, lightning would strike through the conductor material via the fence connection into the pasture fence unit and, as a result of overvoltage, destroy it and possibly the house electronics behind it.
In addition to the possible material damage, the herding safety of your fenced-in animals can be significantly impaired in the event of a power failure. Therefore, the installation of a lightning protection system on your pasture fence system is also a considerable advantage for insurance reasons.
By using a lightning protection choke, a lightning strike to the pasture fence unit is warded off and diverted into the ground.
The lightning protection choke is mounted between the fence system and the electric fence unit and diverts the overvoltage caused by the lightning strike directly further into the earth. Since the coil of a lightning protection choke represents too great a resistance for the lightning and thus blocks the flow, it looks for another path and flows off to earth via the so-called spark gap.
Mounting and installation tips:
The lightning protection choke should be installed as close as possible to the earth. Using high-voltage insulated supply cables, the lightning protection is connected to the pasture fence unit and the conductor material. The lightning protection is also connected to the earth/ground stake via an earth cable. It should be noted that the lightning protection and the electric fence unit are connected to one and the same earthing system.
Regulation according to VDE:
Electric fence devices for supplying electric fence systems on pastures must not be placed in rooms with a fire hazard such as barns, threshing floors and stables. To prevent lightning damage, a lightning protection device must be installed in the fence supply line before it is introduced into the building.
When earthing the pasture fence unit, a minimum distance of 10 m from other earthing systems (e.g. house earthing) must also be maintained in order to prevent the voltage from flashing over in the event of a lightning strike. The distance between the earthing of the electric fence unit and the lightning protection system should also be 10 m.