TROUBLE SHOOTING INVISIBLE FENCE® BRAND OF CONTAINMENT SYSTEM

Trouble Shooting Question

Invisible Fence® Brand system has power and the indicator for the loop is on with no alarm sounding but I don't have any signal at the perimeter. What is wrong?

All brands of systems have an indicator light which tells you if your system loop shows continuity (doesn't have a break in the line). This could be a simple light that goes out if there is a break or it could include a number of flashing lights and beeping or other alarms. It's easy to tell when this happens simply by checking those indicators. But what happens if all the indicators are functioning and from addressing the transmitter unit it appears you should have a functioning system but the collar receiver fails to activate when placed in the perimeter zone as it would normally. Here is the protocol we use professionally when diagnosing this problem.

Always first check your field width adjustment to make sure it has not been turned down before proceeding.

• Remove the loop wires at the transmitter.  When you remove the wires the loop indicator light should go out or flash red or however your system indicates a break alarm.  This affirms your alarm indicators are operating correctly.
• Insert a short piece of wire jumping the two terminals together. (A foot of wire is plenty or even a metal paper clip opened up making a jumper)  This is often called a “Short loop test”.  You simply have to jump the two terminals together.  When this is accomplished your alarm should stop and loop indicator should show operational.
• Place your collar receiver next to this short loop and it should activate.  You will hear the receiver collar beeping and/or it will cause a test light to illuminate.  You have confirmed that both the system and receiver collar are operational so the problem lies beyond these.
• Next would be to check your inline lightning or surge protector if you have one.  This can be done by removing your short loop from the transmitter, reconnecting the loop wires and do a “short loop test” on the outgoing, field, or loop terminals of the lightning or surge module. Repeat the collar test there.

Once completed this will leave only three more possibilities where the problem could be.

The most common problem would be that you have a wire break but something is allowing enough continuity to occur in your perimeter loop as to not activate the alarm. This could be a bad splice, partial break, or it could be a regular break that is in wet or moist soil which is providing enough continuity to fool the alarm.  I've seen this occur with the wire broken and separated several feet laying on wet ground.  Our DFNA 1016 locator (Invisible Fence® Brand system)will find this problem with ease.

The other two possibilities are extremely uncommon but do occur so I will mention them.

One could be your transmitter unit has shorted or malfunction and is only producing a very limited signal strength.

Second could be a short between the two wires in your twisted or parallel pair which generally lies between your transmitter and your perimeter. If these two wire get cut or exposed and the conductors contact each other it will short your signal essentially stopping the signal from going beyond that point.

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERT

Fault Locator
Finally a true RF-null fault locator that is cost effective
Read more.......

 

Locating a Break
Invisible Fence® Brand wire break locating with the DFNA locator
Read more...

Replacement Collar
DFNA's very own urethane covered nylon webbing electronic system....
Read more...