How to Find Broken Underground Fence

Dog owners, who have installed an underground fence, are often worried about the transmitter not functioning as it’s supposed to. After all, it is a non-functional electric fence and can put their pet in potential danger.

Before digging any deeper, there’s one main question to ask: how is the transmitter behaving?

If the transmitter isn’t responding at all, it may be broken or malfunctioning. However, if the transmitter is constantly or intermittently beeping, that indicates a broken wire about the fence perimeter.

Repairing the break in the wire will certainly require some fixing time, but locating the break is probably the biggest concern and challenge. Some people are lucky enough to identify the break straightway, whereas others have a long and tedious journey.

How to Find Broken Underground Dog Fence

Here are a few ways to help you locate the broken wire in an invisible fence.

Transmitter Testing

The first step requires you to find out whether the system or the wire is compromised. Check the transmitter to see if it’s beeping. If it is, then there’s definitely a problem with the wiring. However, if you notice that your transmitter has no lighting or surge protection, there are probably issues in the transmitter itself. For instance, it may have been damaged due to electrical fluctuation. Never directly embark on your quest to search for a break in your underground fence, as it will be a waste of time and labor.

Short Loop Wire Testing

Try the short loop test to help sort things out. If your transmitter stops beeping when you’re making the short loop, there’s definitely one or more breaks in your fence wire, or the wire has a bad connection.

To try the short loop wire testing for your underground fence:

• Unplug the transmitter and join the ends of your twisted boundary wire to a single wire terminal.
• Calculate and cut a Test Wire, and connect its one end to the other Boundary Wire Terminal.
• Situate the midsection of the boundary wire, cut it, and splice it to the test wire.
• Plug in the transmitter while keeping your eye on the Loop Indicator Light to see if it is on or off. If it is on, the break is probably in the other portion of the boundary wire, and if the light doesn’t turn on, then that portion of the wire must have experienced a break.

Use of Ohmmeter

You can also employ an ohmmeter to test the continuity of an underground wire fence. You don’t have to do much; simple disconnect your cable wires and start checking straight. However, many experts suggest that the reading of an ohmmeter is usually inaccurate.

Short Circuit Returning Loop Testing

It can be pretty frustrating for dog owners to learn about a break in their electric fence buried deep underground. One tedious and costly but effective way to locate the break is to dig up all the wires. Another easier and more convenient way would be to test the pair of circuits between the transmitter and fence wire.

To follow this method, cut the wire from the fence part and join them together so that the radio signals go back to the transmitter. If the transmitter stops beeping completely, then count the underground wire as break-free. In case they don’t, you will have to dig up the entire way to get it checked.

Final Word – How to Find Broken Underground Fence

Although it is tough to test underground fence wires through the visual checking method, don’t worry! The way above will help guide you on how to find a broken underground fence so that you can repair it and safely let your dog out in the backyard again!