Kencove Fault Finder User manual

Operator’s Manual
Fault Finder and
Fault Finder / Remote
WARRANTY INSTRUCTIONS
LIMITED WARRANTY - A Fault Finder or
Fault Finder / Remote Warranty is provided
to the original purchaser for a period of one
(1) year from the date of purchase, when
used in accordance with the operating
instructions. You must retain your receipt
for proof of purchase. This warranty covers
defects in materials and workmanship to the
Fault Finder or Fault Finder / Remote.
TERMS THAT APPLY TO THE WARRANTY
Improper installation, misuse, neglect and
tampering of any kind are NOT covered
under the Limited Warranty. Fault Finder
or Fault Finder / Remote, returned under
the Warranty will be inspected and if the
problem is determined to be the result of
neglect or abuse, then no warranty will be
applied. No warranty other than the above
is expressed or implied. Implied warranties
of merchantability and fitness for a particular
application are hereby disclaimed unless
the law specifically precludes this disclaimer.
The manufacturer and seller have no liability
for damages, incidental or consequential,
resulting from or caused by any failure,
malfunction or defect of any product.
TO MAKE A WARRANTY CLAIM -
1. Fault Finder or Fault Finder / Remote,
returned for warranty work must be
accompanied by a copy of the original
sales receipt/invoice and a note showing
the customer name, phone number, return
address (where the unit will be returned
to) and a brief description of the problem.
2. Pack product carefully in oversized carton
with crushed newspaper (or other appropriate
packing materials) for cushioning.
3. The product should be shipped PREPAID and
insured against shipping loss or damage.
4. Send warranties to:
INTRODUCTION
Depending on the model
purchased, there are 3 major
functions that the Fault Finder or
Fault Finder / Remote can perform.
1.VOLTMETER - Displays the
electric fence voltage in kilovolts
( kV ). 1kV = 1000 volts.
BENEFIT: Measuring fence voltage
helps determine the effectiveness
of the electric fence system.
2.CURRENT METER - Displays
the current in (amps) that is
flowing through the fence wire.
BENEFIT: Measuring the current
through the hot fence wire will
help locate faults (shorts) in
the fence system. Fence shorts
reduce fence energizer [shock]
effectiveness.
3.REMOTE CONTROL - Allows
the user to turn the Energizer
on-or-off from any location on
the fence. (This unique function
is only available in the Fault
Finder with “Remote” and
only works with remote-ready
electric fence Energizers).
BENEFIT: Conveniently save
time by turning the energizer
on-or-off from any location on the
fence (through the hot wire).
*FAULT FINDER SPECIFICATIONS
• Voltage range - .3 to 18 kV
• Current range - 2 to 150 amps
• Battery - 9 Volt Alkaline
*Specifications are subject to change
without notice.
PARTS AND THEIR FUNCTION
IMAGE 1
IMPORTANT: The Fault Finder or
Fault Finder / Remote does not
have a lighted display and was
not designed to work in low light
conditions. It is not recommend to
install or repair electric fencing in
low light conditions.
POWERING THE FAULT FINDER
ON-OR-OFF
ON - Press and release the Fault
Finder ( ) power button.
OFF - When turned on, the Fault
Finder will automatically turn off in
1 minute if not in use. To turn the
Fault Finder off manually, press and
hold the ( ) power button for a
few seconds.
MEASURING FENCE VOLTAGE
1.Turn the Fault Finder on.
2.Press the ( ) power button to
toggle between the volt and amp
function until the kV symbol is
displayed on the right hand side
of the display.
3.Firmly hold the Fault Finder with
your bare hand (do not wear
gloves). Pressing your thumb
firmly on top of the Fault Finder,
position your fingers to make
contact with the metal ground
plate (battery cover) on the back.
Since the Fault Finder does not
require any additional wires for
grounding, the Fault Finder relies
on your body for the ground.
Therefore, making good contact
with the metal ground plate is
important (See image 2).
4.Place the Fault Finder’s fence
hook onto the fence wire (See
image 3). Each time the energizer
pulses, a “lightning bolt” will
appear at the top of the display to
indicate a fence pulse has been
measured. The fence voltage will
then be displayed, in kilovolts (kV),
at the center of the display.
NOTE: If the “lightning bolt” is
flashing and voltage reading
is “LO”, then the voltage being
measured by the Fault Finder is
below the range of measurement.
If the “lightning bolt” is flashing
and voltage reading is “HI”, then
the voltage being measured
by the Fault Finder is above its
range of measurement.
IMAGE 2
MEASURING FENCE CURRENT
1.Turn on the Fault Finder.
2.Press the Fault Finder
( )
power button to toggle between
the volt and amp function until
the “A” symbol is displayed on
the right hand side of the display.
3.Firmly hold the Fault Finder with
your bare hand (do not wear
gloves). Pressing your thumb
firmly on top of the Fault Finder,
position your fingers to make
contact with the metal ground
plate (battery cover) on the back.
Since the Fault Finder does not
require any additional wires for
grounding, the Fault Finder relies
on your body for the ground.
Therefore, making good contact
with the metal ground plate is
important (See image 2).
4.Place the Fault Finder’s fence
hook onto the fence wire (See
image 3). Each time the
energizer pulses, a “lightning
bolt” will appear on the top of the
display to indicate a fence pulse
has been measured. The fence
current will be displayed, in amps
(A), at the center of the display.
Above the current reading an
arrow pointing to either the
left or the right will also be
displayed. These arrows indicate
the direction of the current flow
and will help to locate the faults
(shorts) in the fence.
NOTE: If the “lightning bolt” is
flashing and voltage reading
is “LO”, then the voltage being
measured by the Fault Finder is
below the range of measurement.
If the “lightning bolt” is flashing
and voltage reading is “HI”, then
the voltage being measured
by the Fault Finder is above its
range of measurement.
The current reading should not
be taken if the fault finder is in
close proximity to the energizer
as it will give inaccurate reading.
TURNING THE ENERGIZER
ON-OR-OFF
(FAULT FINDER / REMOTE ONLY)
Please check with the manufacturer
as to which Energizer is compatible
with the Fault Finder / Remote.
1.Turn on the Fault Finder / Remote.
2.Firmly hold the Fault Finder with
your bare hand (do not wear
gloves). Pressing your thumb
firmly on top of the Fault Finder,
position your fingers to make
contact with the metal ground
plate (battery cover) on the back.
Since the Fault Finder does not
require any additional wires for
grounding, the Fault Finder relies
on your body for the ground.
Therefore, making good contact
with the metal ground plate is
important (See image 2).
3.Place the Fault Finder’s fence
hook onto the fence wire (See
image 3). Fence hook to fence
wire contact is needed to
transmit the on/off signals.
OFF – press and release the ( )
OFF button and the display will
show “OFF” indicating that a
signal was sent to the Energizer.
After the signal is sent, the Fault
Finder / Remote will return to
measuring current or voltage.
ON – press and release the ( )
ON button and the display will
show “ON” indicating that a signal
was sent to the Energizer. After
the signal is sent, the Fault Finder
/ Remote will return to measuring
current or voltage.
IMPORTANT TIPS WHEN USING
THE REMOTE FEATURE:
Before removing the Remote
from the fence, always check the
voltage on the fence to ensure
the Energizer received the on-
or-off signal. The easiest way to
determine if the Energizer is on,
is to check the display for the
“lightning bolt” indicator.
If the Energizer did not turn on-or-
off, ensure that the wire being used
to send the signal is not open and is
connected to the Energizer’s hot wire.
If the hot fence wire being used is
rusted or corroded and the Remote
will not work, move to a different
fence location where the fence wire
is not rusted or corroded.
A low battery will reduce the
Remote’s ability to effectively transit
the on-off signal to the energizer.
Replace the battery if the battery
indicator is shown on the display.
IMAGE 3
- 1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4 -
- 5 - - 6 - - 7 - - 8 -
Voltage
Current
Fault
Direction
Fence
Pulse
Low
Battery
Power Button
and kV / A
Energizer
Off Button
(With Remote
Version Only)
Energizer
On Button
(With Remote
Version Only)
Fault
Direction
Battery
Cover
Belt
Clip
Fence
Hook
Kencove Farm Fence
344 Kendall Rd
Blairsville, PA 15717
1-800-536-2683

EXAMPLE A - NON-LOOPING FENCE WITH CURRENT SHARED
THROUGH BOTH WIRES
EXAMPLE C - FENCE LOOPS BACK TO ENERGIZER
SELECTING AND CHANGING THE
CHANNEL ON THE FAULT FINDER
/ REMOTE AND ENERGIZER
(FAULT FINDER / REMOTE ONLY)
By default from the factory the Fault
Finder / Remote and the Energizer
are both set to channel 1.
It is not necessary to change to a
different channel if you do not have
multiple Energizers with remote ca-
pability next to or on adjacent fences.
To select and change the channel
on the Remote and the Energizer:
1.Turn on the Fault Finder / Remote.
2.Hold the Remote next to the
Energizer and press the ( )
OFF button to put the Energizer
into standby mode. See the Ener-
gizer’s operator manual for details
as Energizer models may vary.
3.Press and hold down the ( )
power button then press the ( )
OFF button. The current channel
set in the Remote will be displayed.
Example “ch1”.
4.Press and release the ( )
OFF button to toggle through the
available channels on the Remote.
5.Once the desired channel is
displayed on the Remote hold
the Remote next to the Energizer
and press
the ( ) ON button .
The Energizer will now confirm
that the new channel has been
accepted. “See the Energizer’s
operator manual for details as
Energizer models may vary”.
NOTE: If changing the channel
on the Remote is needed to
match the channel on the
energizer, perform steps 3
through 5 without holding the
Remote next to the energizer.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE LOOKING
FOR A FAULT ON YOUR FENCE
It is important to know, when using
the Fault Finder for the first time,
that a large current reading on the
fence does not necessarily mean
that there is a critical fault on your
fence. The larger the Energizer
and the fence that is connected,
as well as vegetation on the fence,
are all factors that will increase the
current reading.
It is recommended to first go
around the perimeter of the fence
and take voltage readings at
various locations to determine the
effectiveness of your fence system.
If, at various fence locations, you
have around 3000 volts or more
it is probably not necessary to
troubleshoot your fence.
If locations on your fence measure
less than 3000 volts (depending
on the size of the Energizer),
then it is recommended that you
troubleshoot your fence. Check the
Energizer and grounding system
to ensure they are adequate for
your electric fence size. If either
the Energizer or the grounding
system is insufficient, for your
fence size, then correct this before
troubleshooting your fence. (Check
your fence Energizer manual
for details on the Energizer and
checking the grounding system).
You should check your ground
system 2 times a year, even if
the fence seems fine. The ground
system is one of the most important
aspects of your electric fence
system, since it completes the
circuit between the hot fence wire,
animal contact, and the Energizer.
UNDERSTANDING THE FENCE
CURRENT AND VOLTAGE READINGS
To understand how the Fault Finder
will help you find a fault on the
fence, it is helpful to understand the
concept of what you are measuring,
as it relates to the effectiveness of
your electric fence system.
Let’s use a water hose analogy
to understand your electric fence.
Think of the Energizer as a water
pump and the electric fence wire
as a water hose.
The Fault Finder (amp) reading
can be thought of as showing
the amount of water leaks in the
hose, with small holes (leaks), at
various locations along the hose.
All fences, even under normal
condition, will have small leaks
(fence hot to fence ground leaks).
Expect a larger fence to show
larger current readings since it will
naturally have more leaks (faults).
Using a larger Energizer will have
more flow and this causes the
fence to have bigger leaks (faults).
More flow will result in a larger
current (amp) reading.
Vegetation on the fence is also
a leak and this will also cause a
larger current reading. Common
leak locations will be grass/weeds
in contact with a hot fence wire,
tree limbs that are in contact with
a hot wire, old cracked insulators,
or any other object that comes in
contact with both the ground and
the hot fence wire.
When you are measuring the
current at the beginning of the
fence you are measuring all the
leaks (faults) in the fence. The
farther you go from the Energizer
the less the current is on the fence.
This is because you are measuring
less of the fence total leaks (faults)
the farther you walk away.
The voltage reading on the Fault
Finder can be thought of as the
amount of water in the hose. This
is why the more leaks (faults) there
are, the lower voltage reading.
This is the reason why fence
voltage can be less as you go
farther from the Energizer. The
less the voltage is on the fence is a
result of all the small leaks. (There
is less and less water in the hose.)
HOW DO YOU USE THE READING
TO FIND A FAULT ON THE FENCE?
2 TYPES OF FENCE
CONFIGURATIONS
Fence does not loop back to
the Energizer - When using the
Fault Finder in a non-looping fence
(See example A or B), the current
arrow direction is not needed to
determine the location of the fault,
and can be ignored.
Fence loops back to the
Energizer - When using the Fault
Finder with a fence that loops back
to the Energizer (See example
C), the current arrows are used to
determine the location of the fault.
In normal conditions, as you
test along a fence with no loops
or faults, the fence current will
decrease the farther you are from
the Energizer (See example A).
If you have a fence with one
or more major faults, as you
test along the fence there will be
excess amounts of current on the
fence. As you pass the point of the
fault, the current will rapidly drop.
At this point simply go backwards
on the fence and find the exact
point, where, on each side, there
is the large change in current. This
is where your fault is located (See
example B).
With a fence with loops and
faults, as you test along the fence
the current will point in the direction
of the current and as you pass
the point of the fault the current
direction will change. At this point
simply go backwards on the fence
and find the exact point, where,
on each side, there is a change in
the direction of the current. This is
where your fault is located.
REPLACING THE BATTERY
When the ( ) low battery
symbol appears on the display
it is time to replace the 9 volt
battery. For longer battery life it is
recommend using a 9 volt alkaline
type battery.
1.Remove the battery cover by
unscrewing the 2 screws on the
bottom/back metal piece of the
Fault Finder. It’s recommended
you do this over a table so you
do not lose the 2 small battery
cover screws.
2.Remove the old battery and
replace it with the new battery.
When replacing the new battery
check the polarity as shown
in the battery compartment to
ensure the battery is connected
correctly. If you must force the
battery then the polarity is most
likely reversed.
3.Put the battery cover back in
place and carefully screw in the 2
screws. Tighten the screws but
don’t apply excessive force to
prevent stripping the screw.
CARING FOR THE FAULT FINDER
/ REMOTE
• Do not leave the Fault Finder
in direct sunlight, for instance
on the dash of a vehicle. The
extreme heat may damage the
Fault Finder.
• Use only a damp cloth to clean
the Fault Finder.
• Your Fault Finder is water
resistant not water proof.
Avoid submerging the Fault
Finder in water.
• Remove the battery if the Fault
Finder is not being used for an
extended period of time. This
will prevent damage to the Fault
Finder from battery leakage.
EXAMPLE A - NON-LOOPING FENCE WITHOUT FAULTS
EXAMPLE B - FENCE WITH ONE OR MORE MAJOR FAULTS
- 9 - - 10 - - 11 - - 12 -
- 13 -
- 14 - - 15 - - 16 -
ENERGIZER
6.0
AMPS
3.0
AMPS
2.0
AMPS
1.0
AMPS
ENERGIZER
10.0
AMPS
5.0
AMPS
5.0
AMPS
1.0
AMPS
1.0
AMPS
ENERGIZER
20.0
AMPS
18.0
AMPS
3.0
AMPS
1.0
AMPS
Fault
(Short to
Ground)
ENERGIZER Fault
Indicates
Current
Direction
ENERGIZER