How to Install an Invisible Dog Fence
By Gene and Katie Hamilton
Tools Required
- Sledgehammer
- Hand or power
lawn edger
- Circular saw
- Caulking gun
- Utility knife
- PVC pipe
- Square-edged spade
- Screw driver
Materials Required
- Electronic fence kit
(transmitter,collar/receiver,
battery, antenna wire
and boundary flags)
- Graph paper
- Masonry anchors
and screws
- Masonry circular saw blade
- Work gloves
- Kneepads
- Safety glasses or goggles
- Copper grounding rod
- Grounding clamp
- Green insulated or bare
#12 (min.) conductor (wire)
- Insulating splice
wire connectors
- Electrical tape
- Silicone caulk
- Crack patching
compound/caulk
Before You Begin
Below are the steps involved to make the installation. Not sure you want to do the job? Click here to
Home Advisor, a free referral service that connects homeowners with prescreened local contractors, and type "electronic pet fence" in their Find Pro search box.
Step 1 : Determine the layout
Make a layout sketch of the yard on graph paper or use a planning guide from the fence system manufacturer. Decide where to lay the invisible fence so your pet can run free. Plan the design so the transmitter is located on an outside wall of the house near an electrical receptacle. Choose a location -- such as a basement wall -- that's protected from the weather and not subject to freezing temperatures.
The antennawire runs in one unbroken loop starting and ending at the transmitter, forming the boundary perimeter. Follow the manufacturer's advice on location of a grounding rod and warnings about not burying the wire near metal fences or with other wire that might interfere with signal transmission.
Step 2 : Install the transmitter
Mount the transmitter on the inside of an exterior house wall near an
electrical receptacle. There may be external mounting holes or you may
need to remove a housing to reveal the mounting holes. Use wood screws on
a frame house and masonry anchors on brick or stone. Depending on the
location, you may need to drill a small hole through the wall for the
grounding and antenna wires.
Step 3 : Ground the system
If grounding is required, attach one end of a ground wire to the grounding
terminal on the transmitter. Drive a copper grounding rod at least 3 feet
into the ground with a sledgehammer or follow manufacturer's directions.
Leave a few inches of the rod above grade and attach a ground clamp to the
rod and grounding wire to the clamp.
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