PS5 SOLAR Fence Energizer (4V)

Not every fence can reach a power outlet. This compact Patriot energizer runs off a small solar panel and an internal rechargeable battery, so you can keep a garden, a chicken run or a small pen hot without running a cord to the barn. Set it on a post where the sun reaches it and it does the work.

Output is 0.05 joules with 0.07 stored, rated for up to 2 miles of fence or about 8 acres. The all-in-one body is fully portable, so it can move from the garden to the coop as the season changes, and the flashing light shows the fence is still powered when you walk past.

Highlights

• Solar powered with an internal rechargeable 4V battery
• Rated for up to 2 miles of fence or about 8 acres
• Compact all-in-one body that moves where you need it
• Built for keeping small pests out and small animals in
• Flashing light shows the fence is powered
• One-year full replacement warranty with lightning included

Why a solar energizer

A solar energizer earns its keep where running power is a hassle. A garden at the back of the lot, a coop out past the pasture gate or a pen in the far corner of the yard is often too far from an outlet for a plug-in unit to make sense.

A hot wire also teaches a pest to leave the fence alone. Small nuisance animals learn quickly that the wire bites, which is the whole point of an energizer on a garden or a coop. The solar unit suits a backyard gardener, a flock keeper with a small run, a first-time small-animal owner and anyone who wants a fence that doesn't depend on the power company.

At a glance

How to use it

Mount the panel where it catches sun most of the day, and keep trees, the barn roof and the fence itself from shading it. A panel in the shade is the usual reason a solar energizer goes quiet, so check placement before you blame the unit.

Hook up the fence wire and the ground as the printed instructions show. Keep grass and weeds off the wire, because vegetation touching the line drains the pulse and weakens the far end of the run.

Keep the unit clean and the panel free of dust and leaves, since a dirty panel takes in less sun.

Good to know

• Pair it with a fence tester so you can check the pulse at the far end of the run, not just at the energizer.
• Give the unit a sunny spot rather than a shady corner, so the battery gets topped up every day.
• Keep the receipt. The one-year full replacement warranty covers lightning, which is a real help if a storm takes out the unit.

About Patriot

Patriot energizers and accessories come from Datamars Livestock, a division of the global company Datamars. The line draws on more than 70 years of electric fence experience, and the company aims to give farmers tools to manage their livestock better.

Set it up before the garden goes in, so the first tender shoots get a fence that works.