Electric Fencing FAQ's
Which energiser would suit me best?
This would depend on several factors.The length of the fence is
the main consideration and how long it could potentially be in
the future would help determine the size of the energiser. Factors
to consider when choosing between a mains and a battery powered
energiser would include How close your electric fence is to a
power point and whether or not you wish to take the power out
to the fence with insulated cable. Whether the fence is temporary
or a permanent fence and how mobile it needs to be as a perimeter
fence would be permanent but one used for strip grazing would
have to be very mobile.
Can I use a car battery with my energiser?
Yes you can but this is not recommended as car batteries
and leisure batteries are quite different. A car battery will
give out a lot of power in the first few days but then lose power
gradually over the subsequent weeks and the fence will be less
effective until the battery is finally flat. They will need to
be charged more often and charging a battery while it still has
some charge in it will lower the life expectancy of the battery
itself. A leisure battery has a 'deep discharge' whereby it gives
out a constant output for weeks on end and will lose it's last
amount of power over a few days until it has completely discharged.
These batteries often have warning lights on them to alert you
of their current charge level.
Can I make my 12v battery last longer between
recharges?
Yes. Batteries will always very slowly discharge to earth even
when they are sitting on the grass so if your able to keep them
up then so much the better. By having the battery sitting on a
short length of plywood which itself is on a couple of blocks
of wood, then the battery's charge will last that little bit longer.
Why don't you sell leisure batteries?
They are full of acid and few carriers wish to transport them
(and those that do charge a lot) therefore we usually refer people
to their nearest caravan / camping retailer or sometimes a local
garage where they stock them.
Why should I buy an electric fence rather
than a standard fence?
Electric fencing is cheaper and needs less maintenance and it
is also an entirely different type of barrier. While a conventional
fence is a physical barrier to an animal, an electric fence becomes
a phychological barrier as the animal receives a shock and is
becomes aware that that it is unpleasant to cme in contact with
it.
Will an electric fence be okay for horses?
Yes. Electric fencing is preferred when fencing in horses as they
learn to respect it very quickly and they will keep away from
it. Neither will a horse rub against the fence possibly bringing
harm to itselfand the fence.
Can I energise the the length of barb on
the top of my existing fence?
Definately not. As barbed wire can snag on an animal hair or skin,
it could cause injury if it were to be electrified as the animal
would jerk away from the electric fence when it received a shock
and any hair or skin in contact with the barb could be damaged.
Foxes are getting to my chicken netting
via my gate
Rather than get a electrified gate which can be very flimsy, it's
best to use a flashing night light to deter the foxes. Just attach
to the electric netting with one end, stick the prong ing the
ground and the tiny lights flicker at night enough to spook the
fox.
My electric fence isn't very powerful in
summer. What might be the problem?
An earthing fault is the most likely cause. In drier weather the
electric fence current finds it harder to return to the energiser
and complete the circuit than when it's wet. When installing an
electric fence it's best to try and position the earth stake in
an area that is unlikely to dry out in summer. Sink another earth
stake into the ground a couple of metres away from the first and
connect via 'lead-out' cable.
Why can't I use an old length of steel for
my earth stake?
Earth stakes for electric fencing are always galvenised
so that they don't corrode underground as the rust would soon
inhibit the current returning to the energiser making the electric
fence less effective.
If someone touches the fence, will they
be locked on to it?
No. the pulse is every second or so and lasts only a
fraction of a second so the snap an animal feels causes a momentary
jerk and the current is off. Anybody touching it is not going
to get a reflex which holds them to the wire - that only happens
in cartoons!
If my energiser breaks, can it be repaired?
Yes. Very rarely energisers go wrong. We'd only had two in the
past two years with one being a lightening strike and the other
became submerged. Both were sent off and had new circuitry installed
and are back in operation. New circuitry is not something we carry
as standard as the brands we stock are some of the best and most
reliable on the electric fencing market.
What about solar panels, why don't you sell
them?
Solar panels are available for electric fencing but there are
two types. There are the ones which are advertised as being for
'3 season use' which are effectively reliable in summer, competant
in spring & autumn and unreliable in winter. These range in
price from around £40 to £100 and will not give peace
of mind that your fence has an adequate charge. The other type
are very good and are built to a high specification but they will
start off at around £200 and go up to £400. They are
very good and reliable but most people have an old car battery
they can charge up and install overnight while the leisure battery
is taken in for a recharge.
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