NOTE:  When properly designed and installed, an electric security fence is the least expensive, safest, and most secure method for securing the perimeter of a property, lives, and especially most livestock when compared to walls, other types of fences, human guards, and watch dogs. The fence does NOT sleep. The fence CANNOT be bribed. The fence does NOT require food or water. A well designed electric fence has more deterrence value than a guard with a sawed off shotgun or a snarling pit bull.

A well designed electric fence around your perimeter is the most "cost effective" method of securing property or pasture, as well as the most effective.

1. COST:  consider that any cost is too expensive if the fence is ineffectual, or just doesn't work. So then, you have to have, at the least, a minimally effective design, to justify the cost, or it isn't worth doing at all. Do it right, or don't bother.

   The "Sensor - Alarm" assures the integrity of your perimeter electric fence. It will alert you to voltage drop from weeks, brush, grass and that it is time for cleaning your fence.

   The "Sensor - Alarm" assures the integrity of your perimeter electric fence by providing an ALARM from voltage loss, from "cut", "shorts", or breaks in your fence.

   An Electric Security Fence around your perimeter can be designed to keep out predators, thieves, trespassers, vandals and disease. A well designed electric fence will keep your livestock safe and safely confined.

2. EFFECTIVENESS: An electric fence design to keep livestock penned in (or out) is no different. A simple wire or tape around the pasture or livestock enclosure is only done for a temporary enclosure. A more permanent enclosure requires the same design considerations as you would for security (although simpler). Security for your expensive livestock should be a prime consideration.

   An Electric Security Fence is designed to protect property, livestock, production, manufacturing, property, and lives. Every situation is different, but there are also some considerations that are the same, no matter who, what, or where.

   When designing your electric security fence, keep in mind the above statements and each individual item that applies. Also to "keep out" or to "keep in" or both are valid considerations.

   3. SECURE: The smallest effective fence extension for walls or chain-link fence for security consists of 4 strands where the top and alternate strands are connected to earth ground with the alternate strand to be charged The reason for 2 charged strands is to provide a security loop. You make the connections or the fence energizer to the outgoing wire and return on the other strand to be able to monitor the voltage and status of the fence. This ability to monitor the fence status and fence voltage is a critical factor on any electric fence

4. MINIMAL: The smallest effective fence extension for livestock consists of 2 strands. The reason for 2 charged strands is to provide a security loop around the perimeter. You make the connections or the fence energizer to the outgoing wire and return on the other strand to be able to monitor the voltage and status of the fence. This ability to monitor the fence status and fence voltage is still the critical factor on any electric fence. However, if you use a single strand (1 conductor) then the "sensor - alarm" should be connected to the farthest end of the fence from the high voltage charger.

   However, if you connect both the outgoing and returning ends to the charger around the perimeter, then, even if cut, the high tensile wire is charged from both ends, and you will not be able to detect a break or short in your fence. Perimeter Security is then compromised. 

   The more secure design is, the returning high tensile wire is connected only to 
a high voltage monitor and alarm. It is mistakenly thought that it is best to connect the fence energizer to both ends of the fence conductor. This might be true if NO fence monitoring device is used.

   Therefore all electric security fences should have an even number of charged High tensile/voltage strands. EX: 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. strands around the perimeter. To provide a secure perimeter fence of any type the strands should be interconnected in an alternating fashion to provide a singe loop that is charged from one end and monitored from the far end.

   A voltage monitor attached to the very end of the charged loop will sound and alarm or siren if the wire is cut or shorted making a voltage loss. A more sophisticated electric fence monitor will also alert you to a lowered voltage to indicate the weeds and brush need to be cleared from your fence.  Although very few petty thieves will attempt to cut through the perimeter fence, the fence/voltage monitor makes the electric security perimeter fence into a very effective alarm sounding security device when tampered with. 

   If the fence is designed to make it very difficult to pass without a resultant shock, and when coupled with a voltage fence monitor becomes an extremely effective security system. The final determination will always be a balance to whether the additional level of security is worth the added cost of a voltage monitor.

   Grounded Strands: the high tensile strands should alternate with grounded strands. The grounded strands should be insulated exactly like the high tensile strands. If all the strands are insulated, the fence is perceived as much more lethal, and therefore becomes much more effective. If an intruder actually decides to cut a wire, not knowing which are grounded strands and which are charged strands makes the fence retain a higher security rating.

   A fence is designed with 3 or more strands. Usually, the top strand and the bottom strand are charged, however, there are some cases where a 4th grounded strand is added as the topmost strand to help ward of falling foliage, fronds, etc to help prevent the plants from shorting out the high tensile strands and creating "false alarms". 

   If the electric fence is constructed from ground level, then the bottom strand may be a grounded strand to prevent weeds and grass from shorting out the High tensile/voltage circuit. However, a concrete footer is a better design option with the bottom strand to be charged. 

Back to top

INSTALLING THE EQUIPMENT:


   The components of your system should be installed and mounted inside and out of sight and LOCKED out of reach from unauthorized people.

NOTE: Make sure the fence charger switch is turned to the OFF position. Connect the battery charger to the battery and plug the battery charger into the utility voltage so that the battery is being continuously charged. Make sure that the battery charger is "current limited" or of the type that can be continuously connected to your battery without over-charging the battery. 

   Now connect your Earth Ground System  and all your ground return wires together, and then make the connection to ground connection on the fence charger. Use a minimum sized wire of 14 AWG or larger, in either solid copper or galvanized steel and make the connections with appropriate connectors. The most common cause of voltage failure or loss, is a poor ground or earth ground connection.

   Make sure you have a sufficient "earth ground" network. Always use a minimum of 2 ground rods 3 or more meters apart, and additional ground rods at least every 100 meters (300 feet) around the perimeter. Do NOT connect the fence energizer ground to any household ground such as water pipes, well casings, etc. This could cause a dangerous condition in the case of lightening strikes on the fence strands.

   Finally make your high voltage connection to the perimeter fence using an appropriate connector with high tensile or spark plug wire with an insulation rating capable of carrying the high voltage with a large enough safety factor. When you run the high tensile wire to the fence charger make sure the high voltage wire is not laying on the ground, and is not running through water, and is not placed across sharp corners. Many installations use standard (14AWG solid) single strand wire fed through 1 or more thick wall plastic hoses.

   If you have purchased a fence monitor connect the end of your high voltage charged loop to the high voltage terminal on the monitor using the same high tensile wire that you used to connect the charger to the fence. Connect the Earth Ground System to the ground terminal of the monitor, or if desired connect to a solid earth ground network used only by the monitor.

   The fence monitor will continuously monitor the voltage on the fence. If an intruder cuts a wire, the fence monitor will close a set of contacts that can be reported to a monitoring facility and/or activate a siren alarm. On the more sophisticated monitors,  the grass, weeds, or brush when grown and partially shorts out the fence and lowers the high voltage, a separate alarm will be given to alert you that the fence should be checked and cleared.

   We strongly recommend a separate battery to power the monitor and siren, bell, or whatever alarm notification is connected to the fence monitor. The small extra cost of a small 12 volt battery that will feed your monitor and devices raises the perimeter security rating of your system at least another notch higher on the security rating scale.

   A High Voltage fence charger/energizer with a voltmeter that will also continuously monitor the voltage on the fence is a super "backup" device. If a branch or foliage is laying across the high tensile wire, and partially shorting it out, the fence voltage will drop and will indicate on the voltmeter on the energizer.

   We recommend that you check your fence at least once a week. Plant foliage, or branches or fronds laying across the high tensile wire might not reduce the voltage on the meter when dry, but foliage becomes a conductor when wet and might easily short out your system completely reducing the fence voltage to almost zero when soaked from rain.

   EFFECTIVENESS:  When considering the design of the electric fence, look at what is already being used. The coiled barbed wire and barbed wire strands that top off most fences are meant to look hurtful and difficult to get over and around. Also the broken glass that is embedded on the top of many walls needs to be plainly visible to be truly effective, and works because it is visible and makes it more difficult for a trespasser to scale the wall, so that hopefully the trespasser will bypass this property and pick another house or property to break into, where it is easier to gain access.

   A wall or fence is just a device that defines your property line, and sometimes provides some privacy. Any wall or fence can be easily scaled. And if you make the walls higher, the intruder uses a pole or ladder or tree and climbs over. There are many ways that even a very high wall can be scaled and breached. 

   Dogs are one of the more effective methods that will provide an alarm. However if the dog is tied or caged, then it is only able to provide noise, which is effective only if someone is there to hear the barking. Dogs can be poisoned; require care, feeding and sleep. In contrast, an electric security fence deters someone from even trying to trespass and a 2 meter electric fence is more effective than a 6-8 meter high wall and never sleeps and can provide alarm if tampered with.

   When a thief or trespasser picks a house or property to rob, they will invariably pick a target that is easy to gain access to, and they will pick a target that offers the least risk and exposure to themselves. A well designed electric security fence will virtually eliminate all petty theft and trespassers. They won't even try to gain access.

   NOTE:  The primary object of an electric security fence around your perimeter is NOT to shock the intruder or trespasser in the process of scaling your fence or wall, but to persuade the intruder that it is not worth the trouble to try to get onto your property in the first place. Let the thief go to another house that is an easier target for him. 

   Stop the intruder from trying to trespass onto your property before he even attempts. If he suspects that your fence is a bluff, a very few might touch the charged wires and the resultant shock will completely convince them otherwise. Even if the trespasser suspects that the voltage is non-lethal he will not be sure, and he will be quick to try a different property. This is why the lethal look of the fence is just as, and even more important than the fact that the fence is actually charged. People are scared of electricity. People can't see electricity. If people perceive that the fence is dangerous, then it becomes effective.

   Every municipal and local government ordinance that is available for review, require warning signs. The average spacing is approximately every 10 meters or less. The government unit requires warning signs from a liability perspective, but it has been shown that these signs, by themselves, are as effective as the fence itself in keeping out trespassers even when, or if the fence is turned off. When you have a lethal looking fence combined with warning signs the fence now becomes almost totally effective is stopping passage through or over the fence. (NOTE: there is absolutely NO device or method devised that has proven to be 100% effective)

   The warning signs take a lightly designed fence and transform it into a most lethal looking fence. Keep in mind that the electric fence is completely non-lethal and not dangerous to the smallest most vulnerable animal. The fence will administer a stinging and most unpleasant feeling shock, but will not physically harm an animal, child, or adult. So you need to understand, that the fence is an elaborate bluff, that will slap their wrist hard if someone chooses to ignore it.

   Because of the non-lethal action of the electric fence, the legal liability exposure is very small, however, warning signs about every 10 meters or so, in plain sight, as close to eye level as possible, minimize the legal liability exposure to almost nothing.

   If you were to plug your fence into the wall outlet/receptacle then you might indeed kill somebody. Your liability exposure is extreme. Your insurance will NOT cover you. Wall voltage is not only dangerous, but mostly not effective. At 220 volts, dry cement, and rubber slippers will insulate you from a shock, however, if someone accidentally comes in contact with an electrical ground they may easily be killed.

   Dry ground combined with insulated footwear is why 10,000 volts is used, so as to carry the shock through the ground and the footwear. The high voltage pulse technology is what makes it both painful and still non-lethal. This technology has been tested and proven for over 75 years of usage around the world. There are safety standards all over the world that when met, insure that the shock is non-lethal The pulse length is approximately 100 microseconds (0.0001 seconds) ranging up to 0.0003 seconds. If you were to use house voltage on the fence, the fence now becomes potentially LETHAL !

   Various shapes and angles are designed  into the fence which depend on the type of fence desired, keeping in mind, both the aesthetic concerns, as well as the security concern