Electric Fence Information & News

Faults (shorts) in the fence can reduce its effectiveness and may also cause other problems, such as interference on telephone lines or internal connections. Causes for faults may include: vegetation touching the live wires, broken wires or insulators, poor grounding, corroded metals in the fence line, poor connections, poor insulation, etc. Checking your fence regularly using a voltmeter is important in order to maintain an effective, problem-free electric fence installation.Tips: When using the digital voltmeter to find faults, isolate sections of the fence line with Patriot cut-out switches. Finding a Fault Using the Patriot Digital Voltmeter Electrical current flows toward a...

A temporary electric fence works well for maintaining a small number of livestock for relatively short periods of time. The fence can be quickly constructed and moved as often as needed. Temporary electric fences are terrific choices for cattle and horses. They are sufficient for sheep and goats, but require more work and greater attention to detail (i.e., wire spacing, available posts, line tension, etc.). Temporary electric fences are also excellent for overnight trail rides to control horses and on camping trips to keep unwanted animals away from your camp site.   Fence Posts Temporary electric fences are generally constructed...

Animal Considerations CONTAINMENT MIN. FENCE VOLTAGE CHARACTERISTICS / TIPS Beef Cattle 2,000-3,000 V Bulls require a higher voltage as they are more aggressive. Dairy Cattle 2,000 V If kept seperately, calves and heifers require lower wires and less spacing. Horses 2,000-3,000 V Intelligent, quick learners and easy to control. A fence made of politape, wire or rope is less likely to injure if a spooked horse tries to run through it. Llamas 4,000-5,000 V Llamas thick coats insulate from electric shocks requiring higher voltage. Deer and Elk 4,000-5,000 V Spook easily and jump higher than most other animals. Above head...

AC alternating current, AC (mains) power supply 110 – 120 V or 220 – 240 V. Amp unit of current. Short for Ampere. Capacitors used to store energy in the energizer (charger). Current duration and magnitude of current causes the shock of the electric fence. Increasing the voltage increases current, while increasing resistance decreases current. DC direct current, battery power supply (e.g. 12 V battery input). Fault / Short energy loss from the fence (i.e., live wire lying on the ground, vegetation growing over the fence, etc.). Ground System the rod(s) in the ground connected to the ground terminal on...

Exclusion vs. Containment Fences TRADITIONAL CONTAINMENT electric fence applications, such as those used to control cattle, horses, sheep, and goats, are primarily designed to keep these animals in a limited area. These animals are usually domesticated and are somewhat predictable. Most importantly, you are fencing these animals IN with their food source. Standard EXCLUSION fences – such as those designed to keep out bears, wolves, coyotes, deer, or feral hogs – are different from traditional electric fence applications. These animals are not domesticated, are highly unpredictable, and can be extremely dangerous. Most importantly, you are fencing these animals OUT of...