Electrified Fence Idea

[Adey65]

Please excuse my ignorance on ths topic, I know very little about the subject. My plan is to install wooden fence posts along two sides of my garden and fit angled timber pieces to the top of the posts (like a cat frame bracket) and then run 2 or 3 (whichever you think best) pieces on pollywire along the angled pieces of timber, using offset insulators to keep it away from the timber.

I know I'll need the following.
Energizer around 1.5 juel (this is to deter foxes)
Pollywire
Offset insulators
Earth stakes (will I need one for each strand of wire?)

What else do I need? I'm guessing connectors or jumpers.

I intend to start at the bottom of my garden by the house as that's where the power is, and I will have to use and outdoor extension for the energizer power. The wires will then run up the side and around the corner to the left along the top of the garden. This is not a big garden, roughly 10m x 8m.

If anyone can tell me the best way to do this, I would be really grateful. I understand about ensuring nothing touches the wires, such as branches or twigs.

I have never had trouble with foxes, but they are around the area occasionally at night, so I would like to have peace of mind.

 

[DobieLover]

Energizer around 1.5 juel

You want to make sure you are looking at the joule output rating, not the stored rating. There are inherent inefficiencies with the transformers in the energizers as well as resistance in the line (the wires touching anything that is grounded). I use a 10,000 volt/1.6 Joule output charger but I have black bears around that I need to keep out in addition to mink and fishers, racoons, bobcat, coyote, fox and the neighbors rotten dogs.

Just because you haven't seen a specific predator in your area does not mean they are not present as most are nocturnal. If your area could have a specific predator that you have not seen, plan to protect against it as chickens have a way of bringing them in.

I charge 42" poultry netting. I jumpered together three 164' nets with an extra support post between every post on the net. It's been up and running for over 7 years with zero losses to ground predators.

Earth stakes (will I need one for each strand of wire?)

Your entire fence will be comprised of a single polystrand that you loop from row to row to form the individual strands. If you run one strand at each row, leave several feet on all of them at the same end so you can twist them all tightly together to jumper them.

What else do I need? I'm guessing connectors or jumpers.

You will need leadout wire and connectors for the wire to run from the energizer to the ground rods and another to the fence and you will need them to carry current under any gates in the fence.

ensuring nothing touches the wires, such as branches or twigs.

and grass and you. I perform fence maintenance about 5 times during the season (when snow hasn't grounded it out and I have to lock up the birds in their run and turn off the fence).

Remember that a predator will use its nose first to investigate something. You want that. So you need to place strands of the fence at the nose height of the predators you want to keep out. You mention fox but the smaller predators like those in the mink family can be far more devastating and harder to stop so you will need some strands down low for them.

You also need to make sure that when the predator makes contact with the fence, at least one of its feet is still on the ground or their body will not complete the circuit and deliver the shock.

I have two 8 ft 1/2" copper ground rods driven into the ground about 4 or 5 feet from my energizer. The ground there is damp to wet year round and it is a very strong ground for the fence. I also used a piece of leadout wire to jumper the rods together.

 

[Adey65]

You also need to make sure that when the predator makes contact with the fence, at least one of its feet is still on the ground or their body will not complete the circuit and deliver the shock.

Oh. As my wires will be attached to fence posts 6 feet or so in the air, when a fox touches it won't it have any affect as its feet won't be on the ground? Or am I missing something.

 

[DobieLover]

Oh. As my wires will be attached to fence posts 6 feet or so in the air, when a fox touches it won't it have any affect as its feet won't be on the ground? Or am I missing something.

Correct. It will be completely useless to keep any foxes out. You can buy insulators that you can hammer in along the post at the various heights you need.

 

[Adey65]

Correct. It will be completely useless to keep any foxes out. You can buy insulators that you can hammer in along the post at the various heights you need.

What I want is to stop them climbing the fence and jumping over as my girls free range. That's that idea out the window then.

 

[DobieLover]

What I want is to stop them climbing the fence and jumping over as my girls free range. That's that idea out the window then.

If the strands are down low where the fox will give them a sniff before attempting to climb, it will get the correction of its life, spin on a dime and take off in the opposite direction never to return to get that treatment again. It will be very effective if set up correctly.

 

[Adey65]

If the strands are down low where the fox will give them a sniff before attempting to climb, it will get the correction of its life, spin on a dime and take off in the opposite direction never to return to get that treatment again. It will be very effective if set up correctly.

It would climb the fence from.my neighbors yard and then into mine.I want to deter the latter part.

 

[Adey65]

How about a hot/ground system. Would that work?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It would climb the fence from.my neighbors yard and then into mine.I want to deter the latter part.

That makes it a lot harder. You would have to set it up so the fox would touch both the ground and the hot at the same time. My thought would be to raise the height of your fence by about 40 cm (16 inches) or more using wire mesh and make that wire mesh your ground. Put the hot wire at the top with insulators.. Since it is a common fence you might want to chart with your neighbor about that. Not sure what your local laws are, would they caused an issue?

I'm not sure what country you are in. Since you use meters it is not the USA. Try contacting a supplier (or manufacturer) and chat with them about it. They have probably solved this problem.

 

[Echelontheory101]

I have black bears around that I need to keep out in addition to mink and fishers, racoons, bobcat, coyote, fox and the neighbors rotten dogs.

I have this exact same list of issues, especially the last one. Do you mind sharing the link or names of the energizer and fencing you use? And I also get alot of snow here, if I understand correctly you're saying you lift the fence in the winter so the snow doesn't ground it out correct? I assume same for leaf litter and whatnot if I'm running it through a tree line? Is your energizer solar or do you run power to it?

Sorry for all the questions, I've been researching electric fences and they seem more complicated than I had initially assumed or i just havent found an explanation yet that clicks in a way my brain understands haha.