An electric fence is a metal wire fence that carries high voltage pulses, interfering with the movement of people and animals. Many electric fences are built to prevent animals from moving out of agricultural lands and to prevent wild animals from entering outside. But high security zones control the entry and exit of people to protected areas, such as prisons. Often such fences have higher lethal currents than agricultural electric fences.

1.An electric fence with a very high voltage is safer.

This is a completely wrong idea. About 4500V-7000V pulses is enough to cause a painful electric shock. But in Asian and African countries, high power in the range of 8500V-12000V is used to restrict the movement of wild elephants. Apart from that it is quite sufficient to use a fence with less than 7000V electricity for other animals. But for locally made energizers, transformers can be replaced by vehicle ignition coils and TV flyback coils, used in televisions. The voltage emitted by them can be as high as 20,000V to 30,000V and such an electric shock can be fatal to animals as well as humans.

2.Electrified perimeter fencing is harmful

There is a common misconception that a shock from an electric fence can injure or even kill an intruder. This information is completely false. While touching an electric fence does cause a harsh shock, the low number of amps used in the fence prevents this from being serious or deadly. As electric fences use high voltage but low amplitudes, injuries caused by them are very rare. In fact, many household objects cause more injuries than electric fences do every year.

3. The fence won’t work if there’s a power cut

Power cuts can be a nuisance when they occur, but luckily you won’t have to worry about them affecting your electric fence. Back-up generators can be used to keep the fence going. Plus, even if the fence isn’t electrified, they still work as great deterrent to keep intruders out.

4. The only way to test an electric fence is to touch it

While many people believe this fact, it has no truth behind it. If so, it would be a very unpleasant experience to check if your electric fence was working. There is a range of testers and remotes available which can inform you as to whether your fence is working and provide a current voltage reading

5.Electric fences are too expensive

As electric fences are sophisticated and use electricity, some people believe that they are expensive to run. However, electric fences run at such low amplitudes that they are very cost-effective. The electric company and fence you use will affect the cost, but ultimately electric fences are not an overly expensive investment.