Electric fence

[RalphInCA]

I’ll admit it: I grew up in the suburbs. I have zero idea about, but an incredible amount of respect for, farm life.

For some of you this will be an incredibly stupid question.

Recently moved into a house that backs up on a farm. Farm has an electric fence.

How can I determine if the electric fence is on without touching it or otherwise, doing my self harm?

 

[nadogail]

Just assume that it is energised

 

[kbeefy]

Pee on it.

 

[zendriver]

Touching with the end holding a long blade of grass. If it’s on, you’ll feel a slight pulsing tingle.

 

[RalphInCA]

Pee on it.

Yeah, even this suburbanite knew about that one. Not gonna do it.

 

[SkyPuncher]

Have someone else touch it.

 

[RalphInCA]

Just assume that it is energised

That’s what I’ve been doing so far.

 

[Lucky Llama]

You can get an electric fence tester at farm supply store. If its a working farm with animals in the field it is probable on.

 

[BillK]

Ask the farm owner ????

 

[RalphInCA]

Ask the farm owner ????

I would, if I ever saw him, but so far I have not. Just moved in.

If/when I do see him, I’d be more than happy to talk with him. I do want to get to know my neighbors, even those with really big yards LOL.

 

[RalphInCA]

You can get an electric fence tester at farm supply store. If its a working farm with animals in the field it is probable on.

Interesting.

Another stupid question:. Can I use my normal DIY multimeter for this?

 

[Zeke]

Interesting.

Another stupid question:. Can I use my normal DIY multimeter for this?

No.

 

[duneslider]

Just touch it...or get your kids to touch it. My in-laws neighbors both have electric wire and its our regular game to have the kids touch the fence. Or link hands and get the whole family involved.

My son and I can touch them with little to no effect but then when we touch someone else we all get zapped. Always good times with the electric fences.

Why do you care if it is on or not?

 

[duneslider]

Pee on it.

Every kid has gotta try it, am I right? I remember seeing my kid out in the pasture with his pants down cause he was dared to do it. You only do it once...

 

[JeepYJ]

Ask the farm owner ????

This seems to be the most obvious.
Fence tester is a good choice but waste of money for one time.
Just touch it. It only hurts for a millisecond.

 

[BrandonV]

Tester is only $20 or so. If you have a fluorescent tube laying around you can use that too.

 

[JeepYJ]

Is it a single wire fence or multi wire fence?

 

[RPH]

They make neon light bulbs that can be mounted on the tee posts. It flashes every time the fencer pulses. Literally hundreds of styles.

 

[PoorUB]

Shove a steel stake into the ground with a wire attached to it, then touch the wire to the electric fence. The wire will have less resistance than your body and the voltage will flow through the wire easier than you. You wil see an arc like a spark plug tester. You could add an insulated handle to be more certain.

One question. I assume the fence is not on your property, so why the concern? You shouldn't be messing with it.

 

[kmacht]

Are you sure it’s an electric fence? There are many high tensile and coated wire fences that look like they are an electric fence but are not. There should also be an energizing box somewhere along the fence that the wire runs into. If you can see the box you can see if it’s turned on or not. If it were me I would go knock on the farmers door and just ask him. You will find that most farmers will be much more receptive if you just go introduce yourself and ask instead of them finding you poking around on their property trying to find out the answer yourself.

 

[jonesg]

Are you sure it’s an electric fence? There are many high tensile and coated wire fences that look like they are an electric fence but are not. There should also be an energizing box somewhere along the fence that the wire runs into. If you can see the box you can see if it’s turned on or not. If it were me I would go knock on the farmers door and just ask him. You will find that most farmers will be much more receptive if you just go introduce yourself and ask instead of them finding you poking around on their property trying to find out the answer yourself.

the Maine farmer next door to me would say why don't ya touch and find out.

 

[mbutler]

Either look for the energizer and see if it is pulsing or touch the wire (gingerly) with the back of your hand. If the fence is live, using the back of your hand will cause your muscles to contract and pull your hand away from the fence. Note that the energizers usually pulse once per second.

 

[RalphInCA]

Why do you care if it is on or not?

Because there is a location near my neighborhood that I’d like to get to that follows the path right next to this fence. I just wanted to know what would happen if I accidentally grazed the fence while it was active.

Plus, I’m simply curious.

 

[RalphInCA]

One question. I assume the fence is not on your property, so why the concern? You shouldn't be messing with it.

Yeah, I know — I won’t be messing with it. It’s not mine to mess with.

But it is on my border, so I would like to know what’s going on.

 

[PoorUB]

Yeah, I know — I won’t be messing with it. It’s not mine to mess with.

But it is on my border, so I would like to know what’s going on.

Just assume it is live and don't worry about it. If you have kids they will try it out, once, then never go near it. It won't hurt them, but it will teach them not to F with it.

 

[Citation]

Are you sure it’s an electric fence? There are many high tensile and coated wire fences that look like they are an electric fence but are not. There should also be an energizing box somewhere along the fence that the wire runs into. If you can see the box you can see if it’s turned on or not. If it were me I would go knock on the farmers door and just ask him. You will find that most farmers will be much more receptive if you just go introduce yourself and ask instead of them finding you poking around on their property trying to find out the answer yourself.

I grew up with tension wire fences. Some are, some aren't energized. One way to tell is if the wire doesn't have an insulator where it touches the pole it's not energized. The other way you can check is just slap the back of your hand on it. The idea is to move quickly so even if it is on you only get the jolt for a moment (it's not fun but not that bad). You do not want to grab your hand around the wire as you won't let go until the power cycles (and they do cycle).

 

[scooby074]

Touch it lol

Or to be slightly safer, you can buy fence testers at any farm supply store

 

[Eric S.]

I just wanted to know what would happen if I accidentally grazed the fence while it was active.

Plus, I’m simply curious.

Do what children do. Touch it.

 

[Squez]

Man up and Grab it.. when I was forced to put a electric fence for my dog I put in one for cattle. My dog was 120 pounds . so after install I decided I would grab it before I pushed my dog into it.. didn’t feel right about him getting hit before me.. it’s not that bad but it will keep the dog away.

 

[Uncle murph]

That’s what I’ve been doing so far.

One important note,the energy is in pulses,it’s easy to catch it between pulses and believe that its not energized only to be zapped just when you think it’s safe.Great entertainment for farm kids.

 

[Snip]

We have been on our property a little over 3 years. The farmer next door ( best neighbors a guy could ask for) has a good sized Apple orchard on my north side but also runs cattle below me. Fenced pasture with a single strand barb wire and a single hot wire on his side a bout 6" down. We shoot the breeze over the fence regularly. Twice now as I am resting an arm on the BW my hand will get "lazy" and droop to the hot wire for a second, and only a second, lol. I'm a good learner, just not a fast one, lol. He gets a good laugh and thanks me for testing the fence. When I'm not available to "test" I have seen him test by holding a wooden handle hammer and push the hot wire close enough to the metal fence to get an arc.

 

[mrb1]

Fishing in the creek as a young 'un, straddled a hot fence while standing in the water once. Almost made it, left a good welt on my inner thigh. Good thing the boys hadn't dropped yet, or I really would have been hurtin'.

 

[oldmachinenut]

“When I was young I had no sense
I Stuck my d**k in an electric fence,
It curled my hair and tickled my balls
And it made me **** in my overalls”

 

[RalphInCA]

“When I was young I had no sense
I Stuck my d**k in an electric fence,
It curled my hair and tickled my balls
And it made me **** in my overalls”

… And with that, I think this thread has run its course.

 

[oldmachinenut]

Sorry, I had to. When my oldest son was in Boy Scouts (30 years ago) he actually peed on an electric fence on a hike. He is 44 years old now and his buddies still rib him about it

 

[alfadan]

Is there any tall, green-ish grass growing into it you can get to? You can usually hear the pops going to ground through the grass, especially on a dewy morning. But as mentioned, no yellow insultors or fiberglass posts, no electric.

 

[zendriver]

Yeah, I know — I won’t be messing with it. It’s not mine to mess with.

But it is on my border, so I would like to know what’s going on.

It's pulsed electrical output, maybe about 7,000 volts, but only about 100mA of current. Touching the wire while standing on ground completes the circuit, while the current flow goes through your body, which you will feel. No biggie unless you maybe have a pacemaker or very weak heart.

Animals usually touch it once, and get the message.

 

[PistonBlasting]

It boggles my mind people can grow up without ever touching an electric fence.

 

[WillyBoy]

Here's another take on it. How many farms or other agricultural facilities switch the fence chargers off on a regular basis.
It seems to me that it's not like turning off a light when you leave a room. My guess would be that the chargers are on 24/7.
Figure on that and act accordingly.

 

[JeepYJ]

Here's another take on it. How many farms or other agricultural facilities switch the fence chargers off on a regular basis.
It seems to me that it's not like turning off a light when you leave a room. My guess would be that the chargers are on 24/7.
Figure on that and act accordingly.

Depends on how you fence or graze your animals. I rotational graze some cows. If they’re out in that area the fence is on. If they’re not it’s off and another section is on.
Either way, if you accidentally get shocked it’s not going to kill you. It’s more surprising than anything.