electric fence shock

When I was 7 or 8 years old I was at my cousins farm and they had a wire fence around their barnyard. I asked him if it was on and he said yes. I didn't believe him and he proceded to pinch it between his fingers. Mind you he was about 16 or so years old. So I still don't believe him, so I grap it in my hand. I'm sanding in grass wet from the dew and the shock causes me to grip harder on the wire. It took me a few seconds to force my self to let go. My brother and cousin had a good laugh. I don't know what the volt or amp on this charger was but I know it was pulse.

Then, a couple of years ago i thought that my garden fence wasn't working right as I could touch it and hardly felt anything, so I walk back to where the charger lead ran to the fence wire and started to fiddle with it thinking the connection wasn't good. I doing so I touch the metal fence post and the wire at the same time. Cleared up any doubt that the fence was functioning. This time was on dry ground with a small, non pulse charger.

On a note of strength. My buddy works as a keeper at Disney's Zoo. They have some electric wires a couple inches off the ground that keep the rhinos in but allow the buses to drive into the pens. Don't remember the exact strength.

Back in the '50s, I built a "Tessla Coil", it operated at about 2000 cycles and 50,000 volts and I could draw a blue spark about 3" long off the top of the coil tower. Impressive and didn't hurt 'toll.

Try drawing a spark off'n yer ignition coil, thats about 15000 volts of 1/4" blue jumpin' sparkie, knock ya on yer butt, eh?

Ever get bitt from walkin' 'cross the carpet, thats about 5000 volts.

Them thar "New Zealand" electric fence chargers will pulse about 7000 volts and they really hurt.

The ol'weedburner RedDevil buzzbox put out about 1000 volts and they hurt too.

Most livestock can actually sense the electricity pulsing thru the wire by their nose whiskers and don't haffta touch the wire to know.

Lotta dairy milkin' parlors even string a hotwire across the backs of their cows so when they hump to pizz they gitt bitt and learn not too dirty up their home while they're gittin their teats pulsed. Infact, thats a real milkin' parlor problem, stray volts from bad electrial grounds, turns them titts right off.

Used to have this pig that we couldn't keep penned, put up an electric fence wire, it got bitt, but it learned that if'n he gotta runnin' start, he'd bust thru that wire. So here he'd come runnin' 'cross the pen, justa squealin', 'cuz he knew that he was gonna gitt bitt, and bust thru the wire to get to the other pen. Mighty fine eatin'. (electro-shock tenderized?)..... ...Dell

The worst shock I ever got was from touching the spark plug on a running lawn mower.

All the pulse types are safe. However, the constant current type can kill. I don't think any are strong enough to kill an adult human. However, a small child is a different matter. I have seen dead geese, squirrels and such in one. I used to use one until I wised up to the dangers. They are also a fire hazard.

That said, fence chargers vary widely. As low as just a few hundred volts, upwards to 30k. Depends on the size and price.

How hard do they hit? I've been zapped by a number of them. They all would make my hands and wrist ache. Some would make my elbow ache. A very few would make my shoulder ache.

If I had to make a generic power comment on who's gives the hardest blast, I'd hand it to Parmak. My arm is starting to ache just thinking about them. :-)

I worked with Magnaflux for 30 years. We used up to 6000A with about 6V. Never was shocked once. It must be a combination of Volts & Amps that make it bad.

Vern

Might be different with another box or other conditions -- but so far I'm alive!

Terry

Anyone with non-conductive shoes (rubber) on can touch the fence and feel very little. Most animals don't wear rubber sole shoes...

Same thing with a guy urinating on an electric fence. Just get him to do it bare footed!

One trick I learned (from a kid who worked for me and his dad had used him as the fence tester) is to take a blade of green grass and hold it to the fence. It buffers the current enough that you can tell it's working but fairly painless.