In the majority of cases the ground return system to the earth stake is most effective, but under very dry conditions and with very long permanent fences, it might be necessary to use a live/earth system. In other words the wires of the fence system are either positive or negative. So when the animal touches the fence it will touch both a positive and a negative wire, thus completing the circuit and therefore it will receive a shock.

Join all the positive/live wires together which are fed by the live terminal of the fence unit. Also join the negative/earth wires together which are connected to the earth terminal of the unit. Earth stakes can be
situated at various lengths along the fence and connected to the negative line. So if an animal touches only the positive wire, the current has only a relatively short distance to travel to an earth stake and then on back to a fence unit to complete the circuit.

On shorter systems, especially where battery units are used, it is important to put the earth stake as close to the center of the fence as possible. The shorter the distance the current has to travel through the ground to the earth stake, the more effective the shock.

Fence Heights

Here is a selection of fence heights for permanent systems for certain animals. Heights can of course vary depending on personal preference, and if in doubt it is always better to add an extra higher line.

Protection Against a Lightning Strike

The System is based on the fact that lightning does not like turning at sharp bends, particularly if the route turns it away from its objective of getting to ground.

So hopefully it will jump a large gap to the earth stake and not damage the fence unit. Although the fence line arrangement will not give 100% protection to the fence unit (as the path that will be taken by up to a million volts or more can be unpredictable), it will certainly reduce the risk of damage, whereas the conventional fence line set-up offers no protection at all.

As you have seen in the front of this brochure, Electro-Tapes come in various widths from 12mm to 40mm. It is however, important to remember that the wider the tape, the more likely there is to be damage from the effects of the wind. So on temporary and portable systems it is advisable not to use 40mm tape with plastic posts. If 40mm tape has to be used, use only on permanent systems with wooden posts and sturdy insulators.

Ideas for Strip or Paddock grazing

This type of system is ideal if your horse has to be restricted as to the amount of grass it can have, especially in the spring if it suffers from laminitis. Moving a temporary system around a field saves the field from being too badly damaged when the ground is wet.

Ideas for Permanent Fencing

When using insulators on corner posts, fix the insulator to the back of the post. This way the strain is taken up by the insulator against the post rather than the insulator itself. If you use the mains unit with this system, ensure that the earth stake is placed to the fence rather than the unit.

So as not to be obtrusive, all of our units are of a colour that will blend in with the countryside. This will hopefully make them fairly inconspicuous and less likely to be stolen. If you are fencing near a gateway that is next to the road, place the fence unit as far away from the gate so as to keep it from the public gaze.