Electric Fence Installation in Kenya

The value of installing electric fencing as a first line of defense when it comes to home security cannot be overstated. There are a few obvious advantages to electric fencing as a security barrier on your perimeter walls, as it acts as:
The visual appearance thereof will be a definite deterrent to a potential intruder as it will cause a delay to enter your property and also when they want to exit again.
If your electric fence is correctly installed and wired, the possibility and magnitude of shock that may be experienced will be a huge deterrent for most intruders from trying to enter your premises.
This psychological barrier the person must overcome is probably one of the best advantages an electric fence has as a first line of defense. It will deter most people and send them off to look for some easier pickings.
The best thing about this type of fence is that if the intruders do overcome their fears and decide to enter your premises in any case, the alarm system to which it is connected to, will immediately notify you or your security company about the breach.
In this way the electric fence has served its purpose as a first line of defense and an early warning device.
Advantages of Electric fencing
- Low cost of an Electric Fence.
An electric fence can perform the same task as a conventional fence using much less material. Depending on the length of the fence where the cost of the energiser may be spread over, this type of fencing generally proves to be cheaper than standard stock fencing.
- Easy to build
Lower wire tension and generally lighter construction make much quicker and easier construction, especially in difficult terrain. No special ability is required making it suitable for DIY. No specialist knowledge is required and an electrician is not necessary. As long as a few simple rules are followed an effective fence may be erected by the householder.
- Durability
Electric fences are not subjected to the same physical pressure from animals, and can therefore be expected to have a greatly extended service life. The life of old stock fences can be considerably extended using an electric fencing outrigger.
- Universal application
Experience world wide has shown that electric fencing will contain all types of animals. This includes Elephants, bears, walrus, hippo and even snails. Educated stock develop greater respect for electric fencing than for any other type of fence.
- Flexibility
There is no quicker or easier way to effectively subdivide a paddock for controlled grazing than with an electric fence. Fences are frequently moved on a daily or even hourly basis with high density grazing or on dairy farms.
- Low maintenance
Once your fence is properly installed and your stock are trained, the maintenance requirements of electric fencing are little different from conventional fences. A daily check on the voltage will highlight any problems with a periodic inspection of vegetation approaching the fence lines.
- Less stock damage
The electric shock from your electric fence causes no physical damage to hides and pelts. If your stock is forced through the fence by veld fires or dogs, they are at less risk than with a conventional barbed wire stock fence tearing the hide to shreds incurring vet bills.
Electric fencing was originally developed to restrict the movement of animals. Subsequently, the security industry used the technology and improved on the initial design and developed a system that acts as a very effective barrier for unwanted intruders at your home.
The system works by sending a high-voltage electrical pulse around a multi-wire perimeter fence. The source of this high-voltage pulse is called an “energizer”.
One terminal of the energizer is connected to the “Live” wire circuit and the other to the “Earth” wire circuit, which is also connected to a metal rod planted into the ground.
The potential of the pulse may vary between 2,500 and 12,000 Volts, depending on the equipment used, but the current is limited to a safe level and the pulse lasts only for a few milliseconds at a time, ensuring that it is non-lethal.
When an intruder tries to breach the electric perimeter fence, he invariably becomes part of an electrical circuit and the high voltage pulse will now flow through his or hers body to the closest earth point.
This will cause a severe shock and leaves the person temporarily incapacitated. The strength of the shock depends on the power available from the energizer and the total resistance of the circuit.
So, how does your system warn you…? There are a number of ways in which the system is monitored: If the wires are deflected by vertical movement, or If there is contact between the “Live” and “Earth” circuits, or If the wires are cut, then the system will cause a short circuit on the fence line and trigger the alarm system, giving an audible and visual indication of a breach.
It is the best if the fence is zoned for easier detection of where the fence was breached. On some estates, the perimeter fence can be kilometres long and zoned fencing ensures that the guards can get to the entry point quickly
Nowadays, the monitoring and controlling of your system is so sophisticated that you can monitor and keep an eye on your system from anywhere in the world and you can:
⦁ Arm and disarm your system,
⦁ Be notified of any alarm activation,
⦁ Be notified of power failures,
⦁ and many other features too.
Always connect your fence alarm to a security company for monitoring as well. This not only gives you a lot more ease of mind when your family is alone at home, but it also gives you a back-up plan for when you are home with them.
Let’s face it, us men might sometimes feel we are tough and invincible, but when you are woken in the middle of the night and has to face one or, God forbid, more than one hardened criminal/s, then the fact that someone else is on the way makes it much easier to make the right decisions.
Whether you decide to install your fence yourself, and it is quite easy, or get professionals in to do it for you, there are a few pointers that will ensure hassle free use of the system for many years to come.
Guidelines for an effective electric fence
- Always put Electric line at nose height
Your electric fence must have one hot wire set at the typical nose height of the animal(s) you want to control. Base the strand height by visualizing where the animal’s nose level is if it were to approach the fence with its head at its normal position while walking.
- Install an Electric line at offspring
If you have different-sized animals that you’re penning inside the same fence, then you must have a nose-level electrified strand for each. One easy example is planning lines for calves and full-grown cattle that reside inside the same fence. Set one strand at the normal cattle height and one for calf height when they’re the most curious and playful.
- Set another electric height at grazing height
With the “walking strand” set for your fence, you now need to place a hot wire for animals as they graze. Just like the walking strand, the grazing strand is placed at the nose level. However, this strand is located nearer to the ground. It’s placed at the level near where the animals’ heads are located as they graze.
- Show your animals the fence boundaries
If livestock are trained to the electric fence, you can usually get by with fewer hot wires. In fact, for many livestock held on temporary, interior paddocks, one line is often sufficient.
This is especially true of dairy animals, which learn quickly to respect the shock of an electric fence. Dairy cattle are also more docile thanks to regular human contact and the daily routine of going from pasture to the milking area. Young animals, however, are more difficult to control than adult animals and usually require more hot wires on the fence.
- An animal line should not fit between the lines
Look at the size of one of your animal’s heads. This height – the distance between the top to the bottom of the animal’s head – shows you the perfect spacing for your fence wires.
During installation, keep this distance in mind and space the hot strands accordingly. By ensuring your livestock can’t get their head through the fence, you make it impossible for them to breach the entire fence.
- Use your fence to keep out wild animals
Ranchers and farmers have found that electric fencing can offer two types of protection. First, a fence keeps livestock from wandering away or into dangerous areas. Secondly, it can keep predators and other unwanted wildlife from coming into a pasture.
Most farmers and ranchers only set up a fence for the first purpose, yet rarely consider its potential to keep wildlife away from livestock.