Our clients tend to fall into one of two categories – those who have used electric fencing before or may have grown up on a farm where “Dad” used electric fencing and those who have not. If you fall into the first category then you will at least have a basic understanding of how electric fencing works and the components of the system. This article is actually aimed at those who fall into the other category. So if you have no idea of how electric fencing works, or you’d like a quick refresher then please read on.

The actual electric fence might draw your attention first but it is perhaps more useful to look at the energiser before considering the fence. The first mode, pulsed electric fence energiser was designed in New Zealand in 1936 when William “Bill” Gallagher built a primitive energiser from a cars’ ignition coil. These early fence charging devices used alternating current (AC) with a transformer and a mechanically operated switch, giving long pulses and unpredictable voltages. As might be expected, these mechanical switches frequently failed and the development of capacitors and solid state circuits greatly improved the utility of the system.

By the 1980’s the shock pulse was much shorter – typically a few milliseconds making the fences much safer and the amperage was reduced into the low milliamp range. These improvements resulted in the ability to extend the length of wire that could be energised by a particular energiser.  This coincided with the introduction of woven plastic twines containing thin metal filaments commonly now known as polywire.

So in summary, if you are wondering about the effectiveness and efficiency of electric fence energisers, then the simple answer is “yes” – they work. Electric fence energisers are now 85 year old technology and over the past few decades advances in solar cell and battery technology has resulted in energisers where a single unit can be placed out in the paddock and turned on without any wiring or assembly other than taking it out of the box and placing it on a post.

I also often get asked about electric netting – they look new and fancy. As tempted as I am to claim that yes these are bee’s knees the truth is that electric netting was invented in the UK back in the 1960’s. So once again, electric netting is a very established technology and is getting to the point where it has been around for almost 60 years. It works on massive free range poultry or goat farming operations and it also works in semi-urban backyards to keep chickens out of the gardens.

In writing this I am trying to reassure you that electric netting kits will work for you in your environment – however it is just a little bit more complicated than that. The trick is that you need to match the energiser to both the quantity of netting AND the climate / environment where you live. For example there are massive differences in the amount of sunlight in Texas compared to Alaska and the level of ground moisture is completely different in Califormia than in Illimois. If you do not choose an energiser that is suitable for your requirements you will end up facing difficulties or further expense.

Therefore, and I mean this genuinely, if you have any questions about what you need in order to get an electric netting kit up and operational, then phone us. We will ask you a number of different questions and then give you fearless advice as the best time to get your electric netting kit correct is before the point of purchase. So, please feel free to email us at info@mccallumade.com for an initial discussion to narrow down your options. We look forward to hearing from you.