# Single line of electric fence



## Shock the bad people (Sep 25, 2013)

I have a problem with drunk young adults climbing over my fences and then messing with my livestock.  One spot where I have a double fence is especially prone to being crossed.  I plan to buy a solar electric fence charger and set up a single line of wire just inside the outermost fence-line.  My fence is made of square wooden posts with wooden boards mounted on the outside, it shouldn't be a problem to attach insulators to some of the inside posts.

The problem is that I know very little about electric fencing and everything I find online is about multi-strand fencing to keep animals in (or to keep bears out).  Even those multi-strand diagrams often don't indicate whether the wire is going all the way around a paddock/pasture and returning to the charger or to itself.  I've been reading as much as I can so I know that I need grounding rods, insulators, insulated wire for connecting certain parts, etc but certain info I haven't found.

Is it possible to have just one line of wire run down a fence-line and terminate or do I need to turn that wire back around and send it back to the charger to complete a circuit?  I certainly don't mind running the wire back (and having two strands) if that is what it takes but I don't want to do it if I don't need to.

Please note that I will post signs warning people of the electric fence and I don't intend to shock anyone that is minding their own business.  If they cannot be bothered to read the signs and decide to trespass then they deserve the shock.

Thank you in advance for your help.


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## AshleyFishy (Sep 25, 2013)

Being a person that was once a trespasser I can personally say what got my group and I to not go near someone's property was plain fear.  We never messed with livestock but would go out and have pasture parties, drink and smoke etc. 

One guy I guess was in a deer stand or something and he shot off a shotgun in the air a few times. Another time we got pelted with paint balls... that sucked. Electric fencing never stopped us, we would just cut it and climb over.


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## Shock the bad people (Sep 25, 2013)

Your experience is appreciated.  Unfortunately I'm in a situation and in a metropolitan area where doing either of those things could get me arrested and/or fired.  But I am dealing with largely urban youth that mostly wouldn't know how to disable an electric fence to save their life, so at least I've got that going for me.


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## AshleyFishy (Sep 25, 2013)

Shock the bad people said:
			
		

> Your experience is appreciated.  Unfortunately I'm in a situation and in a metropolitan area where doing either of those things could get me arrested and/or fired.  But I am dealing with largely urban youth that mostly wouldn't know how to disable an electric fence to save their life, so at least I've got that going for me.


 yeah city kids most likely would get their butts zapped.

To answer your question though you do not bring the wire back to the charger. You just end it at your last insulator. Yes you can have one strand and end it where you want


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## AshleyFishy (Sep 25, 2013)

Sorry for the poor quality of this but I just sketched it out on my phone. 

But it shows kind of how most of them are. ..ground wire on left..shocky wire on right..







on the last insulator just wrap the wire around the insulator and then twisted back around on the wire itself. Kind of like tieing a hook on a fishing line.


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## AshleyFishy (Sep 25, 2013)




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## Shock the bad people (Sep 25, 2013)

Excellent!  Thank you so much!


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## Godsgrl (Sep 25, 2013)

AshleyFishy said:
			
		

> Shock the bad people said:
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Thank you so much, I did not know this, and it is very helpful!!


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## AshleyFishy (Sep 25, 2013)

Godsgrl said:
			
		

> AshleyFishy said:
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Welcome.


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## Bossroo (Sep 26, 2013)

I would first check with the local District Attorney before installing the electric wire as to the legality of it in your  metropolitan area as well as legal repercussions if junior's mommy and daddy sues you for trying to do bodily harm to their little darling.


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## bcnewe2 (Sep 27, 2013)

Properly installed electric fence won't hurt someone in a lasting way. But hopefully it would convince yousters to not go over reg. Fencing.  I'd certainly try it.  Cutting it would give a shock to the cutter too, but again, properly installed should not "leave a mark".


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## AshleyFishy (Sep 28, 2013)

bcnewe2 said:
			
		

> Properly installed electric fence won't hurt someone in a lasting way. But hopefully it would convince yousters to not go over reg. Fencing.  I'd certainly try it.  Cutting it would give a shock to the cutter too, but again, properly installed should not "leave a mark".


Cutting it with coated handled cutters does not shock the cutter.


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## goatboy1973 (Nov 9, 2013)

Our Farm Bureau told us to put "No Trespassing" signs up every 50 ft. to make it visible that way legally you have a leg to stand on. The signs alone may deter trespassers. By putting up the signs, your intent is known and there is no question that they knew they were trespassing. I would file a police report with the local law enforcement agency that way there is a record of the trespassing. There is no better practice than to walk your fences daily and check for problems. By the way, you can just end your electric fence strand at the last insulator. Good luck!


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## peterpuck (Nov 11, 2013)

I used to have a neighbor that had a large "medicinal" Marajuana crop. I had a problem with people using one of my pastures as a short cut to help themselves to his pot plants. They would cut my fence to go through. So I charged the electric fence and they would still cut that. Finally I moved the sheep into that pasture along with George and Gracie, my two GP dogs. I never had a problem after that.


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## goatboy1973 (Nov 17, 2013)

It is unfortunate that trespassers have caused you to alter your way of goat farming. Search out a legal path and consult your local Farm Bureau or University Ag Extension office and get their advice.


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## kateseidel (Dec 17, 2013)

Shock - make sure you post it as electric every 8-10 feet or so.  The only issues we ever encountered was nice people trying to feed the horses and shocking the crap out of themselves reaching across.  We originally used 5 strand wire, with just the top wire hot.  We now have 4' of mesh fence with a hot wire 6 inches above the mesh.  I guess someone could cut the wire, but the average partier is not going to do that.  And if they are carrier wire cutters with them, nothing will keep them out!  But I do prefer the wire to the tape because it is more daunting to cut.  Make sure that your line of hot wire is close enough so they cannot come in between the wire and fence.

As far as the technical installation, I am forced to admit that I leave the electric stuff to my husband (you know, since as far as I can tell, it is basically magic).  And also, ashleyfishy drew a great picture!  Note that if you have to cross any gated areas, you will want to run it underground and up the other side to continue your circuit, or maybe you don't have a gate you are worried about and just running it on the perimeter line.


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## secuono (Dec 17, 2013)

If you get a solar energizer, one wire goes to the red connector and on the fence. The other goes to the black and down to a 3-8ft metal stake in the ground to ground it. Even the chargers that plug into your house have the same red/black system, usually. It's very straight forward. 
The stuff you keep finding is a system where the animal must touch 2 wires, both the hot and ground wire. No wire is placed into the ground, the animal itself completes the link. These don't work on people and they don't work on small predators. 

I would add signs and the hot wire. Setting up a game camera and then charging them with trespassing is another way to go.


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## goatboy1973 (Dec 28, 2013)

I don't see why you would have to check with the local DA. You could simply post a few no trespassing signs and a few warning signs relating to the electric fence and if the kids are stupid enough to try to challenge the fence and get the snot shocked out of them, then lesson learned. As far as any legal stuff goes you had the "no trespassing" and signs warning of the electric fence for your animals and the kids broke the law. If they get hurt, yes the parents can sue, but no judge in the land would side with the kids. Bottom line, your signage is your biggest defense. Check with your local farm bureau or Ag. Extension office for how many signs and how far they must be apart etc... In our area, the signs must be posted every 50 ft. Along all our fences (perimeter). Good luck!  P.S. File a police report so that something is on file with them in case there is any animals killed, missing, or vandalism, you will have established a history of such.


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