Electric fence

We have quite a few posts that refer to us generally preferring to use on 8 joule energizers so we thought we would break it down a bit further and give a bit of extra information on the energizers themselves.

Not all energizers are equal! Thats really the point to get across. There are of course a wide range and selection of energizers and most of them are fine, just with different features. Whilst there features which are generally not necessary, there are some which are important and should be noted.

There are electric fence energizers designed specifically for agricultural purpose and then those designed for security and the smaller pet control types which we are not going into detail here with. Obviously the biggest thing is to use a security energizer for security applications! Sounds obvious but we often ( and really mean OFTEN, almost weekly!) come across energizers that are installed in security environments but are agric energizers. Now it may “appear” or sound as though the energizer has a 14 Joule ability, but the reality is the actual output at any given time is way below that. What the energizer is capable of is compensating for vegetation overgrowth and increasing its energy output to compensate only. The actual energy delivered in a shock though is probably only going to be around 5 joules (generalizing now and this is specific to different energizers) So basically these energizer units should be kept to game farm and agricultural use – NOT security fence applications.

For security applications the energizer normally provides the shock it states. They come in various energy ranges SO BE SURE as to what you are getting. The law allows a maximum of 8 Joules energy, DO NOT be impressed when the pitch involves a voltage of 10 000 (which is also the max allowed by law). This is alot to go into technically and grasp but a 5000 volt 8 joule energizer will hurt you doubly to a 10 000 volt 4 Joule energizer. This you have to take our word for!! The formula and calculations involved are complex but basically involve the time the shock is given, the amount of current and the voltage. Generally the energizers we prefer to install on electric fences are 9500 – 10 000 Volt and 8 Joule… buts it the 8 Joule thats important!

Energizers now also employ adaptive technology which allows the energizer to make adjustment for the conditions it is operating. These energizers adjust for changes on the fence which is a clever and neat function, especially if it is a big fence where more maintenance might be required if the energizer cannot make its own changes for overgrowth vegetation and so on.

The one bit of advice we should offer on any energizer is that it MUST be compliant with local laws and regulations. Around the world in United Kingdom, Australia and so on the regulations are different and hence using a security energizer designed for another country will either leave you with a energizer that doesn’t meet requirements or worse still, breaking the law. One of the major reasons we have kept our preference of energizers to NEMTEK energizers (Merlin, Stealth Druid and Wizord range) is that they pride themselves and make the effort to stay within the confines of the legal limitations – IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT to keep the owner of the property out of jail. (Th sad reality of criminal rights up for debate here!!) Consider though the main purpose of the safety regulations are not really about criminals in South Africa and crime, but rather the safety of innocent people that can as easily touch the fence such as children, pets etc.

The energizer is 50% of your fence (the rest remains in the correct wiring and earthing of the fence) so make sure you get an energizer that will fit the requirements!

Some questions to ask your installer will be:

• What energy is the energizer (8 Joule is the maximum, thats what you should go for in security installations)
• Is the energizer a security/agriculture energizer (depends on your requirements)
• Are spares readily available locally in South Africa for the energizer
• Does the energizer alarm if the wires are cut or short (believe it or not, there are really home made devices out there!)
• Does the energizer have battery back up
• Does the rated output allow for the distance of wire on your installation. (Different types of wire, different distance and rating for the energizer. An example might be an energizer is rated for 10km of 2.24mm wire but only 1.2km of stainless steel wire. On an 8 wire fence, stainless steel, this energizer would only suffice for around 300 meters of fencing! You either change the wire or the energizer!)

Hope it helps! Contact us should you have any queries, feel free to contact us.

We do get alot of questions regarding pets and electric fences, specifically dogs and cats.

For the record, we do not install “dog fences” or perimeter collar fences.

Most websites will clearly and easily state that all pets are 100% safe from an electric fence – they generally are, energizer units that comply with regulations are designed to keep pets and children safe or not to be lethal to humans.

I feel its fair however to put this properly into perspective – there needs to be separation between the size of animal and energy of a fence that is installed correctly.

We generally prefer only to install 8 joule energizers as if the intention is security, then install the maximum attainable shock! Now if you have installed an 8 Joule fence to the floor, lower strand live, the reality is your dogs will at one point or another will get to it. The good news is it will only generally happen once! For the average dogs being generally larger than Jack Russels, spaniels etc, they will generally be OK – in some cases, and this has actually happened to our own Dachshund, it may get knocked unconscious for a short period. The less the energy on the fence, the less the shock, a 4 joule energizer would probably have not knocked the dog out.

However how about the really small dogs, rabbits and electric fence? You have to equate the energy of an electric fence to what it can do. An 8 Joule shock is equivalent to dropping 8kg’s from 1 meter high – thats the easiest way of explaining it. Now would you want to do that to a Chihuahua, Toy Pom – not likely!! The reality is this amount of energy on such a small animal COULD have lethal results. On many of our 8 Joule 24 strand security fences, the guards and patrollers find dead rats OFTEN! Sure dogs aren’t rats! (Just in-case you getting upset with me). The reality though is fences can do this and to say outright that ALL dogs will be safe could be an overstatement.

We are pleased to say that none of clients have ever lost there pets, however these thoughts need to be kept in mind and if you have very small pets and are concerned for there safety, then you should consider a temporary low energy trip wire which in a few weeks months can be upgraded to full power for extra security. Another possibility is to leave the fence in low voltage mode for a while until they get shocked, not ideal for security, but that would be fine, teach them the lesson required to avoid the fence and move on.

Cats have an amazing ability to sense electrical fields and tend not to attempt passing through a fence.

So, in a nutshell, 99.9% of the time, your pets will be fine – they may get a severe shock, be stunned, howl and scream, but they will be OK, it will only happen once. For very small animals however put some thought into there safety or at least mention that you have a smaller than usual dog that is likely to access the fence so that steps can be taken to ber certain and keep the dog safe!

Love your pets!

Electric fence diagram

We decided it might be useful for those that are seeking to do there own installation on an electric fence, or repairs, and they have some form of electric or electronic experience, then an electric fence diagram might come in handy!

If you intend to do your own installation, PLEASE do take not of the warnings that come with the electric fence energizer. You will notice in the installers manual the warning “CAN LEAD TO DEATH!” Take this seriously. If you have no electrical experience or electronic experience, I strongly urge you to call someone that can assist. Familiarize yourself with the laws that surround electric fence installation – specifically power lines, warning signs, razor/barbed wire, energy, limits in distance.

To get started, ensure you have enough HT cable, braided wire (or the wire of your choice) for the actual fence, enough 6mm ferrules (1.2mm braided wire) cable ties, earth spikes.

Mount your poles first wherever you intend the fence, a wall top fence with 8mm x 75mm nail anchors, ground posts with decent concrete foundations. Keep the spacing in-between poles at 3 meters. 5 meters is becoming to far, less than 3m, lots of work! See in your mind how you are getting round corners, how the wires will run etc.

Run your wires on the poles. Try to keep the runs not longer than 30 meters before you terminate and then start a new run with its own tensioners. Tension at the corners always! Don’t turn corners then tension later.

All of your joins, connections and terminations should be done with ferrules! DO NOT just twist wire round to make your joins. The fence will work well today, but in a little while when oxidation sets in, those contacts become bad and then trouble shooting becomes the order of the day. Also keep all types of wire the same, don’t mix stainless with galvanized braid etc. Rust will set within a few months!

The electric fence diagram that I have attached is for a simple single zone series live wire and parallel earth wire system. There are mulit zone systems, series earth systems etc, but keep it simple and EFFECTIVE!

Lots of earth spikes! At least 1 by the energizer (3 is recommended) and then 1 around every 20 meters. THIS IS IMPORTANT!

You will notice on the electric fence circuit diagram that all the earths are common and joined BOTH sides – recommended for better earthing. At any stage if the fence live wire is cut, the alarm will activate or if the live comes into contact with the earth, the alarm should go go off. If the earth wire is cut, no alarm will activate. Generally when a wire is cute, they come into contact with other wires anyway causing the alarm to trigger.

If you dont have testers, then the easiest is to switch on, if the good light is good, all is probably OK. Try touching a piece of wire (attached to a DRY wooden stick) across the earth and live. As soon as the 2 wires get to a few millimetres apart, it should arc. If you touch the 2 together for 3 seconds, alarm should sound. Also try touching the live wire to something metal, like a gate. You should get the same energy or sound spark as when you did between the live and earth wire.This helps estimate that your earthing is OK

Hope the electric fence diagram helped with your installation!

Electric fence diagram

Learning to play a guitar is not a single lesson that could just be covered on one article that you would get you started. What we have done here is listed a few tips to get you going as well as online resources to get the information you will need to get going.

Guitar playing, if you are going to take it seriously will require practice at least 1 hour a day 5 days a week. Any less than this would take possibly years to accomplish anything! A lot of this practice does not have to be played music, you could for instance practice chords and finger placement whilst watching television or chatting with friends. Your fingers and hands will need to develop muscle required for playing guitar so silent practice will work!

The more you practice the more you will develop calluses on your finger tips – this is part of the process and whilst it is painful for a while, they are needed for long sessions with a guitar. Use a hand spring gym or tennis ball to squeeze in your hand when not around your guitar, this will help develop muscles in your hands. Be aware that there are possible side affects such as RSS, repetitive stress syndrome!

Find a guitar that you can get started with, most beginners prefer to choose classical guitars, however a simple electric guitar with small amp will also get you started on our guitar career. Do not get trapped into all the pedals, distortion and so on that comes with electric guitars at the start – you need to learn your guitars chords, power chords etc first before. Once you have those sorted, then you can start messing around with your guitars effects.

For good resources for use with guitar how to you can try the following:

ABC of guitar click here for a simple download free ebook

Click here to buy electric guitar and amp online (SA only)

Also try learn guitar blog, click here

The first and most foremost decision you need to make is “ do you like music”? Of course everyone does, sounds silly, but do you REALLY like music, and not just your own preference – can you listen to rock, house, alternative, rap, 60’s etc. You may not need to love other types, but you have to appreciate music!

Becoming a DJ can be a long process but also expensive. The rewards of succeeding will be worth it, but it will take hard work, lots of practice and strange hours!

To get started with your new DJ’ing career you will require access to audio equipment, preferably your own. When we started, I hijacked my dads stereo system and got my hands on a DJ mixer. Maybe its not a great idea since I destroyed it and took a whole world of trouble! The truth though is it was got us started. So to get off the ground you will need a decent DJ mixer, a power amplifier and speakers to match the amplifier. I do not suggest that you spend your only money on the only system you can afford as it won’t be long before you are looking at a new system. You need decent systems! People do not like distorted or top heavy sound, it will ruin your reputation before you even get going. You will also need a media source, if using CD’s/MP3 then dual pitch control players, you can also get hard drive type players, PC etc. There’s generally a lot more control from vinyl or CD though and it still the preferred. For vinyl, maybe a couple SL1200 technic turntables, but they don’t come cheap! At the very least the turntables must have pitch (speed) control. Concentrate on decent sound before you invest in lights, sound will get you further than lights! If you really are not sure what sound to get, get help with experienced people. We have contact information on our web that can assist with your selections

What type of DJ are you going to become? Again, sounds obvious… “A DJ and all i want is HOW TO DJ!!” It’s not really just that simple, mobile DJ’s music selection will be very different to club DJ selection of music. If you ONLY have RAP in your music collection, you will have to broaden you music base in order to do mobile DJ’ing. I thinks its fair to say in terms of music, you will learn the most as a mobile DJ and gain experience with everything from 60’s music to latest charts house/rap/modern etc. If your music collection is a set type of music only, you may have to consider club immediately but the reality is not many clubs will let you onto there decks without some experience to show! A mobile rig will teach you music why? – Consider the music you will be playing at a 50 year birthday party versus an 18th birthday party. They are going to be completely different styles of music in general, more rock n’ roll at the one and latest charts at the other… but you never what is going to make people tick at the party, that’s what makes it so interesting. When everyone goes home before you, you stuffed up! When you have to close and most of the people are still on the dance floor… you feel good because you are!

You need to learn to mix! Generally a good start is when mixing between 2 songs, do not try to drag the mix out for a minute, make it fairly quick smooth 5 – 15 seconds or so. Don’t have both songs playing at full level at all when learning, if its wrong it sounds awful! Practice the long beat for beat mixes at home first. You will need to learn to count music in 8’s, every beat count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 …start again. Practice, practice, practice makes perfect with DJ mixing.

Beat for beat mixing is not easy, but when you start to get it, it comes quickly. Whilst learning try not to use the pitch controls to much (don’t adjust the speed of the music) by selecting music with very similar beats. Changing pitch to the point the music sounds stupid is easy, choosing the correct mix is the challenge! When you want change beat from fast to slow, rather cut mix it, when one song ends, the other starts immediately.. also takes practice but easy to get.

Start off playing at friends party’s for free and learn how to DJ there. That way if it goes wrong, then no expectations, no money…. next! As you start getting better, people will start asking for you! When they start asking, you can start charging and making some money. Remember, this is no exact science or quick fix. It could take months to get here but persist and go for it and you might get into faster than you know.
DJ’ing is a rewarding career and at the very least certainly can make some decent pocket money. Many end up in a full time career of music in one way or another.

You can visit our site for a wide range of DJ mixers, professional audio amplifiers and speakers to match

Security fencing has long become a necessity in South Africa. Gone are the days where electric fences were a choice or dictated by price.

A well installed security fence is a MASSIVE deterrent to would be criminals. Yes there are ways that criminals are able to get through, but not easily. If in doubt as to what difference they make, ask a few people or friends that live in plot areas where they previously had no fence and recently upgraded to a well installed electric security fence. In one instance the residents went from NIGHTLY trespassing and break ins to no incidents in several months now.

Imagine the difference that this makes to your well being psychologically! The stories of electric fencing as security not making that much difference or not working don’t play well people that have upgraded from nothing OR had an electric fence that did work and then chose to leave it not working. The rate of crime on the property increases… simple as that. It’s also quite interesting to note that the people who claim that security electric fence does not work, are the same people that don’t even have one installed or they have a simple 5 wire 2 joule flat bar bracket system!

Of course the trick to a security fence is rather is it correctly installed. Obviously this is important. There are several articles in the pages and blogs that cover what types of electric fence there are and what to avoid. These tips are there for a reason. Surf around a little and see what makes a difference. In terms of security fence, electric fence is the BEST investment you could make to your property, be it commercial, residential, industrial or game fencing. Don’t leave it to late to find out whether or not work, security fencing works!

I NEVER post jokes on our web, but this one is probably the best i have ever seen and well was worth it! If you can read this whole story without laughing then there’s no hope for you. I was crying by the end. Do take time to read slowly. For those of you who have lived in Natal, you know how typical this is. They actually have a Curry Cook-off about June/July. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg. Judge #3 was an inexperienced food critic named Frank.

Frank: “Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a Curry Cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge’s table asking for directions to the Beer Garden when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Natal Indians) that the curry wouldn’t be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted”.
Here are the scorecard notes from the event:

CURRY # 1 – MACHADO’S MANIAC MONSTER TOMATO CURRY…
Judge # 1 — A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.
Judge # 2– Nice smooth tomato flavour. Very mild.
Judge # 3(Frank) — Holy shit, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that’s the worst one. These people are crazy.

CURRY # 2 – PHOENIX BBQ CHICKEN CURRY…
Judge # 1– Smoky, with a hint of chicken. Slight chili tang.
Judge # 2 — Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge # 3– Keep this out of the reach of children. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver! They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

CURRY # 3 – SHAMILA’S FAMOUS “BURN DOWN THE GARAGE” CURRY.
Judge # 1– Excellent firehouse curry. Great kick.
Judge # 2– A bit salty, good use of chili peppers.
Judge # 3– Call 911. I’ve located a uraniums pill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drain Cleaner. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I’m getting pissed from all the beer.

CURRY # 4 – BABOO’S BLACK MAGIC BEAN CURR
Judge # 1– Black bean curry with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge # 2– Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a curry.
Judge # 3– I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Shareen, the beer maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 200kg woman is starting to look HOT…just like this nuclear waste I’m eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?

CURRY # 5 LALLA’S LEGAL LIP REMOVER…
Judge # 1– Meaty, strong curry. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.
Judge # 2– Average beef curry, could use more tomato. Must admit the chili peppers make a strong statement.
Judge # 3 — My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Shareen saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I’m burning my lips off. It really pisses me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw them.

CURRY # 6 – VERISHNEE’S VEGETARIAN VARIETY…
Judge # 1– Thin yet bold vegetarian variety curry. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge # 2– The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.
Judge # 3– My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I am definitely going to shit myself if I fart and I’m worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Shareen. Can’t feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my ass with a snow cone ice-cream.

CURRY # 7 – MAHOMED’S “MOTHER-IN-LAW’S-TONGUE” CURRY…
Judge # 1– A mediocre curry with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge # 2– Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. (I should take note at this stage that I am worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably).
Judge # 3– You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn’t feel a thing. I’ve lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with curry which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least, during the autopsy, they’ll know what killed me. I’ve decided to stop breathing- it’s too painful. Screw it; I’m not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air I’ll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

CURRY # 8 – NAIDOO’S TOENAIL CURLING CURRY…
Judge # 1– The perfect ending. This is a nice blend curry. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.
Judge # 2– This final entry is a good, balanced curry. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the curry pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he’s going to make it. Poor man, wonder how he’d have reacted to really hot curry?
Judge # 3 – No Report.

So you’ve decided its time to install or upgrade your fence. The simplest thing, get a few quotes and see where to from there. Something you should be considering though is what wire do YOU want, not what does the installer want to use! Installers will generally give a quote on what they believe is suitable OR which one is likely to win the quote.

The critical components that involve wire:
• Longevity – how long will the wire last before it requires replacement
• Resistance – how much can be used before a second (or more energizer) is required. High resistance is bad!
• Strength – The strength of the wire to resist breaks and damage

Corrosion resistance is referred to often in this article – IT IS ONLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF REFERENCE as there are multiple factors such as different metals, electrolysis that all influence this!

Stranded galvanised (generally 1.2mm but others are available)

By far the most popular wire used on electric fences and for good reason. It is easily worked with, tough and its life span is not bad. The cost saving on this wire the winning factor more than anything else. The resistance of the wire is around 175 ohms per Km making it the second best wire for home / industrial applications available in terms of running distance. Expect corrosion maintenance around 5 years, replacing around 7-10 years (varies from installation to installation and what connectors, tensioners are used influences also)

Should be used on:
Home installations
Small industrial applications
OK for 24 strand applications on small plots (within reason)
Small complex applications

Should NOT be used on:
Game fences – runs to long and does not have the strength
Coastal areas where corrosion is an issue
Not large plots of 24 strand. The resistance of wire soon catches up and a second energizer required)

Galvanised 2.24mm solid wire

Accepted as the daddy of all wires! It is thick high tensile wire that can be difficult to work with but the benefits of a very solid, strong fence easily out-way the work and cost! The resistance is around 50 ohms meaning it can cover more than TRIPLE the distance of 1.2mm galvinised strand. Corrosion maintenance can be expected around 10 years with replacement around 15 – 20 years. It is the most expensive of the wires, however the strength, low resistance sometimes make it the only choice!

Should be used on:
Game fence installations – favourable running distance and very strong
Large plot installations
High security applications industrial/commercial

Should NOT be used on:
Wall top installations – these brackets are not designed for this wire that exerts extreme force (it is possible to make custom brackets, however expect a very bulky look!)
Coastal applications – corrosion

Stainless steel wires

A popular wire used for domestic installations. Its corrosion resistance ability will probably last your lifetime (different grades available and location an issue as well as joiners etc used). Its big catch…. Resistance of the wire. This is around 1000 – 700 ohms per km meaning it can only cover around one fifth of the distance of strand 1.2mm. The cost of wire also plays a part here as cost per meter.

Should be used on:
Domestic applications
Coastal applications – a must use for coastal due to corrosion

Should NOT be used on:
Game fence – resistance on a 24 strand fence 1.6mm stainless would mean an energizer every 160 meters to keep in energizer parameters approximately!)
Long distance domestic applications – an 8 stand fence of 1.2mm stainless could only do around 250 meters of total fencing, around the size of a normal 1400m stand

Aluminium wire

The lowest resistance of all! At around 27 ohms per km, this wire can do almost double of 2.24mm and around 5 times the distance of 1.2mm stand. Disadvantages are it is far easier cut than any of the others and stretched making is security ability challenged against any of the other wires. In terms of longevity, once gain would probably last your lifetime (again variables involved)

Should be used on:
Coastal applications – ideal to resist corrosion and this is really where this wire features. Ideal for long runs on game (coast only) etc, only pity about the strength which will require break maintenance. Still better than replacing it in 2 years though!
Industrial applications are suited (should consider 2.24mm solid though for strength, )
Large plots
Complex applications

Should NOT be used on:
Very short runs (energizer impedance issues in some cases)
High security applications where stretching could be an issue (this one needs to be weighed against distance versus security and cost!)

Hope that sheds a little light (might have confused even more) but still if in doubt, ask for the differences and why the one chosen is the one that is best… should NOT just be about the cost always. YES I know cost helps but for a game farm that will be around for the next 80 years, maintenance and replacement is a huge issue and should be factored in.

Electric fencing correctly installed on the property, does it really make a difference? So many stories circulate about how electric fences are circumvented by criminals that many peoples first question is do they really work?

Lets take a logical look at electric fencing and what it could really do for your property, correctly installed, may be an operative word also for this article however. Stories involve all sorts of wonderful achievements, toilet roll innards to bypass earth loops, blankets thrown over and then climb over the blanket, wire cutting, wire bypassing, wire separation and the list can go on.

Peoples general outlook on an electric fence is therefore the VISUAL deterrent of the electric fence is what counts! WRONG! Yes the visual deterrent of electric fencing is part of the equation but should NOT make up the whole equation. Many of the stories of how criminals get through electric fencing are true to a degree, what is often left out is that the fence was not correctly installed or in a bad condition.

I challenge anyone to try some of these, with a full 8 joule correctly installed fence. Throw a blanket over the fence and try to climb that . The reality is that the alarm should go of if the wires touched and further to that, I assure you there are very blankets that will protect you from being shocked through the blanket!

Cutting wires…. Again, you don’t have to cut them but try to (a working 8 joule fence). There are not many tools available on the market that will protect you from a shock through insulated pliers and the ones that are generally pretty expensive. Fences do get cut, they are either off or very low power fences.

Bypassing electric fencing – OK, now this one is out of the movies. Yes it might of happened at some point, but this is not an occurrence that is likely to EVER happen to you or your neighbours. Technically the person would have to have a fair amount of knowledge, some fairly expensive tools and a fair amount of time to achieve this feat.

Wire separation and digging under a fence. Now here there is truth to getting through electric fencing! These are currently the most popular ways of getting through… but they can be avoided! Once again correctly installed and a sufficient amount of earth loops and ground loops makes this VERY difficult to achieve without setting off the alarm. A method we heard of was to use toilet roll formers. Out of curiosity of course we had to give this bash! We set a section of fence with a 1 joule energizer and gave this a try (1 joule makes it like a game, you nervous of the shock, but it really is nothing) 3 people gave this a try, every one of them got a shock at some point and more than one and the alarm was activated every time but once. Now 3 shocks from a 8 joule energizer, I really have a problem believing this story! I suspect the fence involved in this criminal caper had a few issues!

Crime in South Africa is out of control, everyone knows that (except maybe our well protected government). The worst of it is that it is violent crime. The first line of defence is your property boundary and therefore this is the place to start. Makes sense doesn’t it? If you can stop them coming through the boundary, perfect, if you can’t stop them then at least know they are there. A well installed electric fence with no holes, high shock value will either stop them, or at the very least set of an alarm. Criminals are not likely to continue if they believe that you are aware of there presence as element of surprise for them is important. Remove the element of surprise at the boundary. Personally our house alarm is never activated anymore, not interested in that, (if the house alarm has gone off, they are already in the house, too late) I want to know when they are on the property or boundary, it gives me better control of the outcome!

Fences that are easy to get over – switched off, trees overhanging and not covered, corners that allow climbing, posts that allow climbing, no earth loops, gates incorrectly connected, prefab walls, with a wall top only, very low fences like 3 wire.

Electric fencing installed correctly is the best available first line of defence, any better is probably not legal

24 strand 2.24 mm on a wall next to open vlei

24 strand on palisade 1.2mm. Nice, the palisade acts as a huge earth

I must say, as per anything that comes into the market “new” , I am always a little hesitant to be the one to try it out on a client for fear of teething problems.

In this case, I regretted not using and installing the new Centurion D5 Evo motor much sooner!

The new D5 Evo has come out with the same well tried, tested and proven gearbox and chassis that has always been used on the original D5 and therefore the only changes to it are the electronics. The new electronics fitted on the Evo are an absolute dream for the installer and some of the added features are very well thought out and planned to assist the user. The new Evo controller features and new LCD screen that provides clear information on the gate status, what state it is in and information on the condition of the system. Very NICE!

The new controller also no longer requires add on remote systems (but you can if you want to) and the system itself will handle up to 125 remotes of the Nova code hopping remote system (highly recommended for enhanced security).

Another new feature programmed in the is the TAMPER system on the IR beams. These beams are normally there as a safety system for vehicles, children etc to stop the gate when the path is crossed. A MAJOR disadvantage of these beams is that the criminal element can use them against you by covering them up. This allows the gate to open, but then cannot be closed again by the user giving the criminal the opportunity to come in. The new Evo controller senses tampering on the IRB system and can sound an alarm (buzzer or external system) to warn of the tampering.

Another handy feature is that certain triggers can be programmed so that they only work at certain times of the day. An example would be to only allow the pedestrian access only to operate during day hours not evening hours further improving the security of access.

Motor speed is slightly faster than the original D5 and once again programmable in speed. Also the crawl distance (speed where it almost closed or open) is much shorter at around 10cm allowing the gate to complete open and closing totally much faster than the original.

Overall I must say the improvements are meaningful and not just “toys” or useless features and there is really nothing to find negative about the motor. Great job Centurion!