Hey, I was wondering if anyone might have advice (or at least more knowledge about) electric fences, than I do. So, here's the situation. L:
This campus has been abandoned for several years; only 2 buildings remain (one I was able to explore), and is very secluded. However, the main building is surrounded by a 9 ft chain link fence, topped with barbed wire, with a second run of fence behind it. Several signs on it state that it is a "7000 volt, alarmed" electric fence. As far as I could see, there are no cameras, and I didn't see any conductors anywhere nor did I hear any electrical sounds. What little I know about them is (I think) that the chain link wouldn't be electrified due to the amount of resistance, unless one were to wire every link.
But...I noticed a 20 ft section that has been knocked down, leaving a 9-11 ft run of fence to cross over to get to the other side. So, my question is, with that part laying on the ground, is the fence likely still live? I'd think not, but there's really only one way to test that...if it is live, would putting a sheet of plywood across it be enough protection from being fried? I've considered tossing something metal on it to see if it sparks, but I wonder if that would trip the alarm, if in fact it is more than just a deterrent...one would think the damn thing would've sent someone already with part of it on the ground.
Had I not found the breach, I'd have left it alone, but I'm curious if anyone has any insight into whether or not infiltration would be possible here. Also, I know construction crews have been working occasionally on site, but I was there today for an hour or so and saw nobody.
Thanks for any help/advice/info you can give! (And no, despite the old rhyme, I did not wish to pee on it!)

If you can just walk over the fence running shoes should keep you safe. Anything with thick rubber soles, really. I mean I am not an electrician, but I've touched electric fences before and they aren't as strong as you would think.

Well, had you whizzed on it, even if it was electrified, nothing would have happened. A normal stream of urine isn't a contiguous body of fluid that can conduct electricity between the fence and your junk.

Posted by TrixieSparrow If you can just walk over the fence running shoes should keep you safe. Anything with thick rubber soles, really. I mean I am not an electrician, but I've touched electric fences before and they aren't as strong as you would think.

Thank you TrixieSparrow, it makes sense, after all, the charge isn't gonna pass thru thick rubber. The boots I was wearing today might've been riskier, as they have some metal on them and likely wouldn't have given me much traction, but thick soled shoes could work. I might lay something else down too though, if only to ease my mind.

Post by Steed Well, had you whizzed on it, even if it was electrified, nothing would have happened. A normal stream of urine isn't a contiguous body of fluid that can conduct electricity between the fence and your junk.

Interesting... I did not know that.

Even if it is live, it's certainly not going to kill you (unless you have some preexisting condition). It's not the volts that kill you, it's the amps. 7000 volts is a big scary number, but the current is what matters, and it's bound to be low- the risk of a child (or anyone else) stumbling into the fence and getting shocked is too high to justify making the fence truly dangerous, instead of just unpleasant (an exception would be prisons/government/military sites. I don't know what their liability is, but they can probably use higher amp fences).


Additionally, a bit of research revealed three interesting facts about electric fences- first off, the entire fence is rarely if ever directly electrified. Instead, a single wire running along the top of the fence is electrified and connected to rest of the fence. Second, most fences apparently are not electrified all the time, but are rather electrified in pulses. So you'd have to do more than just tap it to determine whether it was truly on. Lastly, climbing the electric fence with all body parts off the ground won't protect you from the shock.


If part of the fence is down, first off check and see if the wire is intact. Even if it is, it's probably unlikely that the fence will be on since it's entire length is grounded. Lastly, a pair of thick soled rubber shoes will probably protect you if it is on, though plywood couldn't hurt.

Posted by Aran Even if it is live, it's certainly not going to kill you (unless you have some preexisting condition). It's not the volts that kill you, it's the amps. 7000 volts is a big scary number, but the current is what matters, and it's bound to be low- the risk of a child (or anyone else) stumbling into the fence and getting shocked is too high to justify making the fence truly dangerous, instead of just unpleasant (an exception would be prisons/government/military sites. I don't know what their liability is, but they can probably use higher amp fences). Additionally, a bit of research revealed three interesting facts about electric fences- first off, the entire fence is rarely if ever directly electrified. Instead, a single wire running along the top of the fence is electrified and connected to rest of the fence. Second, most fences apparently are not electrified all the time, but are rather electrified in pulses. So you'd have to do more than just tap it to determine whether it was truly on. Lastly, climbing the electric fence with all body parts off the ground won't protect you from the shock. If part of the fence is down, first off check and see if the wire is intact. Even if it is, it's probably unlikely that the fence will be on since it's entire length is grounded. Lastly, a pair of thick soled rubber shoes will probably protect you if it is on, though plywood couldn't hurt.

Wow, great writeup, thank you! It does confirm many of my suspicions...I was sure I'd read somewhere (in a fiction book) that it's rare to see a fully electrified fence because of electrical resistance, but I wasn't sure how accurate it was. I know stun guns and tasers tend to have pretty high voltage (much more than 7000), and especially with seeing the breach, and the fact that it's an abandoned, empty building, it wouldn't make much sense to pack a killer punch, like you said. I didn't know they ran them in pulses...well, I think I'll end up doing this, maybe find an easy to transport/hide piece of plywood or boarding for some added insurance.
Thank you again for the info...it seemed doable when I was looking at it, but it never hurts to get some outside thoughts and do some research before jumping in; especially when it comes to something like electricity (or the lack of it). This might be a sweet explore if the taggers have been effectively scared off!

Yeah, a taser runs at about 50,000 volts. I don't know the current on electric fences or tasers- however, 0.01 amps is considered enough to deliver a painful shock, while anything above 0.1 amps is considered lethal. For reference, your average household electrical outlet runs at about 15-20 amps (150x the lethal threshold), but only 120 volts.

Just make sure to take everything I've said with a grain of salt, as I'm no electrician. I'd recommend doing additional research if you plan to cross an electrical fence.

If the electric fence is behind the barrier fence, offset about 8 inches?
It will set you on your ass. It's a big jolt and will usually take out your legs

Hmm, it looks like I was not entirely correct, as the urine doesn't have to travel all the way to the ground before hitting the fence. Also, it sounds like a much worse idea to try it with a third rail.

https://www.livesc...e-electricity.html

Take a look on the ground near the fence... If there aren't any dead animals, it's not that bad and you should be fine with the rubber soles.

Posted by Steed Hmm, it looks like I was not entirely correct, as the urine doesn't have to travel all the way to the ground before hitting the fence. Also, it sounds like a much worse idea to try it with a third rail. https://www.livesc...e-electricity.html

Thank you... I think? Hahaha

Posted by Steed Hmm, it looks like I was not entirely correct, as the urine doesn't have to travel all the way to the ground before hitting the fence. Also, it sounds like a much worse idea to try it with a third rail. https://www.livesc...e-electricity.html

Hey Steed - I'll piss on the fence if you do.... You first! ;)

From the link provided by Steed O'Malley's autopsy revealed "the burns on the head of the penis and on the thumb and forefinger were obviously electrical burns … The stream of urine had come into contact with the 600 volts of the third rail.

AHH! D:

Posted by Steed Hmm, it looks like I was not entirely correct, as the urine doesn't have to travel all the way to the ground before hitting the fence. Also, it sounds like a much worse idea to try it with a third rail. https://www.livesc...e-electricity.html

Damn, I was so hoping for the future thread 'Got the shock my life pissing on an electric fence'

I have 5,10 and a 12KV 30ma neon sign transformers. You be amazed how easy they can shock you. Goes through hard wood floors, the slightest bit of moisture on a screw driver handle and will even ground you out through the air. Piss on one it's terminals you would be so sorry, maybe in cardiac arrest.

The electric fences are 'harmless' but the feeling isn't. Not enough milliamps to harm you unless it causes you to fall or some sort of collateral damage.
600+ volts at a couple a hundred amps or more can cook you alive, explode body parts, etc if it gets a pathway through you. Very dangerous, no warning and no 2nd chances.

*480+ VAC is considered very dangerous as well, 240 VAC and below less so because of the lower voltage potential. However any voltage with 30-100 or more milliamps of current has the real potential to kill you if it gets a pathway through your body.

Posted by Aran Second, most fences apparently are not electrified all the time, but are rather electrified in pulses. So you'd have to do more than just tap it to determine whether it was truly on.

A bunch of years ago, we were up at a friend's property and wanted to get to the other side of a horse/cattle-style electric fence. We were pretty sure we'd turned it off, so I tentatively put my hand on it and it appeared to be dead.

So sure, I crouched down and started making my way between the two widest-set wires, set something like two and three feet off the ground. That's how I learned about the pulse.

It wasn't bad, really, but enough that I yelped and kind of froze, still half way through. This, of course, became hilarious to everyone around, including myself, and I got shocked several more times while laughing and trying to untangle myself from a tree branch, or something, that I'd also managed to have gotten caught in in the process.

I was a lot more careful (and faster) coming back when I was finished with whatever I was doing.

Quasi electrician here.

EE 101 taught two really important safety numbers to keep in mind. 6 milliamps across the heart can stop it and the voltage threshold is approx 50~60 volts to penetrate dry skin on the average person. Voltage gets it inside you and amps do the damage. It doesn't take much if the path is aligned correctly.

Posted by Rustndust Quasi electrician here. EE 101 taught two really important safety numbers to keep in mind. 6 milliamps across the heart can stop it and the voltage threshold is approx 50~60 volts to penetrate dry skin on the average person. Voltage gets it inside you and amps do the damage. It doesn't take much if the path is aligned correctly.

Generally the threshold is between 30-100 milliamps. 6 sounds more like directly on the heart muscle or someone who has cardio issues to begin with. Fibrillation is what's really dangerous because even if you get knocked off or pulled off by someone your heart will not usually resume it's normal beat.

Since you can't tell how many milliamps you will pull... best practice is to use only one hand and not have your body grounded to anything.
High voltage though will ground you out through air and materials that are normally non conductive like wood. 1 inch per 1000 volts is minimum safe distance even arc starting distance is less than half of that.

I can attest to electric fences working in pulses. Go up to a fence and touch it. Nothing happens must be off so I cross it and am fine. Look back to my daughter, who is 7 at the time, to come over to the other side.

She's crawling under and then screams ouch it shocked me you lied daddy!! So I go back over there and touch it again and nothing happens. No you must of just imagined that you got shocked nothing is happening to me.

Next fence. Same thing I go over and nothing happens and my daughter gets shocked. She's pretty insistent that she got zapped. I go back over and touch the fence again. I don't know what your talking about nothing is happening to me. I think your afraid that it is on and when the wire touched you you must of just thought that you got shocked. After seeing me touch it again she figures that maybe she did imagine it.

Third fence she goes across first and nothing happens to her that time. I think your right daddy nothing happened to me that time. Then I'm crossing the fence. See I told you these were.. Ahh shit!!! I got zapped!

LOL. So yeah we discovered that they pulsed. On the plus side I would say not to worry about them too much considering my 7 year old daughter was able to take getting shocked twice and be convinced that she imagined it. I mean how bad can they be?

Posted by blackhawk Generally the threshold is between 30-100 milliamps. 6 sounds more like directly on the heart muscle or someone who has cardio issues to begin with. Fibrillation is what's really dangerous because even if you get knocked off or pulled off by someone your heart will not usually resume it's normal beat. Since you can't tell how many milliamps you will pull... best practice is to use only one hand and not have your body grounded to anything. High voltage though will ground you out through air and materials that are normally non conductive like wood. 1 inch per 1000 volts is minimum safe distance even arc starting distance is less than half of that.

If I remember right the 6 mA figure was just that, directly across the heart. So yeah some weird path like right arm to a foot very well could be 30-100. I work with solar systems that are generally 400-1000 volts dc at about 8 amps. I've been hit by 240 ac more times than I care to admit but let me tell you, you DO NOT want to get a string of panels arm to arm! You'll feel it for days!

Posted by Rustndust If I remember right the 6 mA figure was just that, directly across the heart.

I seem to remember the 6mA as well from college (B.S. in E.E). I also remember an instructor telling us a 9v battery could stop your heart from arm to arm, provided you pierce the skin with a couple of needles and use them as contact points.... o.O

Posted by Mr. Bitey I seem to remember the 6mA as well from college (B.S. in E.E). I also remember an instructor telling us a 9v battery could stop your heart from arm to arm, provided you pierce the skin with a couple of needles and use them as contact points.... o.O

I think that's one of the proposed uses of the Baghdad battery. They think that they might have used it in conjunction with acupuncture to treat various ailments. The battery voltage would have only been a volt or two but if you pierced the skin with a needle first and got contact with nice salty blood you could conduct through the body! Neat! lol