The simplest way to touch an electric fence is by turning off the fence energizer. However, if you are thinking, is it possible to touch an electric fence without getting shocked? The simple answer is yes. If you insulate yourself from the earth, current can’t pass through your body.
In this blog post, we’ll explore some practical tips and tricks that will help protect you from any potential electrical shock while touching those electric fences.
Understanding how an electric fence works will help you understand the phenomena.
How electric fence circuit works:
All electric circuits need a complete loop(path) for current. The live wires supply current, and ground/neutral wires take current back to the power source.
An electric fences work such that the energizer outputs a high-voltage pulse from the positive/live terminal to the fence wires. Electric fence strands are insulated from the ground.
When someone touches the fence, the circuit will be complete. Current passes from your body to the earth and deliver you shock pulses.
Ground wires take the charges from rods to the energizer, and the fence circuit completes.
How to Touch An Electric Fence Without Getting Shocked?
- You won’t be shocked if you touch an electric fence while standing on an insulator(non-conductor), i.e., plastic or rubber.
- Also, if you hold a fence while wearing insulated gloves or shoes, current can’t pass through your body to the ground, and you’ll receive no shock.
- In another case, an electric fence won’t shock you if someone jumps and touches the fence.
The key point is that you must be highly insulated from the ground surface. The electric fence or any circuit delivers a shock when current can travel from the body to the ground or anything that is grounded.
For example, Birds sitting on power lines don’t get electrocuted because they are not touching the earth’s surface or anything grounded. Hence current can’t travel through their body to the ground, and they don’t receive a shock.
Explanation:
The live fence wires are insulated from touching the earth(soil) as it’s also a part of the electric fence.
When someone touches the fence electric fence circuit completes, and the human/animal receives shocks. Current travels through their body to the ground and back to the energizer.
So, if you are insulated from the earth, the current can’t pass through your body, and you will not get shock pulses.
Suppose someone stands over an insulated material touching the fence. In that case, the current’s path is blocked due to insulation, and it can’t travel into the ground.
You can use insulated/non-conductive material, such as gloves/shoes, standing over a plastic chair, or jumping.
Although normal footwear is made of non-conductive material, due to cracks and holes, current can penetrate(pass) through normal shoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can you touch an electric fence with rubber gloves?
You can touch an electric fence with rubber gloves because rubber is a non-conductor(insulator). The current can’t penetrate the rubber gloves, so electrical workers commonly use them.
However, if rubber gloves are damaged(pinched), current can pass through the cracks(hole).
- What Happens if You Pee on an Electric Fence?
If someone pees on electric fence wires, current tries to climb up the urine stream. But due to the distance between droplets, a fraction of the total charge reaches the body.
Even such a low-power current hurts a lot as it hits the sensitive parts of the body. However, peeing on an electric fence must not kill or seriously harm someone.
- Can you touch an electric fence with a stick?
As you know, wood is a non-conductor(insulator) and can’t conduct electricity. So you can touch an electric fence with anything that is an insulator, such as wood, rubber, etc.
- Can you jump and touch an electric fence?
You won’t get shocked if you jump and touch an electric fence. Because you are in the air and aren’t connected to the ground or anything that is grounded.
However, as you contact the ground, current will pass through your body to the ground, and you’ll be shocked.
- How to tell if an electric fence is working without touching it?
Pluck a fresh grass blade(5-6 inches), hold it from one end, and touch the other end to the fence wires. If the fence is electrified, you’ll feel a small voltage pulse in your fingers.
Very little current travels due to the moisture and water inside the grass.
If you hold the grass more closely, you will feel the current easily.
Conclusion:
Although the safest way to touch an electric fence is to turn off the charger/energizer.
If you wear insulated shoes/gloves or stand plastic chair, current can’t pass through your body to the ground. The circuit will not complete through your body, so you won’t receive a shock.
A human or animal must be in contact with the ground or anything grounded to receive an electric shock.
If you still need any guidance, ask us in the comments below.
So what does it mean when somebody can touch a electric fence while standing directly on the ground with no feeling of electricity