How the electric fence works

One or more fence wires mounted on insulators delimit the plot. The energizer sends pulses through this wire a maximum of once per second. These pulses pass through the body of any animal that touches the wire, returning to the energizer through the ground and the earth connection. The unpleasant tingling received discourages the animal from passing through the wire.

Leave the wire “open” at the end of the perimeter, or connect it to the starting point, never grounding it: the animal makes contact with the ground and thus feels the shock.

The pulses range from 5,000 to 15,000 V depending on the model. The pulse is very brief and carries a greater or lesser amount of energy, making it non-dangerous but very unpleasant.

Model specifications

Energy is measured in joules; the standardized reference value is measured at 500 ohms, in order to compare all energizers under the same conditions. The greater the energy, the greater the length of wire the unit can power: choose the unit according to the type of animals to be contained.

Safety rules

For safety reasons, in accordance with Article 7.12 of the NF EN 60335-2-76 standard of September 2005:

• The fence energizer must always be switched off before carrying out work on the energizer or on the electric fence itself.
• Read the safety instructions carefully; during installation, make sure that all safety rules are observed.
• Only use original spare parts when troubleshooting or servicing a device.
• Never place your energizer in a poorly ventilated area containing flammable materials. Avoid any proximity to flammable products along the fence line.
• The grounding connection is very important: it must be of very good quality and carefully installed. It must be positioned more than 10 m from any other grounding installation (the protective ground of your home, the telecommunications network ground). Connection to any ground that does not belong exclusively to the energizer is PROHIBITED.
• This device may be used by children aged at least 8 years and by people with reduced physical, sensory, or mental abilities, or who lack experience or knowledge, provided they are properly supervised or have been given instructions on how to use the device safely and understand the risks involved.
• Children must not play with the device. Cleaning and user maintenance must not be carried out by children without supervision.
• The mains-powered device must not be handled below 5 °C.

Installation of electric fences for animals (Appendix BB)

• Electric fences for animals and their auxiliary equipment must be installed, operated, and maintained in a way that reduces hazards to people, animals, or their environment.
• Electric fence constructions in which animals or people could become entangled must be avoided.
• Barbed wires or other similar wires must not be electrified by an energizer.
• Never connect several energizers to the same fence line. The energizer must be connected to its own grounding system, not to that of any other system.
• For two different fences, each powered by a different energizer with its own time base, the distance between the wires of the two fences must be at least 2,50 m. If this space must be closed off, it must be done using electrically non-conductive materials or an insulated metal barrier.
• When an electric fence for animals crosses a public path, provide a non-electrified gate at that location or a passage with stiles. In all cases of crossing, the adjacent electric wires must bear warning signs.
• Any part of an electric fence installed along a road or public path must be identified at frequent intervals by warning signs securely fastened to the posts or attached to the wires. In general, these signs must be placed at every gate or access point and at intervals of no more than 10 m.
• Warning signs must measure at least 100 mm × 200 mm, with black lettering (at least 25 mm high, on both sides, indelible) on a yellow background, bearing the wording "CAUTION ELECTRIC FENCE" and/or the hand pictogram.
• Connection wires installed inside buildings must be effectively insulated from earthed structural elements of the building, for example by using a special high-voltage cable.
• Buried connection wires must be placed in conduits made of insulating materials, or an insulated high-voltage cable must otherwise be used. Avoid damage to connection wires caused by animal hooves or tractor wheels sinking into the ground.
• Connection wires must not be installed in the same conduit as power, communication, or data cables.
• A distance of at least 10 m must be maintained between the energizer's earth electrode and any other connected part of the earthing system, such as the protective earth of the power supply network or the earth of the telecommunications network.
• Electric fences intended to deter birds, contain domestic animals, or guide animals such as cows only need to be powered by low-output energizers to provide satisfactory and safe performance.
• In fences intended to prevent birds from perching on buildings, no electric fence wire must be connected to the energizer's earth electrode. A warning sign must be installed wherever people may have access to the conductors.
• A non-electrified fence incorporating barbed wire or similar can be used to support one or more offset electrified wires. The supports must position these wires at a minimum distance of 150 mm from the vertical plane of the non-electrified wires. Barbed wire and any other similar wire must be grounded at regular intervals.
• Protection against the weather must be provided for auxiliary equipment, unless it is certified by the manufacturer as suitable for outdoor use and has a minimum IPX4 rating.

Overhead power lines

• The connecting wires and fence wires must not pass over overhead power lines. If such a crossing cannot be avoided, it must be made beneath the power line and, if possible, at a right angle to it.
• If they are installed near an overhead power line, the clearance distance must not be less than those shown in the table below.
• Near an overhead line, their height above the ground must not exceed 3 m. This height applies on either side of the orthogonal projection of the line’s outermost conductors onto the ground, over a distance of 2 m for lines with a nominal voltage not exceeding 1,000 V, and 15 m for lines exceeding 1,000 V.

Installing and connecting the fence energizer

The wall outlet to which the device is connected must be up to code and properly connected to your electrical meter through a circuit breaker against short circuits and a 30 mA residual-current device against earth leakage. These devices are mandatory and help ensure your safety and that of the device in the event of a power surge or storm.

1. Install the device under cover, protected from moisture, away from all flammable materials, in a well-ventilated location.
2. Secure it properly to the wall using the metal bracket provided or firmly attached screws.
3. Connect the grounding wire to the green terminal on the front of the device. At the other end, connect it to the grounding rod, driven into the ground if possible at the wettest location (at the foot of a hedge, etc.). See Grounding.
4. Strip 2 cm of the insulated high-voltage wire and connect it to the device's red terminal; connect it to the fence line.
5. Plug the cord into a compliant power socket. From that moment on, the device operates: it generates high voltage with a maximum of 60 pulses per minute.
6. Check the red lamp between the output terminals: it should light up at the pulse rate (between 45 and 60 pulses per minute).

Grounding connection

Its role is essential to the fence's effectiveness: all the energy that passes through the animal returns to the energizer via this ground. If the grounding system is poor, the animal will feel nothing. The connections must be made with particular care.

• Place it more than 10 m from any other grounding connection (house, telephone, etc.).
• For mains-powered devices, you need at least a 1 m rod, or several rods if a significant voltage (above 2,500 V) is measured between the grounding rod and the ground.
• Choose the wettest location possible. Water it with a bucket containing several litres of water once a week when it has not rained, to reduce its resistance and prevent electricity from reaching the grounding connection.
• If the ground is not conductive, install more rods, 4 m apart.
• The grounding cable can be a standard wire: only the fence cable needs to be high-voltage cable.

Install the fence

Materials required

Wooden, iron, plastic or fiberglass posts approximately 1 to 1.5 m long; good-quality porcelain or plastic insulators; galvanized wire, tape or flexible wire (steel and polyethylene wires); accessories such as gate handles; a metal grounding rod; high-voltage cable if crossing walls or running alongside building structures.

Steps

1. Determine the location and clear it of all vegetation that could touch the wire once it is in place.
2. Set the posts 3 to 5 m apart (place them closer together on uneven ground). Reinforce corner posts and any posts subject to tension with braces.
3. Attach the insulators to the posts at the desired height, deploying the wire as you go and passing it through the designated points on the insulator.
4. Adjust the height and number of rows of wire or tape to the type and size of the animals (see table below).
5. End the installation at a final insulator at the end of the line: there is no need to make a loop. Never connect the fence wire to the ground at the end of the run.

Gate or passage

A few metres wide, it consists of a wire: at one end, the gate handle (spring hook); at the other, a pulley, a loop made with the wire, or a special insulator. The handle’s insulated shaft lets you open the circuit while you pass through, without stopping the energizer or risking an electric shock. On the main transport wires, carry the current from one side to the other using a special high-voltage cable buried in a conduit, parallel to the overhead wire: the energy thus continues to power the rest of the enclosures even when the handle is unhooked.

Signage

Signs are mandatory when the fence is installed along a public road, as well as when it is accessible to someone unaware of its presence: along the accessible section, place a clearly visible sign reading “electric fence” or bearing the hand logo at most every 50 m. See also the rules in Annex BB (signs at every gate or access point and at intervals of no more than 10 m).

Telephone lines

If you cross a telephone line, cross it perpendicularly, never in parallel, at a distance of 1 m above or below it. For a high-voltage line, never run parallel to it: always cross it perpendicularly. Do not use telephone poles to support the wire of an electric fence.

Trials with the animals

When introducing your animals into their electric enclosure, always carry out a brief training session: gently push them towards the electrified wire so that each one receives one or two shocks. This will be sufficient to keep them from approaching it again.

Operation and indicator lamp

The line indicator lamp, located between the red and green output terminals, should light up once per second, in time with the pulses.

• The energizer “clicks” but the lamp does not light up: insulation fault on your line, or very significant energy loss (short circuit, vegetation too dense on the conductors, wire fallen to the ground, faulty insulator, etc.). The voltage in the wire is then very low: you must identify the source of the problem.
• The lamp lights up with every pulse but there is no electricity on the line: one or more wires are broken, or the earth connection is of poor quality.
• Current in the earth connection: the line is short-circuited and the earth connection is not very good. Do not hesitate to moisten it from time to time in summer.

Then regularly check that the entire system is working properly.

Safety during operation

• Lightning can cause fires on electric fences and malfunctions. It may be advisable to disconnect the device from the mains and disconnect the fence-line wire if it is not in use (leave the earth wire connected).
• Do not place flammable objects near the fence. Cutting back nearby brush reduces the risk of fire, as short circuits can cause sparks.
• Do not use the device if there is a risk of the fence being flooded.
• If the interval between pulses is less than 1 second, switch off the device immediately and have it repaired if necessary. If it is more than 1.8 seconds, the device no longer ensures the animals remain safely contained and must be checked.
• Neither people nor animals must receive more than one pulse per second: never connect more than one energizer to a fence, even if it has several rows of wires. The distance between two fences powered by two separate energizers must never be less than 2 m, so that no one can receive more than one pulse per second by touching them simultaneously.
• Ensure that the animal touching the fence can always move backwards: prolonged contact could cause serious burns (for example, do not run a fence through a marsh where the animal could become stuck in the mud).
• Do not allow a baby to play next to an electric fence.
• Do not use this device for any purpose other than that for which it was designed.
• Adjust the energizer according to the animal to be contained: a cattle unit will hurt a great deal (even though it is not dangerous); conversely, a dog unit will have no effect on a large bovine.

Maintenance and repair

• When connected to the mains, the device requires no special maintenance. It is strictly forbidden to install any device connected to the 230 V mains outdoors, including hybrid devices used on the same mains.
• Regularly monitor the indicator lamp to check that it is flashing steadily, and walk around the installation as needed to prevent excessive vegetation from disrupting its operation.
• Inspect the fence line regularly: check that there are no sparks at the connections (they cause losses and degrade the conductors), remove vegetation touching the conductors, check the insulators (some may become conductive or crack), and record any wires that have fallen to the ground.
• Any source of sparks generates interference that may disrupt the reception of audiovisual programs: your installation must be electrically clean.

• Any repair or component replacement must be carried out by a qualified and authorized person, using suitable original CHAPRON components. Combining boards and transformers with capacitors without respecting the basic specifications may be dangerous.
• Any replacement of the power supply wires must be carried out using original spare parts.
• When it can be replaced manually, the fuse must be replaced with an identical fuse: 1 A, 5 × 20, glass, fast-acting.
• In the event of a malfunction, contact us.

Troubleshooting

Find out more: energy and fencing equipment

• Output energy: in addition to voltage, each pulse carries a quantity of electricity measured in joules. The greater the energy, the more painful the pulse and the longer the length of wire the energizer can power.
• Fence wire: the more conductive it is (low resistance in ohms per metre), the more energy it carries and the better it is suited to long distances and powerful energizers. Tape and rope are often intended for equines, which can see them from a distance, while wire is intended for cattle. Rigid wires are suitable for permanent fences, while flexible wires are easy to coil.
• Insulators: they insulate the wire from the ground and from any support in contact with the ground. The larger they are, the stronger and more insulating they are; avoid pieces of tubing and low-quality insulators without anti-drip fins.
• Line posts: spaced an average of 3 to 4 m apart. For a permanent installation, use a wooden post every 50 m or at each corner to tension the conductors; use plastic posts approximately every 4 m to limit wire sag, and give them preference for mobile installations.
• Connections: poor contact between conductors causes sparks, interference (radio, telephone, ADSL, digital terrestrial television) and overheating that permanently damages the wire or tape. Knots and splices should be avoided.
• High-voltage wire: required wherever an energy-carrying wire is not mounted on insulators (wall, conduit, trees, etc.). It can be routed through a conduit and extend for several hundred metres without losses. Wires with insufficient insulation can break down and cause losses.
• Testers: lamp or digital testers allow you to check the voltage at various points along the line and find an accidental conductor break, which is virtually impossible to detect using only the fence energizer's indicator light.
• Vegetation: for optimal performance, keep the conductors clear of vegetation.
• Fence length: the perimeter of the enclosures is what matters, provided that all wires are connected to each other at the beginning and end (cross-connecting the wires every 200 m as shown in the manual's diagram). Fences with multiple wires connected to each other conduct electricity more effectively.

Symbols and recycling

• Symbols printed on the fence energizer: read all instructions before use.
• This product must be recycled separately from other waste: take it to a designated collection point for recycling electrical and electronic equipment (Directive 2002/96/EC of 27/01/2003 on WEEE). To find out where collection points are located, contact your local council's recycling service or contact us.
• All Chapron devices comply with electromagnetic compatibility standards (CE marking).

Manufacturer: Chapron-Lemenager, ZA du Calvaire, 14230 Isigny-sur-Mer, France — www.chapron-lemenager.com. Based on the manufacturer's user manual for mains-powered fence energizers (version 1, November 2024).