I would offer this advice on getting the best value from your electric fencing.

Most electric fencing (tape and rope) will eventually fail due to physical damage of rubbing and chafing. This chafing can cut through the metal conducting filaments before the plastic breaks. Over the longer term the plastic will de-grade due to the effect of ultra-violet light on the material turning it brittle and inflexible.

So when choosing your tape / rope the stronger, thicker and better made the best. Then when building your fence tension it firmly (hand tight) so as not to let it rub in the wind. With tape consider using insulators with built in rubber pads. This cushions the tape at the insulator and reduces the rubbing due to it flapping in high winds.

For rope pay attention to your corners - use an egg type of strain insulator that has nice rounded molding as the rope changes direction - do not just use screw in insulators that are designed for the straight runs of fence only. No warranty is ever offered against chafing or rubbing if this is from a poorly constructed and maintained fence.

Walk around your fence occasionally on a still damp day and test the voltage occasionally. It should be above 3kV or 3000v to be effective for horses. Any "clicking" you hear is bad. This is the electricity jumping between one conductor and another - probably at a joint or knot, or shorting out on a metal post or long wet grass. This jumping is a little spark and the heat will slowly melt your plastic wire and it will fail. Don't knot your fence, make the joint with a clamp or crimp that holds the fence wires tightly together. A good electric fence should never make any noise!

Finally a good earth is key. The electric pulse travels down the fence line, through the animal touching it, into the soil and then back to the energizer via the earth stake. If this earth stake is not well connected down into damp soil then what ever the voltage on the fence - it can not flow back to the energizer - so is useless.

Of course I personally believe that the Gallagher electric fencing wire and tape we sell at Farmbits is very good as it has a between 3 and 5 year warranty against failing due to ultra violet light. It is stronger, thicker and weighs more per meter than cheaper rope/tape and has proved itself over time to be good value as it lasts. Gallagher insulators are specially made to give the minimum chafing and smooth corner and end strainers are available to hold the fence tight and secure to minimize chafing if installed correctly.

Give us a call at Farmbits Direct Ltd on 01953 606668 and have a chat. We do this ourselves on a daily basis!

Fergus Anderson