Which Electric Fencing Wire

[bottleworks]

I am building a permanent electric fence over the next year. I am planing on using 12.5 Ga wire, however, I am not sure if I should use Galvanized steel or aluminum wire. Which is better?

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I have never used aluminum but know steel should be stronger. Here deer is a problem so steel is used and cost may be a factor too.

Rust at some point is an issue but that should be many years if you will buy quality fire upfront.

What do you mean by permanent?

 

[bottleworks]

What do you mean by permanent?

I don't intend to remove the fence for the remainder of my life.

I was planning on going with aluminum because of potential rusting over time, however, steel may be better. I will be buying about 33,000 feet of wire, so I want to buy the best.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Then you can afford to do it right. TSC type stores may offer some good advice for your area.

It is the manhours required to keep an electric fence operational after the installation it was the killer in my experience.

I could not count the delayed/cancelled trips due to the fence being "down".

To this day I do not know how I did it (well it was 45 years ago) I was "walking" the electric fence "again" when I saw I was going to step on a coiled copperhead snake and my foot was like 12 inches from stepping on .

Somehow I jumped with the leg that was still on the ground so my other foot did not step on the snake.

Have you ever maintained an electric fence?

They do make a very heavy wire that you may want to look at. It just has been a long time since I messed with installing or using one.

 

[Ken45101]

Aluminum is soft and will get stretched if deer hit it. Cheap galvanized wire will rust within a half dozen years. Your 12.5 ga sounds good as long as it has a good solid (not cheap) galvanized coating.

Something you might check into is the high tensile wire. You don't have to string it with high tension, but it seems to be decent quality wire.

FWIW, we are pulling down our electric wire. It's the thin gauge stuff and the deer have been wrecking it. Last year the deer pulled it into the pasture and one of our horses got tangled with it and had a pretty severe cut on his leg.

Good luck with your endeavor, that sound like a lot of effort!

Ken

 

[magicheater]

I too have a permanent electric deer fence. I used old power poles spaced 30-40 feet and 5 rows of 14 gage galvanized wire. It has been up 5+ years and so far no rust and once the deer know it is there they stay away. Put some gates in for tractor access. I have not had a problem with the wire coming down, used sturdy ceramic insulators that the wire goes through, not just clipped on.

 

[Ken45101]

Don't forget, deer do NOT get a shock from electric fence if they jump it but don't cleanly clear it. They have to have feet on the ground to get a shock.

There is plastic coated (electric conducting) high tensile wire. That should last a long, long time, but of course is expensive.

Ken

 

[bottleworks]

Don't forget, deer do NOT get a shock from electric fence if they jump it but don't cleanly clear it. They have to have feet on the ground to get a shock.

The upper wires will alternate between ground and power to ensure a shock.

 

[bottleworks]

Steel it is. That will save a lot of money as I had budgeted $130 per 4K ft Al, vs $86 per 4K for steel.

 

[magicheater]

The upper wires will alternate between ground and power to ensure a shock.

That is a great idea!, never thought of doing that. Thanx!