Electric Fences

Pig Hunter said:
It's amps not volts that kills.
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Fence voltage is high generally because resistance is also high, in order to deliver enough amps to knock the peanut fudge out of someone. One reason why standing barefoot in wet grass when you touch a charged fence hits you hard, when you can touch one on dry ground while wearing tennis shoes and not get a shock at all. Amperage is the voltage divided by the resistance in the system; high voltage and low resistance will deliver more amps. A good electric fence will alternate multiple wires as hot and ground, close enough that you're highly likely to touch one of each, so contact with the ground (dirt you're standing on) doesn't matter.
 
It is generally considered that a current as little as 200 milliamperes (0.2 amps) over several seconds can be lethal to humans. That is why I mentioned the legal liability associated with the ownership of an electric fence.
 
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DWalt said:
It is generally considered that a current as little as 200 milliamperes (0.2 amps) over several seconds can be lethal to humans. That is why I mentioned the legal liability associated with the ownership of an electric fence.
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Yup, as little as 175mA (less than 1/6 Amp) can stop the human heart. Voltage isn't the thing to be concerned about. 20,000v or 200,000v, doesn't matter. If the current is under .175A it may knock you on your keester, but it won't kill you - generally speaking.

That's the principle on which stun guns and tasers are designed to work. They deliver HUGE voltages - as much as a couple of HUNDRED thousand volts, but they don't deliver any current to speak of.

They do this by using a capacitor that can be charged to extremely high voltage, but that will only deliver a fraction of an Amp of current.

So the capacitor's high voltage discharge is able to short circuit your nervous system without delivering enough current to actually stop your heart. At least theoretically - assuming you have a healthy heart to start with...
 
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One of the signs I have posted around the ol' homestead.

3AYe6Mf.jpg
 
BC38 said:
Yup, as little as 175mA (less than 1/6 Amp) can stop the human heart. Voltage isn't the thing to be concerned about. 20,000v or 200,000v, doesn't matter. If the current is under .175A it may knock you on your keester, but it won't kill you - generally speaking.

That's the principle on which stun guns and tasers are designed to work. They deliver HUGE voltages - as much as a couple of HUNDRED thousand volts, but they don't deliver any current to speak of.

They do this by using a capacitor that can be charged to extremely high voltage, but that will only deliver a fraction of an Amp of current.

So the capacitor's high voltage discharge is able to short circuit your nervous system without delivering enough current to actually stop your heart. At least theoretically - assuming you have a healthy heart to start with...
Click to expand...
The main thing with Tasers is the amount of time the current is delivered. A stun gun can be as deadly as grabbing a live AC circuit, depending on how long it remains in contact. Ohm's Law determines the amount of current delivered, based on voltage and electrical resistance. Human skin has a relatively high electrical resistance, so delivered current is low and varies based on how thick or moist the skin area is where the charge is delivered. Tasers and stun guns are also designed to deliver their charge through clothing, which also increases electrical resistance. Animal hides are even higher in resistance than skin, so lethal contact is rare.

Electric fences, if you can hang on to one, can easily electrocute in the proper circumstances, but the great majority are "brush-by" contact and you only receive a shock for an instant. Facilities with electric fences mitigate their liability by posting frequent signs on the fence warning of the danger with both words and images. It puts the responsibility on the individual to stay clear.
 
Neighbor next to us had a pasture between our properties as he was raising cows. The fence was electrified. Wife's daughter came over with her dog, and he decided to visit the cows. He got tangled up on the fence and received a jolt. He won't go near the fence anymore.
 
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