The discussion is on Slashdot. The linked article is here on Network World. As much as I would like to see copper thieves getting zapped, this sounds scary.
Given that copper thieves have no problem stealing cables from LIVE subway feeds and railroad catenary an electric fence really doesn't seem much of a deterrent.
It's not a question of stealing, but simply exposure. Kids are curious, and are the ones most likely to see a warning sign as something to be challenged, dared, or ignored, even if there is no desire to steal anything. Pets, of course, can't read signs...
When I first saw this thread, that was the first thing that popped into my mind, and wondered if the installers made any attempt to mitigate such potential problems. Certainly, it would be relatively easy to only electrify the tops of the fences, which would eliminate small kids and animals from potential injuries. That's, unfortunately, overbalanced by the fact that the curious, or stupid, teenager will be farther off the ground when he gets zapped, and will be more likely to fall and hurt themselves that way.
If this is a standard " Electric Fence" of the type used for controlling animals, It may slow a copper thief down for about 2 mins.
As I posted on here several years ago, copper thieves swiped the ground wire out of the main feeder from our transformer to the building at the shop where I used to work while the wires were "Hot" .
Unless the "Electric Fence" has lethal voltages and amperages of the type used in prison compounds, all this will do is keep the honest people out.
B.E.
The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor
I would never consider anything lethal. That's a fib. I once considered an inverter and neon sign transformer in my car for a while after my hubcaps were stolen three times in two months. But I didn't do it.
My nephew buys derelict houses in bad areas and refurbs them for a living. To avoid squatters and other break-ins while he is working late at nights, he has made a sackful of devices with alligator clip leads and aluminum pads to stick on all the windows and doors. The heart of each one is a "shocking cigarette lighter" that can be found at novelty shops and fun shops.
He's heard a surprising number of yelps and cursing during the night. The people generally try the front or back doorknob first.
I wouldn't feel too bad about employing that myself. A serious intruder could kick the door or bash a window, but the casual intruder will simply pick another house that doesn't shock him.
Best to you,
Goober Dave
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Do they have to put a non electric barrier around the electric one to minimize accidents/incidents involving kids & critters?
Based on my law classes at university I thought the idea of duty of care to anyone on your property was well established in Anglo-American law, though the definition of 'care' may vary somewhat with geography.
I would guess that 50 yrs ago, a nice, clear sign with a warning would have sufficed, but today, I would expect that anything less than some level of near-complete inaccessibility to any ostensibly innocent person would incur massive law suits.
They rigged up some apparatus rather than taking the simple step of peeing on an electrified fence a few times. How well did it replicate a 'man-made' stream?
We had a spate of thefts where I work a few years ago (computer memory chips mainly). An electric fence around the site appeared almost overnight. No law suits from people being zapped that I know about.
Cass,
This reminds me of a failed experiment in 1979 at trying to keep a dog in a pen.
This dog continually dug under the fence of his compound, so I set up an electric fence 6" above the ground to zap him when he tried to dig out.
The first day I tried it out, the dog went over to where he had been digging before, touched the fence, let out a howl and ran to the other side of the pen, where he promptly touched the electric fence again. He wheeled around and ran full bore across the pen leaping the fence with 6" to spare, and promptly vanished into the brush surrounding the property. It took me 2 days to get him back.
I ended up removing the electric fence and laying chicken wire 3" to 4" underground to stop him digging.
B.E.
"A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
-George Washington, President of the United States----
One of my cats can open my back screen door. I have to attach a bungee cord to it to keep him inside. I am looking for a screen door latch with a round handle.
Drawoh,
I just had a mental picture of a shocked cat, doing three horizontal circuits of the room, on the wall about 4'-0" up from the floor.
B.E.
"A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
-George Washington, President of the United States----
