# How do I test to see if my fence is electric?



## Brianna6432 (Jan 25, 2010)

I know what you're probably thinking. Well, if it's your fence you should know if it's electric or not. Wrong. 
My mom's now ex boyfriend made the fence electric. I have never used it except for two days ago. I plugged it in and touched the top wire. It hurt. Haha, obviously. I was told it would be a little shock, but it wasn't so little. Anyway, I just wanted to test it out before I used it on my horse. So, I unplugged it and went inside. I was noticing some posts bending outward from my horse leaning on the wire, pushing the posts. So, I would like to plug the fence in but I want to know if the bottom wire is electric ( I don't want my 70 lb dog getting shocked, or my 75 lb goat getting shocked ). If I plug it in again, how do I test if the bottom is electric, other then touching it again? 

p.s. I thought I could put a piece of hay on it and see it vibrate but I tried that right before I touched the top wire and the hay didn't move, and I got shocked. :/ Oh, and I offered my brother to touch it but he doesn't want to. haha, so, how else to I figure out if it's electric, other then touching it again?


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

well, go and get your REALLY good friend...... and then say: aww we gotta crawl through the fence to see the hroses..... haha naw, that would be mean, i dont really know how else to test it but... maybe be careful all of a sudden making it electric without your horses knowing, tht might spook 'em


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## qtrhrsecrazy (Aug 2, 2009)

Get an electric fence indicator.. Fence Alert Low Voltage Indicator - 3600354 | Tractor Supply Company


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## Beau Baby (Oct 28, 2008)

aww. my mom just makes me touch it. we hook it up every spring and turn it on for about 5 minutes before she makes me touch it. usually if i refuse she just does it. so yeah, we touch it. its not that electric so it don't hurt.


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

Take the back of your hand and bump it up against the wire. Using the back of your hand vs the inside of your hand as the pulse can make you close your hand which would not be all that fun. A single pulse is not going to hurt you.


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## Pro (Apr 23, 2009)

Get a long green piece of grass and touch it on the fence. You will get a mild shock - sometimes you can't even hardly feel it. That's what we always do.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Lol I have to touch it....but once my mom's friend was making my younger sister and I keep her autistic son occupied while she and my mom talked....so we went in the pasture to see the horses while they were eating in their stalls. My sister, being 9 and volatile, told the 14-yr old autistic kid to touch the electric fence wire because it was "really fun." Before I could tell him not to, he walked up and touched the wire. A shocked expression crossed his face.....I'm pretty sure the fence was working xD


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## Jugornot (Jan 3, 2010)

If you happen to have metal posts you can take a screwdriver with a plastic handle, hold it against the post and get it near the wire. The farther the spark jumps the hotter it is.


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

Can you trace the wire to see if it runs to the fencer?


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## rocky pony (Oct 5, 2007)

^^^ that, for sure! Getting shocked is not fun!


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

haha just touch it. It's not going to kill you  
And if it happens to shock your dog or goat, it's not going to hurt them either. It'll just give them a bit of a zap and they won't go near it again  No biggie at all. Don't stress, electric fences aren't deadly.. unless of course you want to go Jurassic Park style


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

If the juice is going to the lower wire, there should be a piece of wire going between the two. If there is no connection between them than the lower wire is not hot. 
Or...Tell your brother to hold your hand when you touch the fence. Let him know that if your holding hands the electricity won't hurt you. Then you touch the fence.


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## horseluver250 (Oct 28, 2009)

Hahaha I was going to post the same thing as Vidaloco. "Or...Tell your brother to hold your hand when you touch the fence. Let him know that if your holding hands the electricity won't hurt you. Then you touch the fence. "


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

One way that I always tested was I would take a hammer with a rubber handle, put one side of the hammer against the wire and bring it close to the post. There should be a spark that shoots from the hammer to the post and then you will know if it is hot. Like Jugornot said, the farther the hammer is from the post when it shoots a spark, the hotter it is. Sometimes if the fence isn't very hot and it is bright sunlight, you can't see the spark but you can still hear it. It is usually a small popping sound.


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## Gillian (Aug 2, 2008)

I always just touch it, ha ha. :]


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## AQHA (Mar 15, 2010)

Gillian said:


> I always just touch it, ha ha. :]


 
me too!


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## kathryn (Jan 16, 2009)

Lick it 

haha no don't. don't lick it haha


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

GREEN grass. Hay won't work as it is dry, and the electricity needs moisture to conduct.


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