# Lightning Strikes and Electric Fence?



## ForeverSunRider (Jun 27, 2013)

Does having electric fencing increase the likelihood of a lightning strike?

I ask because my mom has a friend who told her that her fencing/barn would be struck by lightning at a ridiculous rate. I believe she told her that her fencing was struck 10 times last year - one time even burned her wire cable to a crisp. 

And my mom's other friend had her barn/fence struck by lightning a few days ago and two horses died.

This has my mom nervous. We've never had this issue, but now she disconnects the electric fence during storms just to be safe.

Is there a correlation or is it just chance that the one house was hit so many times?


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

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We would lose 2 or 3 fence chargers a year (the plug in the wall kind), after changing to Solar, we have yet to lose a charger in 5 years and we have 3 fence chargers...........


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

In 3 years, ours hasn't been hit once *knock on wood*. We have the plug in type. 

There is an attachment to protect the fence/charger if lightning strikes
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Mine was on the yard pole and I'd throw the breaker in the house, in case. What happens with lightening is part of it comes from above and part from below ground and the below ground will travel up a post to meet the sky energy. Since the wire is attached to the post, one could surmise it was the wire that was hit. It was but in a round about way. Someone managed to capture this occurrence on film.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Don't know whether the fence brings on more lightning strikes but we've had several chargers go kaput from lightening. We tried the lightening arresters, still got blown up, tried unplugging altogether, still got blown up. The only way to protect your charger during a storm is to disconnect the fence from it. We also disconnect the ground wire. 

The chargers are in the barn so protected from direct strikes and we never had the barn catch fire or anything like that, just the charger wouldn't work after a storm.


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