Electric fencing-16 questions to ask when getting quotes.

There are many electric fencing installers out there. Here’s what you need to know when it comes to getting the right people to install your electric fencing.

Electric fencingThe aim of this article is to help you to find a reputable company and recognise the ones that aren’t.  You need a company that will do a professional job at a fair price.

As importantly, you’ll learn how to know if your installer is getting your electric fence installation right. You’ll also  learn about the benefits of electric fencing.

Questions to ask your electric fencing installer.

 

1-Are they registered and accredited?

SAEFIA (South African Electric Fence Installers Association) accredit companies to do electric fence installations. Is the company quoting you accredited?

SAEFIA

 

2-Are they able to issue a certificate of compliance for their work?

This is important so that you know that the fence meets minimum industry standards. It may also be a requirement for insurance.

A fence without a C.O.C may still work but you could be in for a liability suit if someone gets fried on a non compliant fence.

Electric fence certificate of compliance
Electric fence certificate of compliance

There are certain basic things that can help you to make sure that your electric fence will do the job it’s supposed to do.  No one ever really checks these things unless something goes wrong but at least you’ll know that the fence is correctly configured according to the industry best practice. The C.O.C addresses issues such as how many warning signs there are and where they’re placed. It also confirms how far apart each bracket is and where and how earth spikes are placed.

If bad guys get fried, it’s not a problem for me, however it’s important to know that your fence works correctly. The C.O.C helps you avoid getting into trouble.

3-Do they have their own teams or do they subcontract?

It’s important to make sure that if there’s a problem later on, you know who will be responsible and accountable for sorting out the issue. There are a lot of fly by nighters out there.

Electric fencing contractor

 

4-Will there be a responsible person managing the work?


Responsible person
You need to know who’s in charge if any issues arise. You don’t want a situation where someone drops off a bunch of guys in a bakkie that don’t know what they’re doing or don’t have right tools. There needs to be someone in charge, who is accountable for seeing that the job gets done correctly. Ask who that person will be.

 

5-Are they available to do emergency repairs on weekends?


Emergency electric fence repairs
It’s Murphy’s law that something will get damaged after hours or on weekends. It’s important to know how many nights you’ll have to sleep with one eye open. Many companies won’t have staff available to assist with emergency repairs to your electric fence on weekends but some will.

6-Do they have a guarantee on workmanship?


If their guys stuff something up, will the contractor take responsibility? This is important to know. This also why you don’t want to work with a ‘fly by night” company that doesn’t have a reputation to protect.

7-Do they have a guarantee on parts?

Over time, in the sun and rain, parts do wear out. Fence brackets rust, fence bobbins perish. Ask the contractor if their parts have any warranty. This is especially important when it comes to electric fence energisers. They can blow and they are very costly to replace.

8- What kind of energiser or energisers are they planning to install and why?

Nemtek energiserYou may not need a technical understanding but it’s important to know that the type of electric fence energiser they’re installing is the right one for your property. If it’s for an estate, you probably need more than one.

9- What kind of brackets are they installing and why?

electric fencing brackets
Electric fencing angle brackets

Make sure you ask them to show you a sample of the type and colour fence bracket they will use, to make sure you’re happy.

Believe it or not, there is a difference. Flat brackets for example are easier for criminals to bend over than square brackets.  Round bar brackets sometimes have bobbins that can be pushed down.

Straight, square brackets may be fine on a thin pre-cast wall but if your wall is thick, you probably need angle brackets. Otherwise criminals can stand on the wall and climb over the fence.

 

10-Criminal checks and polygraphs.

Criminal checksMost electric fencing companies do not polygraph their employees or do proper back ground checks. As a general rule, that’s fine, however it is a big bonus if the company does do so. This matters for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the technicians installing your electric fence will have a very good idea of what goes on inside your property when they’re finished. They’ll know who uses the property and when. They’ll probably see what cars are parked there and what kind of internal security you have. While not essential, if your electric fence installation company does do proper criminal checks, it is of benefit to you as their client.

11- Be sure to discuss how many lines your electric fence will be.

Electric fence linesYou don’t want to pay a great price , only to discover that they’ve given you a 3 line electric security fence. 6 Lines should be a bare minimum for security fencing on top of a wall. 8 or more lines on top of a wall are far better. Freestanding fences would need obviously need many more.

12-Ask how many fence zones you need.

On a small property,  this may not matter at all.  On a large property like a residential estate or office park, it can dramatically impact the amount of time it takes to identify the area of a breach. Without adequequate fence zones,  it take security guards way too long to find the baddies.  The other problem is that when there’s a fault and you call your electric fence company to come find the fault, it takes them far too long. When you’re paying by the hour or time is critical,  this becomes a big problem.

13-Ask the contractor doing the job to install a fence pad in an accessable place that you’ll be able to see easily.

Electric fence padIf there’s a lot of wiring involved, some installers look for ways to save costs. This has pros and cons. Many companies will provide you with a remote to turn the fence on and off instead of a keypad. This is fine in some instances, however it’s not ideal.

If the installation is for your home, you don’t want to be stuck in a situation where the fence activates and you have to leave the safety of the house to go check it or reset it. This places you in danger unnecessarily. You also don’t want to have to go outside in the rain to reset the electric fence.

You can still do this with a remote, however then you can’t actually see if the energiser is re-activated. This is problematic so rather pay the extra if you can and get the fence pad placed inside. (Preferably where the lights won’t drive you bonkers while you’re sleeping.)

If it’s on an estate, the pad needs to be easy for the security guards to access to check and reset, or they simply won’t do it.   If you are running a large site, with many security guards, remotes can get lost.

(Remember, when fence alarms activate, you do want to make sure that your armed reaction company checks the perimeter regardless. Never assume it’s a false alarm. Always assume the fence has been breached until it’s been checked.)

Turn around time for repairs14-What is their turnaround time on repairs and maintenance?

This is important as if your fence gets damaged, you want to minimise the time spent without a secure perimeter.

15-How does payment work for repairs and maintenance?

Do you pay per hour? If your fence protects your home, you want to know what it will cost you if something goes wrong. If you’re managing an estate, it’s worthwhile setting up a service level agreement (SLA) or maintenance contract with an electric fencing company.

On large properties, there is regular maintenance of the fence required. Some companies even offer to keep the fence clear of vegetation, which can be a constant hassle.

The issues on large sites can be non stop. Creepers going through fences. Trees fall on fences during storms. Trucks carrying machinery get caught in fences.  Garden maintenance crews do really stupid things like throw irrigation hoses through them and break wires. Sun damages bobbins.  Rain and sun damage brackets.

The list goes on and on. A good SLA (service level agreement) with a reputable company can go along way towards keeping your perimeter secure.

16- Price.

Electric fencing prices
Electric fencing prices

Yes, I’ve put price last. I believe that quality parts and installation from a reputable supplier are worth paying more for. That being said, price matters, Especially if you’re securing a large area.

Once you’ve established the professionalism of your suppliers, it is time to take note of the price. There can be substantial differences. If you have 2 proposed electric fence installation companies to decide between, there is no harm in selecting the best price if all the other points have been addressed.

Those are the 16 tips as promised. I hope they help you to make an informed decision when selecting an electric fencing installer.  That’s the heart of this article but for those who wish to dig a little deeper into both the benefits and the pitfalls of electric fencing, read on.

Look at your electric fence through the eyes of a criminal.

Criminal looking to breach fenceElectric fence installion is not rocket science but many companies out there do shoddy work and get away with it as their clients don’t understand what can go wrong.

The reality is that, putting in any security system is not just about ticking boxes. It’s about doing a proper threat analysis and understanding both the benefits and the limitations of what is essentially one aspect of the outer layer of your security solution.

Always look at your fence like a criminal would. Once it’s installed, can you still stand on the outside of the wall and step over? If so, your fence company may understand wiring but do they really understand security?

Benefits of electric fencing.

Benefits of electric fencingLet’s look at exactly what it is that makes electric fencing a good move in almost all situations. There are 3 primary benefits of electric fencing in a security context and they are:

Deterrence- An electric fence acts as a deterrent to would be criminals as they know that receiving a high voltage shock is extremely unpleasant. This makes many bad guys choose to rather breach someone elses perimeter that does not have electric fencing. (Remember to keep your fence well maintained. Criminals can easily see when fences have loose or broken wires and are poorly maintained.)

Detection-If your fence is linked up to an alarm and armed reaction, then it is a superb way to detect when someone has breached your perimeter. It gives you early warning that there is a problem. When it activates your armed reaction company to send a team, intruders are faced with a serious problem.

Delay- Any security system can be breached with the right tools and knowledge but having an electric fence gives you an effective layer of security that will delay even a seasoned criminal and delaying the baddies is always a good thing.

Here’s why electric fencing is an important security tool.

In South Africa electric fencing has become a standard security measure.  We have high rates of violent crime.  Most South Africans are keen to make sure the baddies can’t come in. Criminals are brazen. They don’t care if you’re at home. If they want to come in, they’ll come in. That’s why electric fencing is so popular.

Is electric fencing better than razor wire?

Electric fence vs razor wireI am personally a huge fan of of the two types of fences used together. Razor wire is  another great deterrent.

The down side of razor wire is that it does not provide early warning. (Although you can now buy electrified razor wire). I personally love the ‘prison look’ of razor wire but it’s clear to me that most people don’t.

The clients in charge of the sites where I manage security prefer the aesthetics of electric fencing. I must add that my wife let me put electric fencing around our home but not razor wire. The vast majority of people seem to agree with her.

Common issues that arise with electric fencing

Now you know what to look for in an electric fence installer. Here’s what you need to look out for once they start to actually do the work.

Some of the bigger companies have so many teams going that they are unable to supervise properly.  Unattended technicians  can sometimes do wacky things. I’ve also had it where a member of the installers team absconds in the middle of the job and the crew arrive with some guy that hasn’t got a clue.

Even great electric fence installation companies will sometimes have 1 or 2 technicians on their team who are either lazy or in a hurry and stuff things up. Their companies supervisors don’t always check on them properly as they’re so busy.

That’s why if you have a bit of knowledge, you can just check on a few basic things and avoid breaches or aggravation.

When the guys arrive to quote on your fence and then again when they install, make sure that they understand that they’re not allowed to leave large gaps in areas where the fence needs to be stepped due to wall height varying. Many companies will try avoid using sufficient brackets, in order to make their quote more competitive. This means you wind up with gaps. If a skinny teenager can crawl under the lower wire while his friend holds it up with a broomstick, then you have a problem.

A last word about an electric fence certificate of compliance

Sometimes the guys try use less brackets to cover large distances. They do this in  order to come in with a cheaper quote and this can lead to your fence sagging. This will also affect your ability to get a C.O.C.

Getting a Certificate of compliance also forces the installers to put in enough earth spikes. Without sufficient earth spikes, the fence does not operate at full capacity. It’s shocking how many installation teams will slack on this if no one checks them.

The other thing to do, is to make sure ahead of time that the guys intend to put the HT cables that run to the earth spikes into conduits. This is not necessary in all cases, however it’s a must if they’re going to be placing them in grassy areas.  Some teams are lazy and won’t do this as they think no one will notice. The trouble with this practice is that your gardener is almost guaranteed to wack the cable with an edge trimmer and disconnect it. If not checked, you can go months without picking up the problem. Especially if you’re managing a large site with kilometers of fencing.

For the average home owner these things are pretty easy to check, but not many people actually do.

A one day electric fence installation course for security managers

I’m not going to go into the specifics of installation in this post but for security managers out there, I recommend Nemtek’s one day course. I did it and found it very helpful. I’m not a technically minded guy but it gave me enough knowledge to fix basic issues and avoid call out fees. It also, helps to know when the technicians are talking crap.

I know this article may have been a bit of a heavy read, so thanks for sticking with me.  I really hope this information helps you to find a good and reputable electric fencing installation and repair company.  Good luck.

2 thoughts on “Electric fencing-16 questions to ask when getting quotes.”

    1. Hi Gideon, thanks for the feedback. You’re absolutely correct. I somehow glossed right over that. I’ll try to incorporate it into a future post as it is quite important.

      P.s.

      Sorry for the extremely delayed reply. Somehow your comment got caught in my spam filter.

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