What Is the Best Electric Fence Charger?
If you’re asking the question, “what is the best electric fence charger” the first thing you need to know is that the equipment used to power electric fences is called energizers.
However, no matter what you call them, read on to find the answers to the question of what is the best electric fence charger.
No One Size Fits All Solution
As much as we would love to tell you that there’s one electric fence energizer that solves every problem you could possibly have with your electric fence, that’s just not true.
Different electric fence energisers are designed to power different lengths of the fence. Some use mains power, some have integrated solar panels. There are electric fence energisers used for simple fencing like electric livestock fences and much more sophisticated options used on multi-zone electric fence systems.
Without knowing what kind of fence you need to build or energize, it’s impossible to know exactly what the best electric fence charger or energiser is.
How to Choose the Right Electric Fence Energiser
The good news is that even if we can’t tell you which electric fence energiser will work for every fence, we can definitely tell you how to select the right one. Here are a few things you need to know before you start searching for the right equipment:
What Kind of Power Will You Be Using?
Electric fence energisers don’t generate power. They just transfer power from other sources to your fence at the right voltage and amperage.
That means that in order to choose an energiser, you need to know what kind of power you will be using. Do you have single phase or three phase? Are you going to need to use solar power? What voltage will the power be? All of those questions will help to narrow down your energiser options.
What Is the Electric Fence for?
The next thing you need to know is what you are building the electric fence for. If you are building a fence for livestock or wildlife, it does not need to be very sophisticated, and you won’t need features like monitoring.
However, if you are adding security to a commercial property, prison or military facility, you will very probably want to monitor the fence zones, which means you will need energisers that can send alarm signals to a guardhouse or security monitoring station.
How Much wire Do You Need to Energize, and What Kind?
Different types of electric fence energisers can power different amounts of wire, and it all depends on the type of wire and how many strands.
When you start shopping for electric fence energisers, you will definitely be asked about this, so make sure you know what your fence design will be.
Do You Need Integrated Perimeter Security?
The most secure perimeter fence systems incorporate what is known as integrated perimeter security. This means that in addition to zoned electric fences, they also have things like lighting and security cameras. These usually connect to the fence energisers and work in conjunction with them so that your security personnel can identify a zone where there is a potential breach, turn on the lights, and use the camera to view the area.
If you need integrated perimeter security, that will probably affect the type of energiser you can use for your electric fence.
Single or Dual zone?
Some electric fence energisers are single zone, which means they simply energize a single section of fencing, which could be several miles or kilometers long. That is fine if you don’t need to use your fence for security, but if you are going to monitor your electric fence, you probably want to split it into zones so you know where to look when you get an alarm.
Dual zone energisers allow you to use one energiser for two adjacent sections of electric fence, which lowers costs and maintenance on equipment.
Electric Fence Energiser Must Haves
As you can see, there are many different factors that determine what the best electric fence charger or energiser is, but there are a few universal rules when it comes to choosing any electric fence energizer equipment. These include:
- Make sure it’s powerful enough for your fence – when in doubt, opt for a more powerful unit.
- Look for energiser units that are housed in sturdy, weatherproof casings – like all electronics, energizers don’t like water!
- Choose energizers from reputable manufacturers – it’s always tempting to save a few bucks on cheaper imports, but you might very well end up paying twice when they don’t work as promised!
- Look for energizers from companies that have a local presence in your area – if you need replacement parts or technical service, you want to have people close by to help!
We hope we’ve clarified some of the criteria for choosing electric fence energizers for your project. If you are still in any doubt, speak to the technical salespeople at your local electric fence supplier, or consider hiring a fence company that offers electric fences and who can help with sourcing and specifying the right equipment.
