Hi, I am looking into making an electric fence using a 12v car battery. Is there any way to do this without using a fence charger? Do I just run wire from the fencing directly to the battery terminals and have a live fence? Do I need to ground the fence or the battery? I have done electric fences with a fence chargers before, but I am trying to go around that this time.

 

With engine off touch one finger to one pole of the 12 volt battery and touch a finger of the other hand to the other pole of the battery. That will answer your question. Nope won't do a thing. Fence chargers put out a regulate voltage and probably frequency so they are relatively safe. They won't lock you on to the wire. and I'd guess that the frequency is high enough the the current travels on the surface of the skin not through the body.

 

You need some method to increase the voltage the old induction coil we had at school did this in the main the old electric fence gave around one pulse per minute but as to what voltage and what current is enough to make an animal leave the fence but not damage the animal is another point.

I remember as an apprentice seeing some one had rigged a vice with an impulse mag and clearly intended to give me a shock. Being the mischievous type myself I decided to let him but at the moment I saw his hand touch the impulse mag I touched the back of his neck.

Never again I though I had killed him. That was the end of my tricks. He had it seems done it to near everyone in the workshop without ill effects but when done to him he was unable to stand for 5 minutes. This is the problem with any home made shock machine one has no idea as to the limits both for the human animal or any other animal.

 

And running a wire from one terminal to the other will create a dead short. It would burn through typical fence hire in a heartbeat.