Chiefs win Super Rugby

Congratulations to the Chiefs on beating the Brumbies to win the Super Rugby title again this year.  More importantly, well done to Gallagher for supporting a winning team.  The rugby win is not the only cause for celebration in Hamilton this year however as Gallagher is celebrating its 75^th year in business. The company has grown enormously since the 1930’s when Bill Gallagher (senior) began developing systems to make farming easier and is now a successful and well respected company throughout the world.  As part of its 75 year celebrations, Gallagher have great deals and giveaways going on some of their products. The Gallagher MR5000 energiser is one of the most reliable high-power energisers available and is excellent value for money.  It is ideal for wildlife applications and long stock fences and is currently being packaged with a remote and Smartfix meter at no extra charge.  Another great product released by Gallagher earlier this year is the i-Series range of fence energiser systems.  These are excellent for monitoring and controlling fence performance and allow for rapid location of faults, particularly where the fence can be divided into zones. With semi-intensive production of rare game having become so popular in South Africa over the last few years, there are hundreds of wildlife managers and game breeders who can benefit from the features of the i-Series system.  If you are interested in these or any other Gallagher, Stafix, JVA, MEPS or Nemtek electric fence products, please contact TNH and we will endeavour to provide you with the best system for your needs.   

New electric fence regulation to be implemented

ELECTRIC FENCE COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATES

Below is an article published in The Star newspaper on 15/5/2013.  The article discusses very briefly the responsibility of property owners and tenants of properties which have electric fences in terms of the new electrical machinery regulations act.  While this article refers to urban fencing, it is important to note that these regulations also apply to electric fences in rural areas including security, game and agricultural fences.  Owners or tenants of properties who do not comply with these regulations may be liable to a fine or imprisonment or both.  TNH Fencing are registered with the Department of Labour to install electric fences and issue compliance certificates, so please contact us if you need assistance in this regard.

New electric fence regulation to be implemented

May 15 2013 at 02:29pm
By CHARLOTTE CHIPANGURA

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INLSA

A new regulation stipulates that electric fences should be certified before a property can be sold. Picture: Boxer Ngwenya

Johannesburg - Property owners are going to have to be more careful about who they contract to install electric fences so as to comply with a new regulation.

This regulation stipulates that all electric fences be certified and come with an electric fence system certificate of compliance, as reflected in Regulation 12 of the Electric Machinery Regulations of 2011.

This applies only to systems that came into existence after October 1 last year.

However, it also will apply in cases where the system is altered or added to, or where the premises changes ownership after October 1 this year.

Any property transfer after that date, therefore, carries with it the obligation to provide a certificate if there is an electric fence in place.

All properties – including residential, commercial and sectional titles within complexes – must comply.

A number of people have complained about the regulation on social networks, with many saying the it was meant to protect burglars.

“Next they will tell me to remove my burglar proofing because a burglar might get stuck in it and hurt himself… This is total insanity. I’ll remove my fence when they remove the criminals,” said one.

SA Electric Fences Association founder member Etien van der Merwe said the regulation actually protected innocent people within the property. He added that electrical output from fences had always been regulated.

“Energisers are controlled: the electrical machinery regulations stipulate a certain output. Adjusting fences to be more lethal is actually illegal.”

The regulation would ensure installers were held accountable and minimise fly-by-night installers.

Failure to have a compliance certificate could cost one a great deal, said John Graham, the chief executive of House-check Home Inspection Services.

“If you don’t have the certificate, you can’t sell your house, and if somebody gets hurt by a non-compliant fence, you could get sued.”

He said electrical fence installers had to write an examination and be registered with the Department of Labour by October 1 this year.

What makes an electric fence compliant?

* It must be installed by a registered electric fence installer, not a non-specialist company.

* Owner must have a certificate of compliance.

* Output should not be adjusted to make it more lethal.

* Warning signs of a fence visible from driveway and pavement.

* Fence should not overhang a neighbour’s yard or a pavement.

Penalties for non-compliance

* You cannot sell a property without the certificate.

* If someone gets hurt by an electric fence on your property, you could be sued.

* You may have to upgrade to compliance or be forced to remove the fence.

charlotte.chipangura@inl.co.za

The Star

Keran McCaull in South Africa

We would like to thank Tru-Test’s Keran McCaull for taking time out of his busy schedule last week to spend an afternoon with us.  Tru-Test manufacture the Speedrite, Stafix, Pel and Patriot brands of electric fence energisers as well as Hayes fencing tools.  South Africans will be most familiar with the Stafix brand of energisers which was established in 1958.  Over the last few years Stafix have updated their battery energiser range to the X – range which are able to work off both 12 volt DC (battery) and 220V AC electricity.  The range incorporates energisers from 1 to 18 Joules and has proved extremely popular for both wildlife and livestock applications.  Together with the X-range of “unigisers,” Stafix also produce the world’s largest energiser, the Stafix M63R, so really do have energisers for every application.  Despite seeming to have every angle covered, Tru-Test are not resting on their laurels.  Keran gave us a peek into some of what Stafix has lined up for us in the near future so hopefully we will have some exciting news for you before the end of the year. 

STAFIX X18i UNIGIZER

 

The Stafix X18i unigizer is now available in Africa.  This new addition to the X range of energisers which are able to run off either a 12V rechargeable battery or mains power source replaces the discontinued B18 energiser as the most powerful battery energiser available.  It has an output energy of 18 Joules which is slightly more than the 15 Joules of the Stafix X15i and Gallagher MBX 2500.  As with the other energisers in this range, the X18i features a backlit LCD voltage display, which, shows the output voltage, battery voltage and earth voltage.  Probably its greatest advantage over the B18 however is its lower power consumption.  Using a little more than half the power of the B18, together with the microprocessor which adjusts the output energy depending on the battery condition, this energy efficient unit is ideal for solar installations.  The X18i also has a number of settings and pulse speeds which can be selected to further increase its energy efficiency.  Pricing of the X18i is considerably less than that of its predecessors which will no doubt make this the energiser of choice for most agricultural and wildlife applications in Africa.

AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK RWANDA

Work has finally started on the fencing of the Akagera National Park boundary.  This project was awarded to TNH Fencing together with our partners EME from Kigali.  It has taken a long time to get the project underway as a large number of stakeholders are involved in the park and they together with private landowners along the boundary had to be satisfied with the planned fence and its placement before work could commence.

 Akagera National Park is situated in eastern Rwanda and covers an area of 1200km².  Akagera was founded in 1934, but large areas of the park were resettled by returning refugees in the late 1990’s following the Rwandan civil war.  The western boundary of the park was regazetted in 1997 as a result, reducing the park size by more than half.  The reserve consists of savanna, mountains and wetlands as well as a series of lakes including Lake Ihema.  Akagera is home to large numbers of animals including elephant, buffalo, leopard and roan.  There are plans to introduce black rhino and lion to the reserve.  The park is being managed by the Akagera Management Company which is a partnership between African Parks Network and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).  The fencing of the reserve forms part of the US$ 10 million expenditure planned for Akagera.

The boundary is to be fenced using a prefabricated hinge-joint field fence and will be electrified using offset brackets (outriggers).  Additional electrical wires will be added to the top of the fence to discourage climbing.  The electric fence will be powered by Stafix B18 cyclic wave energisers made by Tru-test of New Zealand.  These 18 Joule output energisers are the largest battery powered units available and are ideal for controlling the movement of wildlife across the reserve boundaries.  Each energiser will be equipped with monocrystalline solar panels delivering 250 Watts.  With fencing teams now on the ground and construction underway, the 110km electrified game fence should finally be completed by mid 2012.

Fencing at Zinave ~ Mozambique

ZINAVE NATIONAL PARK

TNH was fortunate to be awarded the contract for consulting on the installation of the fencing at Zinave National Park in Mozambique. To  date this has been an exciting project with many challenges and we hope to have this project completed by the end of 2011.  

Zinave National Park is situated along the River Save in Inhambane Province in Mozambique. It is roughly 4000km2. The reserve is assessable mainly by 4x4 only and our 4x4's worked hard to get there!  There is currently lots of exciting development in the National Park but currently only camping is available with prior arrangement from Management located in the main campsite area.  Some of the attractions are the beautiful views and the riverine vegetation and the Miombo forests. Zinave is part of the Great Limpopo Transboundary Conservation Area Programme.

Below are a few pictures of the team getting set up and starting the fencing at Zinave.

Pack and ready to travel to Zinave National Park

One of the fencing teams

Save River

Fencing Stock

Digging for clean water

TNH Accommodation :)

Clearing the Fence line

The Cement Mixers

Furniture for around the camp fire

Interference and Induction explained...

INTERFERENCE

Radio and telephone interference problems can occur, particularly in areas with poor radio reception .

Clicking on the radio or telephone can be caused by:

The energizer being too close to the mains power earth.

• A bare earth wire touching the building.
• A poor mains power earth.
• Loose connections in the energizer or plugs..
• The electric fence running parallel to telephone or power lines.
• Poor or rusty joints on the fence line.
• Damaged cut-out switch or cracked insulators.
• A broken cable under a gateway.
• Vegetation arcing / touching the fence
• Any mechanical short.

To detect if the fence is causing the problem disconnect the fence and the earth wires from the energiser and switch the energiser on. If the clicking stops the problem is on the fence line or earth. If the clicking continues then the problem is either in the energiser or the mains power supply. Check the plugs. If the problem is in the mains power supply the clicking will stop immediately the when the energiser plug is pulled. If the problem is in the energiser an extra click will be heard after the energiser plug is pulled.

INDUCTION

Induction is a phenomenon associated with High Voltage wires whereby a small current is transmitted through the atmosphere to adjacent neutral wires. Induction can be detected in an item by using a volt meter, or when the item is touched, one can feel a small shock.

Induced voltage can be detected on :-

Conventional fences carrying offset or lead-out wires

The wire between the strain insulator and the strainer post

Metal gates

Milking parlour railing

Showers

Induction is linked to poor earthing and can be prevented or eliminated by earthing the offending item.

Induction does not affect the voltage on the fence line.