Electric fence installation that makes your wall hard to cross

An electric fence is the outside line of your security. It does three jobs: it puts people off before they try, it slows down anyone who does, and it makes noise when someone interferes with it. The energiser sends a short, sharp pulse down the wires. It hurts enough to make someone let go, and it isn't designed to cause lasting harm.

The energiser also keeps checking the fence. If a wire is cut, pulled loose or pushed against the earth wires, it sounds the siren and can send a signal to your alarm panel. From there, the signal can go to 24-hour off-site monitoring, so someone knows about it even when you're asleep or away.

What a fence can't do is tell you who was there or what they did next. That's why it works best as the first of several layers: the fence on the wall, an alarm with outdoor beams inside the line, and cameras on the gate and the weak spots.

Homes

Most homes need the fence on top of the boundary wall, with the brackets angled so it's hard to climb past. The weak spots are usually the same: a low section where the ground rises, a tree that hangs over the wall, a carport roof next door, and the gate pillars. We look at each one before we quote.

Estates and complexes

A long perimeter works better split into zones. When one zone goes off, the guard at the gate or the monitoring team knows which stretch of wall to look at, instead of walking the whole estate. See estate security for how the fence fits with guarding and access control.

Business premises

Warehouses, workshops and yards often have long boundaries, palisade sections and gates that open all day. We plan the fence so it covers the yard at night without getting in the way of deliveries during the day.

Regulation 12 of the Electrical Machinery Regulations requires the user of an electric fence to hold an electric fence system certificate. Fences installed after 1 October 2012 need one. An older fence needs one when it's altered or added to, or when the property changes hands.

Only a registered electric fence system installer can issue the certificate. It's a separate document from the electrical certificate of compliance for the rest of the house, so one doesn't replace the other. Insurers can ask for it, and a missing certificate can cause trouble when you sell.

Ask Marco about the certificate when he quotes, so you know upfront what paperwork comes with your fence.

We don't publish prices, because two fences that look alike on paper can be very different jobs. These are the things that change the quote:

• Length of the boundary, measured in metres along the wall or fence line.
• Number of strands and the height of the bracket above the wall.
• Type of wall or fence: brick, precast, palisade or a mix.
• Corners, gates and changes in height, which all need extra work.
• Number of zones, especially on long perimeters.
• The energiser and backup battery, sized to the fence.
• Linking it up to your alarm and to off-site monitoring.
• Starting fresh or replacing an old fence, including taking the old one down.

That's why we come and look before we give you a number. The quote is free.

DBS Security is a family business with 25 years in the trade. Pieter de Bruyn Jr and his son Marco own it and run it, and they handle every quote themselves. A specialised technical team does the installation. If you have a question afterwards, you phone the same people who quoted you, not a call centre.

Because we also fit gate motors, alarms and cameras, the fence doesn't have to stand alone. Start with the fence and add the other layers when you're ready.

Get a free quote for an electric fence, or see the areas we cover.