This ain't Kansas

[Arif]

Our neighbor behind us recently informed us that he is installing an electric fence. Curious, I ask what does that do? He said, "If a burglar tries to climb the fence and touches the wires he'll get electricuted." I wonder if it really works.
I seem to recall someone installing something like that in their house and a theif got hurt and sued the homeowner in the US. I think the thief won the case too. Is this legal in the US?

[img width=750 height=562]http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/arifsealey/IMG_2671.jpg[/img]

[Leonidas]

Originally Posted by Arif

I think the thief won the case too. Is this legal in the US?

Every state has its own laws, so I can't speak for all. But, if such a thing were legal anywhere in the US I would think it would be here - and it is not. In general, you can't use anything that kills without human guidance.

[Nords]

Originally Posted by Arif

Our neighbor behind us recently informed us that he is installing an electric fence. Curious, I ask what does that do? He said, "If a burglar tries to climb the fence and touches the wires he'll get electricuted." I wonder if it really works.*

What's the voltage?

IOW, how does he deal with the possibility of dead birds, cats, & raccoons?

[razztazz]

IOW, how does he deal with the possibility of dead birds, cats, & raccoons?

soup

[VoyT]

I doubt it's legal, but you never know. I can certainly see one heckofa lawsuit if someone accidentally touched it.
Hmmm ... wonder how well those things have to be grounded?

[Non sequitur]

Originally Posted by VoyT

* I doubt it's legal, but you never know.* I can certainly see one heckofa lawsuit if someone accidentally touched it.* *
* *Hmmm ... wonder how well those things have to be grounded?* *

I think that's the intruders responsibility.

[AltaRed]

Originally Posted by Non sequitur

I think that's the intruders responsibility.

Provided the intruder wears leather soles.

[MJ]

What about wondering children? I guess it would serve them right for not realizing that they were accidentally trespassing.

[Arif]

What about wondering children? I guess it would serve them right for not realizing that they were accidentally trespassing.

The wall that the wires sit on is about 8 feet tall and he has signs on it. So they would have to be illiterate and of criminal mind.

Aparently it is legal in Panama. Guess they figure that if thief is dumb enough to climb over the fence with the signs posted then he gets what he deserves.

What's the voltage?

IOW, how does he deal with the possibility of dead birds, cats, & raccoons?

Not sure of the voltage. Believe it or not we don't have stray cats or raccoons. We do have birds but I don't recall anything happening to them once they landed on it. Could this be like bird landing on a power line?

[AltaRed]

Originally Posted by Arif

We do have birds but I don't recall anything happening to them once they landed on it. Could this be like bird landing on a power line?

Yes, same thing. As long as they don't complete a circuit by touching a ground, their feathers won't get fried.

[nomo-aloha]

There's no place like home, there's no place like...

I just responded to Eyenitnoy's desire to make the move to Thailand. I too once felt Thailand to be a great option...until I went to Panama last year.

In my post to Eyenitnoy, I spoke of the dangers in Thailand that seldom gets much press....like the incredible number of tourists who travel to the Kingdom then decide to jump off the balconies of their hotels (nobody asks why their wallets and passports don't jump with them).

Anyway...no place is totally safe (I grew up in few of america's worst neighborhoods) but the whole time I was writing my post I was thinking how much better an option Panama is ....on the other hand, perhaps all the burglers, robbers, etc. will be toast by the time I make my move.

Too bad there's another Bush (Jeb) waiting in the wings and Hawaii is so darn expensive....

There's no place like home, there's no place like home.

[Arif]

There's no place like home, there's no place like...

You're right. It's even better!

[Andre1969]

In this day and age, you almost can't even shoot an intruder that's already come into your house, so I'm sure that electric fence is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Even if it was just a lower-voltage like the type used for electric fences for cattle and such, I could imagine an intruder climbing the fence, getting a mild shock that scares him, getting hurt in the fall, and suing.

Heck, a few years ago, this sickening story happened. A lady at work has an old home in the family down in southern Virginia somewhere. It's a tall, two story house with an observation deck on the top. There was a telescope mounted up there. One night a guy tried to climb up the side of the house to steal the telescope, lost his grip, and fell off the house. He got hurt and sued!

Last I heard, the homeowner's insurance actually PAID for this fool! And the argument was that the telescope served as an ENTICEMENT!! If it wasn't up there, he wouldn't have tried to climb up and get it, and wouldn't have gotten hurt, so, not his fault!

Now I could understand a case where this argument could be used for a kid drowning in a neighbor's swimming pool or duck pond that didn't have a fence around it, as a kid won't necessarily have the common sense to stay away. But we're talking grown adults here!

I wonder how good old fashioned barbed-wire fences would be treated nowadays? There used to be a lot of farms around here, and those were the norm. But these days, most of them are gone, or the few that are left are just old, forgotten things deep in the woods that have mostly collapsed. I wonder though, if you put up a barbed-wire fence and someone cut themselves on it, if you'd get in trouble?

[wompo]

I would think that as long as the voltage pulses thru the wires and it is not to hight (just enough to make you get off) it should be ok. There are lots of eletric fences in this country.