Electric fence school
Types of insulators
There are several types of insulators available. Below are the some of the types commonly used for electric fences. Choose the one that suits your need.
Porcelain
Fireproof and impervious to sunlight, porcelain insulators have been around the longest. Porcelain is expensive, which is why they are being used less and less.
Porcelain insulators tend to develop tiny cracks (crazing), which fill up with soil and moisture. Crazing reduces the insulating quality. Corner insulators usually craze the most.
Investigating a defective porcelain corner insulator after dark often reveals the defect through the appearance of a thin but visible spark.
Fence wires must be fastened to each line post insulator with spring-wire clips.
Plastic
Plastic insulators are made from a high-grade polypropylene or polyethylene material. They come in many sizes and shapes, to fit all types of permanent and temporary posts.
Due to the strain created by high-tensile wire, not all plastic insulators are suitable for each application. Check with your dealer before buying any.
Plastic insulators are not as long-lasting as porcelain, but they have quickly taken over the market due to their reasonable cost. Their only real 'enemy' is ultraviolet light, which causes them to become increasingly brittle with age.
The examples below are only some of the many styles available.
Rubber
Rubber insulators consist of a wire-retaining flat strip that is mounted on a flat insulating rubber pad. The assembly is long enough to wrap half-way around a corner or end post. These rubber insulators are made to withstand the extreme pull of high-tensile wire.
Gate handles and anchors
Gate handles are simply all-weather plastic insulators that go on the end of fence wire across a laneway. They allow someone to open the gate without receiving a shock.
Gate handles have an internal wire tensioning spring to keep the gate wire tight when closed. They also have a hook that engages an insulated metal loop on the 'gate anchor'that is attached to the gate post.
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