Timber pole electrified fencing has several drawbacks that results in a very poor level of security and high maintenance/ replacement costs.
The first consideration is that timber is a very poor conductor of electricity.
How does it affect security?
If a person vandalises a steel structured electrified fence by attempting to pry the wires apart, the chances are very good that the energised electrified strands will touch the steel post, resulting in a short to earth, thereby generating a fence alarm. This would not necessarily be the case with a timber post due to the poor conductivity, and thereby decrease the effectiveness of the system.
The second argument that a timber pole electrified fence might not be the best option, would be the longevity of the fence and the high maintenance cost of it.
The method used to install a timber pole fence and electrified fencing in general poses problems for a timber post solution. Most of the pulling strain of the electrified strands, on a full height fence, is normally on the one side of the straining posts. This pulling force tends to generate a force that in return twists the post in the direction of the pull force. Thereby the post starts to crack, and that puts additional strain on the stays (angled or horizontal) due to the weakened strength of the post. The result is that the stays also start to warp. The fence’s electrified strands are often under tensioned due the above described scenario.
Fitting the intermediates with insulators, nail-in or screws, in effect starts to split the posts vertically and the insulators starts to pull out on an ad hoc basis, again resulting in high maintenance costs.
In conclusion, the third drawback is, that a timber pole electrified fence is seen as a “farm type fence”, and is treated accordingly, quickly becoming dilapidated compared to a security fence. Thereby it loses its deterrent value.
