Cape Town takes regulations for electric fencing far further than the national regulations

[Grant]

So typical of lefty liberals like the DA and ANC. They believe they can make everything better with more regulations, instead of just setting minimum safe standards and then getting out of the way so people can get on with their lives


What if you want to install your fence yourself?

here we go again . . .
you abide with prevailing legislation - if you dont like it, fukkoff to some dump like holland

 

[ghaye]

For private owners and Body Corporates, it's also an insurance liability issue. Google lists a lot of concerns, here is one:


Edit: I see we are already non-compliant with the latest regulations, since most of our fence is 2 spans between poles:

I forgot about that maintenance bit. If I remember correctly it should be every 6 months?

 

[Grant]

What should I prove. I went to check on Wikipedia earlier... traps are quite illegal.

what about a moat with hungry bull sharks

 

[vigras rojara]

here we go again . . .
you abide with prevailing legislation - if you dont like it, fukkoff to some dump like holland

As a libertarian, his requirement may be for bear-proof fencing.

 

[Gordon_R]

I forgot about that maintenance bit. If I remember correctly it should be every 6 months?

Maintenance is a rabbit hole. It ranges from visual check for any sagging wires, to testing the voltage on the fence. We do it on an as-needed basis, with 3 year mandatory inspection. No ways are we paying someone every 6 months...

Edit: We have a 320m perimeter (large garden). Our fence would look like a Christmas tree if we followed their rules:

Yellow warning signs can have a maximum distance of 10 metres between them on other sections of fencing.

 

[HermeticAnarchist]

here we go again . . .
you abide with prevailing legislation - if you dont like it, fukkoff to some dump like holland

 

[ghaye]

Maintenance is a rabbit hole. It ranges from visual check for any sagging wires, to testing the voltage on the fence. We do it on an as-needed basis, with 3 year mandatory inspection. No ways are we paying someone every 6 months...

At work we pay R700 odd a month for a monthly maintenance service. They do replace the odd broken bit "free" of charge. At home I have my own eyes to see what's going on.

 

[hj007]

How does cape town laws fix that? What actually needs fixing? Its supposed to zap you but you dont die from it.
View attachment 1925227View attachment 1925228

My specific issue and what the regulations speak to, is that the fence isn't supposed to start at ground level, so it would be above the height of children and dogs if they get close. The dog in question got trapped behind the electric fence and the wall and couldn't escape so it was being shocked repeatedly. Same issue with neighbours cats that have gotten caught as the level of the ground fluctuates and they enter at one point and get trapped in another.

the electric fence can be ok if touched once with their body covered by fur, but dangerous if exposed to mouth or tongue (dogs specifically here) or shocked repeatedly without escape. I've pulled enough dead birds off electric fences to know it can kill in a loop if animals get caught or cats, or just generally unlucky with weak hearts/age.

TL;DR Would just prefer electric fences to be higher off the ground, but I suppose homeowners will need to make it harder for thieves to burrow under the fence or not use palisade fences at all.

 

[saor]

3rd world problems

 

[wingnut771]

My specific issue and what the regulations speak to, is that the fence isn't supposed to start at ground level, so it would be above the height of children and dogs if they get close. The dog in question got trapped behind the electric fence and the wall and couldn't escape so it was being shocked repeatedly. Same issue with neighbours cats that have gotten caught as the level of the ground fluctuates and they enter at one point and get trapped in another.

the electric fence can be ok if touched once with their body covered by fur, but dangerous if exposed to mouth or tongue (dogs specifically here) or shocked repeatedly without escape. I've pulled enough dead birds off electric fences to know it can kill in a loop if animals get caught or cats, or just generally unlucky with weak hearts/age.

TL;DR Would just prefer electric fences to be higher off the ground, but I suppose homeowners will need to make it harder for thieves to burrow under the fence or not use palisade fences at all.

Kinda makes it pointless then. What if the criminals pretend they children or dogs?

 

[konfab]

COCT always complains that crime is the provision of national government, and there isn't anything they can do about it. But this is one of the areas they can do something about it. Just create regulations that allow for the provision of lethal voltage electric fences. Make a nice government mandated sign and all that. Just make it impossible for an innocent person to get hurt by the fence and you have the solution to crime.

 

[konfab]

So typical of lefty liberals like the DA and ANC. They believe they can make everything better with more regulations, instead of just setting minimum safe standards and then getting out of the way so people can get on with their lives


What if you want to install your fence yourself?

The right way would be to allow certain types of fences to be installed DIY. So limit the Joules as to what is allowed for DIY vs professional install.

 

[purrr]

So typical of lefty liberals like the DA and ANC. They believe they can make everything better with more regulations, instead of just setting minimum safe standards and then getting out of the way so people can get on with their lives


What if you want to install your fence yourself?

You can't issue a CoC so you can't sell the house. You need to be certified (or something) by the Dept of Labour. So you'll need to get a qualified company in and any issues they find will need to be fixed first before you can get a CoC.

 

[purrr]

I forgot about that maintenance bit. If I remember correctly it should be every 6 months?

Mine never needs maintenance other than untangling a stuck branch or a dead gecko.

Edit: there is one spring that needs replacing after the bad storm a few months ago, but it's still ok for now.

 

[wingnut771]

COCT always complains that crime is the provision of national government, and there isn't anything they can do about it. But this is one of the areas they can do something about it. Just create regulations that allow for the provision of lethal voltage electric fences. Make a nice government mandated sign and all that. Just make it impossible for an innocent person to get hurt by the fence and you have the solution to crime.

Criminals bypass electric fences quite easily these days anyway somehow.

 

[ghaye]

Mine never needs maintenance other than untangling a stuck branch or a dead gecko.

Edit: there is one spring that needs replacing after the bad storm a few months ago, but it's still ok for now.

We have a lot of Guinea fowl in the area an they love flying into my fence. Replace bobbins regularly.

 

[purrr]

My specific issue and what the regulations speak to, is that the fence isn't supposed to start at ground level, so it would be above the height of children and dogs if they get close. The dog in question got trapped behind the electric fence and the wall and couldn't escape so it was being shocked repeatedly. Same issue with neighbours cats that have gotten caught as the level of the ground fluctuates and they enter at one point and get trapped in another.

the electric fence can be ok if touched once with their body covered by fur, but dangerous if exposed to mouth or tongue (dogs specifically here) or shocked repeatedly without escape. I've pulled enough dead birds off electric fences to know it can kill in a loop if animals get caught or cats, or just generally unlucky with weak hearts/age.

TL;DR Would just prefer electric fences to be higher off the ground, but I suppose homeowners will need to make it harder for thieves to burrow under the fence or not use palisade fences at all.

With my recent move I had to get a builder to increase the front wall height to 1.8m as the existing 1.2m was not acceptable to the installer (Mr Spike).

 

[purrr]

The right way would be to allow certain types of fences to be installed DIY. So limit the Joules as to what is allowed for DIY vs professional install.

You do get pet fences with are much less potent. You can probably do those yourself.

 

[ghaye]

With my recent move I had to get a builder to increase the front wall height to 1.8m as the existing 1.2m was not acceptable to the installer (Mr Spike).

Now go and read the boundary wall by-law from CoCT. I'm not sure you're allowed a 1.8m high wall on the road side.

 

[purrr]

Criminals bypass electric fences quite easily these days anyway somehow.

Totally, just short out two wires. But then either a siren goes off or a beeper in the energizer (they seem to have stopped using sirens). It is advised to connect it to your alarm system (which I don't do).