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Planning Guides > Product Selection Guide > Conductors (Wire and Polywire) Guide
4. Electric Fence Conductors (Metal Wire and Polywire) Guide 
The choice here is between galvanized steel electric fence wire, aluminum electric fence wire, and a flock of synthetic electric fence polyconductors. The polyconductors come interwoven with stainless steel, tinned copper, or aluminum wires of varying thicknesses, and may also contain fiberglass threads to increase their structural strength. Galvanized Steel Electric Fence Wire This is the only conductor used in high-tensile electric deer fences. The steel wires we offer (see products 02-80, 02-81, and 02-07HT) are very strong and suited to high-tensile use. 12.5 gauge wire has traditionally been used in non-electrified high-tensile fences that contain cattle. However, 14-gauge wire costs less, works more easily, and in nearly all deer fence applications does the job well. Aluminum Electric Fence Wire Aluminum electric fence wire is an ideal conductor and lasts well. However, it is not suited to high-tensile fence because it lacks the necessary strength; nor can it be reeled up for storage and re-use without creating massive tangles. For these reasons it is best limited to permanent electric fences or to very short seasonal electric fences where yearly wire replacement is easy and cost-effective. Regarding the various thicknesses offered (which range from 17 to 12.5 gauge), any of these may be used—with 17-gauge being the cheapest and easiest to handle while 12.5 gauge is the most durable. If you are looking for a ground wire (a wire placed on or under the ground and connected to the charger's negative terminal to improve grounding of an electric fence, it is best to use 12.5-gauge wire for this purpose. Electric Fence Polyconductors Unsuited to high-tensile electric fences, polyconductors should be limited to baited electric deer fences—fences typically 3 or 4 feet tall that depend on their baits to attract deer to the fence. Under these circumstances, visibility is not desireable; the baits provide all the news about the fence that the deer need; and all that a highly visible polyconductor will do is invite the deer to jump. Therefore, the best polyconductor in nearly all cases is the least visible; and the least visible polyconductor is polywire. Polywire can have drawbacks—notably limited ability to resist the sun's UV radiation and limited conductivity through its thin stainless steel wires. These difficulties have been mostly overcome by Parmak/Baygard, whose polywires use aluminum instead of steel conductors and so can conduct a charger's output happily for several miles. These polywires, which have fiberglass fibers woven into them for structural strength, have been treated to resist UV damage and come with a 5-year UV warranty. Like other polywires, they can be reeled up at the end of a season, stored, and reused the next year. For all these reasons we regard these Parmak/Baygard polywires as highly versatile and well-suited to a wide range of baited electric deer fence applications. |