ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area 4160

I have seen ads for those sorts of jobs, and they typically call for evidence of having completed a utility company apprenticeship.

A man must know his limitations. The usual electrician apprenticeship has virtually no high voltage training- just a primer on cable types.

And don't kid yourself. Just because you ran some wire for a 15KV neon sign does not mean you're prepared for 4KV power lines. The tools, techniques, and materials are entirely different fron the usual "electric" stuff!

I have done <some> low voltage distribution line work, and know enough to stay the hel# away from things I am not qualified for!

Hey, any of you guys know where that video of the guy on PCP climbing the pole is? Its a perfect illistration of exactly what the dangers are... i.e. the man engulfed in the white/blue ball of light...

Didn't find video, But Doug wells found Pic's: http://members.tripod.com/~StormTrooper_2/index2.htm



[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 11-04-2005).]

I must agree with the concensus here.
HV equipment, lines and techniques are a totally different animal to anything that the majority of Electricians work with.
As Nick said above, you don't even have to be touching a HV line to get electrocuted by it.
That's why the Electrical safety distances are a lot higher at these voltages.
High Voltages command a deservedly large amount of respect from those that work with them.

Who Out there regularly messes with High Voltage while it is Live?? In theory we are all supposed to shut off anything before we work with any voltage. Anyone who works with Live HV is highly trained With multiple layers and levels of PPE!
As long as you know how to safely check for voltage and safely apply grounding jumpers with the proper PPE you are fine. Learning how to do a stress cone and check clearances is not an issue for anyone with "average" abilities.
Terminating Ethernet can be hard the first time or two. Making a rack of rigid conduit look good can be hard. Relay logic is challenging sometimes. I'd prefer to do stress cones myself.
All of that being said. You'd better be a knowledgeable electrician before you start messing with HV.
It's electricity, It Can Kill you if you Don't respect it... Survival of the fittest
Justin

I'm afraid this one is certainly a case where if you need to ask what you need know, then you're not going to get the job.

I've worked with HV in electronics regularly, e.g. measuring 1 to 4kV supplies for high-power transmitter stages, etc. and feel quite comfortable doing so, but that's still a world apart from 4kV power distribution systems. I would certainly need to learn from those more-experienced for the latter.

My experience with 4160 was strangely also while I worked at an amusement park.

I did not even consider working with it live.

Suit up, use an insulated boom truck and open the cut outs with a hot stick.

That said I did make repairs on the overhead 4160 distribution myself, the overhead work is not rocket science at least as far as repairing it.

The underground portions I called in an outside contractor for as I am not trained in making those terminations.

It seems unlikely that the current employees will not have some training for you if hired.

By the way 4160 is not used to directly supply any rides that I have seen.

208Y/120 is the most common while some large rides will use 480 3 PH.

I will second the LOTO, the only death in the park I worked in was the death of a maintenance man cut/crushed in two by a ride that was not locked out. Don't let this happen to you.

Bob

That must have been one badass cotton candy machine.