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Posted By: electure High Voltage on the Ground - 02/04/10 03:45 AM


Submitted by: Harold Endean


Quote

The power company here had an underground service go bad, so they temporarily ran wires to the factory.
Now that wouldn't be so bad, but these are primary wires, 3 lines and they are running on the ground alongside of a road.
They also cross the road twice. You can see where the wire runs down from the pole, across the road, along the road, over a fence, cross another driveway.
I believe each wire is about 7KV and there are 3 lines.

Pretty scary ain't it!


Harold





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Posted By: electure High Voltage on the Ground - 02/04/10 03:50 AM
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Posted By: ghost307 Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/04/10 03:36 PM
I especially like the way that they hop the fence.
I sure hope that they told the lawn service not to mow that day.
Posted By: HotLine1 Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/05/10 12:50 AM
Harold:
Thanks for the pics!

If you want to add any comments....please do.

Which POCO? "FE" on the cone don't say much to me. I've never seen a 'temp' like that anywhere.

Posted By: JoeKP Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/05/10 02:22 AM
that's just horrible, id like to see the plows come through with the snow...
Posted By: noderaser Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/05/10 04:21 AM
Even though the insulation is pretty tough, it looks like a liability nightmare. What did the temp feed, that was so important to get power in right away? Big $$$ customer, or life & safety?
Posted By: BigJohn Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/06/10 05:00 AM
That's pretty ridiculous.

Even when out transmission utility has open lines like that inside fenced substations they still mark and guard the heck out of them. What would've been wrong with stringing the length of that with "danger" signs of some sort? Warning ribbon isn't that expensive.

I especially like the totally unprotected lines in the road between the cones and the cover plate. That stuff is tough, but trucks are awfully heavy....

-John
Posted By: frenchelectrican Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/06/10 06:35 AM
I do recall seeing that type of cable and I did used on 14 KV system without issue however laying top of the ground now that is tempting for trouble especaly if this cable is non conrated netural cable { most will have copper or steel wire warp around the cable }

But once hevey truck hit it it don't take much to get it have heckva a big flashover .,,, crazy

Merci,Marc
Posted By: mbhydro Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/06/10 08:00 PM
I have seen this once when the telco lost the u/g to the exchange that served my part of the city due to a water main break.

The temp feed was covered for two days with planking and barricades / warning tape for the couple hundred feet from the drop pole to the transformer.

This was over a city sidewalk and lawn so truck damage was not an issue.
Posted By: Trumpy Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/07/10 12:55 AM
Man,
That is just slack IMO.
I can't help but feel, that some sort of temporary poles could have been sunk for this circuit, to get it up out of the way.
I mean, that is what electricity utilities do as their bread and butter isn't it?
I just shook my head when I saw them wires laid over the top of that fence, it would have taken a few seconds to run them singles UNDER the fence.
It's like someone just doesn't care. bash
Posted By: RODALCO Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/11/10 12:24 PM
That is a rough job.
I'm amazed that the POCO get's away with that.
Partially uncovered cables at a road crossing, hardly any warning signs and across that fence.
How long did they keep that going for ?
Posted By: gpsparky Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/19/10 03:45 AM
Hope nobody tries to steal those cables, what with the price of copper these days...
Posted By: noderaser Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/19/10 07:31 AM
I'm assuming they are probably aluminum? Would be a pretty good steal if they were copper, assuming you got past the HV "security" system.
Posted By: ghost307 Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/19/10 03:17 PM
At 60Hz, the voltage in each cable goes to zero 120 times per second.

You can steal the wires while energized, but you need to have perfect timing and be really, really, really quick.

smile
Posted By: harold endean Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/20/10 07:41 PM
John,

The PoCo is the one in northern NJ. This all came about ( I found out) due to overtime. The factory didn't want to be without power during the day and the PoCo didn't want to pay the OT to their guys to work at night. SO, they just left the wire on the ground. The administrator in my town got on the phone with the PoCo and gave them holy hell. However it still took 2 weeks to resolve the issue. In that 2 weeks, kids and dogs played in the area and the town trucks plowed the snow.
Posted By: harold endean Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/20/10 07:43 PM
Did anyone see the e-mail going around called Dallas copper thieves? That shows you what happens when you try to steal HV wires while they were on.
Posted By: SimonUK Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 02/21/10 11:54 AM
A man was badly burned here about 6 months ago trying to steal copper cable. think the report said 11kv.
Posted By: lukemon2 Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 06/02/10 07:37 AM
Holy Crap
Posted By: mxslick Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 06/10/10 02:28 AM
Originally Posted by harold endean
Did anyone see the e-mail going around called Dallas copper thieves? That shows you what happens when you try to steal HV wires while they were on.


Yep I got that email..it was extremely graphic but proved the point of how dangerous the theft practice is.

As for what the OP posted..heads would roll if our local POCO tried that stunt. Our county code enforcement officials are ruthless here.

There was absolutely no excuse for the half-butt work shown in those pics.
Posted By: harold endean Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 06/11/10 02:03 PM
MX,

Luckily that mess was only on the ground for a week, which is 6 days and 23 hours too long! However nobody got hurt. This also happened in the last winter and the town was still plowing roads. Imagine if there was a snow fall and the road dept. didn't see that wire laying on the road! Ouch!
Posted By: sparkyinak Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 06/23/10 08:20 AM
some how "wow!" does not cover it.
Posted By: harold endean Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 12/13/10 03:19 PM
Should this fit the category, "What is the hookiest thing I ever saw hooked up" NAW! It is the scariest!
Posted By: sparky Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 12/14/10 01:06 AM
harold

in the realm of 'scariest', 'just plain wrong', or maybe 'raise those little neck hairs' you win , hands down

~S~

Posted By: HotLine1 Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 12/14/10 02:22 AM
~s~:

Harold and I are in the same state, he's up in the northwest area, and that may have been the same POCO, but I have to say, I have never seen anything even close to that.

Posted By: harold endean Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 12/15/10 03:53 PM
John,

The POCO here that did this fiasco starts with the first letter of your first name! smile
Posted By: HotLine1 Re: High Voltage on the Ground - 12/15/10 03:54 PM
Harold:
OK, I have them home, but not in my work township.

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