ECN Forum
Posted By: Haligan Mylar balloons in power lines - 06/05/07 03:02 PM
Is this the bane of a poco worker's existence? Or is it staples in the poles from yard sale signs?

We just had a brownout then a full-on blackout across 3 cities. Did you guess mylar balloons?
Wrong. It was wild monkeys.
No really it was the balloons. What a nuisance.
Posted By: mikesh Re: Mylar balloons in power lines - 06/05/07 03:19 PM
I recall a case where some young people took 2 or more helium balloons with a fine wire between them and tripped a 250kv cicuit.
Posted By: noderaser Re: Mylar balloons in power lines - 06/06/07 12:24 AM
Mylar baloons and power lines are great fun!

Just don't get caught. I think disrupting infrastructure will get you brought in for terrorism these days.
Posted By: gfretwell Re: Mylar balloons in power lines - 06/06/07 01:11 AM
When I was a kid we used to throw the baling wire they bound up newspapers with up into the transformer hubs. Lots of fun until we took the block out.
Posted By: Gregtaylor Re: Mylar balloons in power lines - 06/06/07 01:29 AM
Took a deep sea fishing rod and 8' of chain and cast it over hi voltage lines then reeled it in until you know what happened. The arc knocked me down and I've felt lucky to be alive ever since.
Posted By: e57 Re: Mylar balloons in power lines - 06/06/07 01:47 AM
While it is a favorite passtime for the youth in one area of the City I live in to throw chain and pipes across lines from nearby roofs. (I used to live on a hill over-looking that area, and it would set off re-closers and switches in all areas of the city sometimes, as well as turn on the generator at the hospital below me.)

SHOULD WE BE DISCUSSING THIS IN THE OPEN? Just loads of bad ideas out there for the taking...
Posted By: Trumpy Re: Mylar balloons in power lines - 06/06/07 02:53 AM
I agree Mark,
Best we leave this sort of thing alone.
© ECN Electrical Forums