Thread: Tree Trimmer drops limb on power line and lights up neighborhood.

This is a spectacular demonstration of the power of electricity. Imagine the liability the trimming company faces as the neighboring houses catch fire. This is a clean video with no injuries shown.

Underground lines to yard lights, sheds, etc. would also be energized and present a danger to people seen walking around in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmy9CHCewtg

Ok, now lets imagine what it would be like without trimmers!

DAMN!! how long did that go on for? seems to me the breaker didnt kick out properly, That was a ridiculously long duration, the power Co`s grid had to be lighten up!

That tree limb shouldnt have caused all that, imagine if a storm would have brought a limb down in the middle of the night, from a storm dropping a limb houses go up in flames? something more here than a tree worker dropping a limb, seems like there was a fault in the trip out circuit & the tree guy`s gonna take the blame.

Thank God everyones ok!! that needs investigated should not have been that bad!!

LXT................

It was mentioned in the title blurb of the video on youtube that the relays did not function properly, cutting out that circuit.

Definately reinforces the don't mess with electricity meme.

Now imagine what it would be like if they hired and maintained professional crews.

I had not hear anything about that one, the vid was posted 04/14/07, so it's a bit old. But many of the instances I've heard are with companies that hire undertrained/inexperienced crews.

I stay away from power as much as posible but when I do work around it I make sure of 3 things.
1. I'm not gonna drop something into the lines
2. I'm not gonna touch the lines.
3.I'm not gonna drop anything into the lines.

Originally Posted by ropensaddle

Ok, now lets imagine what it would be like without trimmers!

This thread wasn't started as a slam on tree trimmers!

I was just amazed at the footage and the threat high voltage can be to a whole neighborhood. One shot shows a fireman watching the gutters on a house go up. Not much else he could do! This same house had it's service drop smoking......my guess is the insulation rating was being exceeded and it was melting.

It looked like the high voltage breaker may have tripped a couple of times.....but then reset automatically. In my area the breakers try to auto reset three times before going out for good. This is important to remember for those doing rescue.....just because the power goes out....doesn't mean it's out for good.

Originally Posted by lxt

DAMN!! how long did that go on for? seems to me the breaker didnt kick out properly,

Looks like variable that might be interesting to learn about.

It appeared like an overhead supply line to the house may have fried like a crispy critter, and dropped it's end to contact or weld to the gutter. Because I see no other way in a house, short of a metal roof contacting something, for power in a house to energize gutters.

I cannot imagine why that fault did not clear! Looks like more than a minor system failure to me. Power cos. have redundancy built into their systems, something here went FUBAR! Imagine being the guy in the bucket!! Holy Chet!!
That's going to get expensive....quick

Beaver

I for a moment thought it was a Tool Time episode from Home Improvement!! those gutters looked like a 4th of july prop. Firefighters couldnt even try to put the houses out, whatta shame!!


LXT............

Originally Posted by TreeCo

This thread wasn't started as a slam on tree trimmers!

I was just amazed at the footage and the threat high voltage can be to a whole neighborhood. One shot shows a fireman watching the gutters on a house go up. Not much else he could do! This same house had it's service drop smoking......my guess is the insulation rating was being exceeded and it was melting.

It looked like the high voltage breaker may have tripped a couple of times.....but then reset automatically. In my area the breakers try to auto reset three times before going out for good. This is important to remember for those doing rescue.....just because the power goes out....doesn't mean it's out for good.

Yes that is called three shot fuse and has killed
many a professional line clearance trimmer! I did not look at the vid ,
dial stinks but even pros make mistakes! Power does strange things
but it sounds like the line was not grounded or shorted to cause the
problems you speak of, ice storm 94 and 2000 I watched three phase
being shorted due to limb laying across the phazes. It was making
blue fire balls and the went to and fro from pole to pole!

Originally Posted by John Paul Sanborn

Now imagine what it would be like if they hired and maintained professional crews.

I had not hear anything about that one, the vid was posted 04/14/07, so it's a bit old. But many of the instances I've heard are with companies that hire undertrained/inexperienced crews.

The most trained get the worst lines but anyway where are you
going to get that many top notch trimmers with the experience
necessary to get the work done? I have twenty plus years trimming
the worst lines and finally quit low pay and I was a danger tree expert!

Parts of that video were aired on television years ago. I remember the fried flaming gutter. That's what you would call a less than productive day.

No thats what you call get the heck outta there.

Originally Posted by ropensaddle

Yes that is called three shot fuse and has killed
many a professional line clearance trimmer! I did not look at the vid ,
dial stinks but even pros make mistakes! Power does strange things
but it sounds like the line was not grounded or shorted to cause the
problems you speak of, ice storm 94 and 2000 I watched three phase
being shorted due to limb laying across the phazes. It was making
blue fire balls and the went to and fro from pole to pole!

Here when we work around power we have to have an "asssurance of no reclose" permit. This is to ensure the circuit does not renergize after a fault is detected. The reclosing device is disabled and tagged by the lineman prior to us starting work. It doesn't protect the tree guy, just means it stops the power so others are somewhat safer and equipment doesn't burn down. I have seen this work once. The tree I fell on the line sizzled and burned for a few seconds and then stopped burning, because the circuit was not re-energized (reclosed). Lots of guys have put out the power, it happens, as long as everyone is ok.