Green Ash dilemma - take it down or not?

[Jason Douglas]

Wait til ALB hits...

 

[ATH]

Wait til ALB hits...

Ropensaddle's comment may more accurately describe ALB than EAB...but we don't want to let it loose to find out so here's hoping the chainsaws keep it contained!

 

[Jason Douglas]

Yep quarantine and eradication efforts are going to be very very important in the near future.

 

[ropensaddle]

Our service is single phase. The closest 3ph is 1/8 mile away and would've cost well over $10K to bring in or I would've done it. Instead, I went with variable frequency drives on all my machines; which was fortuitous because we're too far away from 3ph up North as well, so I'm ready for the relocation plug-n-play there now.

Pole to pole single phase distribution has one leg hot across the top and that wire is uninsulated (might not even be in the pics due to angle), those are connected to the single input tap on a step-down transformer which then makes 2 legs of single phase that are 180 degrees out from each other, and those lines are then run to the service run along with a central tap which becomes the neutral/return leg.

So from the top down on our utility poles you have:

High voltage uninsulated - single wire 13Kv (or thereabouts)

5ft lower you have the neutral, and two 120v legs of 240, which are insulated

2ft below that you have the phone/cable/internet bundles.

The low voltage signal wires are about 12' up from ground level.


13Kv is enough to make refried beans out of the burrito you ate for lunch! I'm well aware of the dangers should something hit it.

I also don't envision this take-down as getting into that line, but if I can get them to do it and not expose myself to the risk at all, that is the path we'll take. I can watch them remove it and maybe learn some things. That's win-win for me.

I stand corrected after working in California it seems some of the country uses a whole wierd construction method or configuration if you wish for power. Here all secondary's use cross arms I suppose it adds height. In the many states I did work for power this was the first time I saw the configuration 3 phase here are 3 wires not 3 and a neutral I am so used to seeing. Anyway for all the places I had seen until here it is 3 wires on top neutral below! I still can tell secondaries from high voltage in this configuration it is just an odd ball setup. Good you got that tree done safe

 

[ropensaddle]

Ropensaddle's comment may more accurately describe ALB than EAB...but we don't want to let it loose to find out so here's hoping the chainsaws keep it contained!

We have so little ash compared to other states i worked in like Indiana and Michigan. I mean folks should know by now the rope calls the acre he is standing on the world

 

[Jim Timber]

Sure enough, we had some more heavy winds last night. I've never been so relaxed in a severe thunderstorm at this house before.

 

[Jed1124]

Yep quarantine and eradication efforts are going to be very very important in the near future.

They were able to contain it pretty well in Massachusetts. Do you really think it's a sure thing? I hope not for the trees sake.

 

[Jason Douglas]

Seems to have worked in southwest Ohio (that we know of) though the quarantine area was recently expanded.

 

[Jim Timber]

These little suburban fire pit things need to come in bigger sizes...

Three burn days later. The slash is gone and the trunk has safely landed.

After tending the burn all day (about 7 hours worth today), I was having muscle spasms and really shouldn't have dropped it but I couldn't resist putting it down. I'll buck it up and call my buddy to see if he really does want it or if he was hoping I'd deliver it like the other wood I've given him.