Control killing of limb over high voltage power line

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derwoodii

derwoodii

Tree Freak
AS Supporting Member.
Joined
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Location
Victoria Australia
Unorthodox method so im posting to follow progress and seek others wisdom & input. The back stories a bit involved but in essence down here if a tree limb grows over a high voltage line > 1000 volts ( we ORP ) Ordinary persons are not allowed to clear it and will need to pay live line power company crews $1500 to $11,000+ depending upon task and their whim $$ at quote. My last was $7500 for a 1 hour shut down,, its $$ gouge due to power company cartel
( another story.)
This limb had gone rouge & was drooping down due to weight of fruit nut and leaf and just begun wind blow burning tips on 22kv line.
Wishing to avoid ridiculous costs i pondered what to do so today i got up within my SAD ( safe approach distance) and carved off the bark and applied herbicide to cambium wound and end foliage with the idea it will die off loose weight and lift away plus in time dry out and just become a non conducting dead twig beyond what is our regulated clearance distance.


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lets see how it goes,, I treated wound about 3 meter back and 4 meters from next limb branch union so confident translocation of contact herbicide will impact only target limb
 
derwoodii said:
Unorthodox method so im posting to follow progress and seek others wisdom & input. The back stories a bit involved but in essence down here if a tree limb grows over a high voltage line > 1000 volts ( we ORP ) Ordinary persons are not allowed to clear it and will need to pay live line power company crews $1500 to $11,000+ depending upon task and their whim $$ at quote. My last was $7500 for a 1 hour shut down,, its $$ gouge due to power company cartel
Click to expand...

Hmmm, usually the power mobs clear them themselves on roadsides and residential streets in my area, (Yarra Valley)

derwoodii said:
This limb had gone rouge & was drooping down due to weight of fruit nut and leaf and just begun wind blow burning tips on 22kv line.
Wishing to avoid ridiculous costs i pondered what to do so today i got up within my SAD ( safe approach distance) and carved off the bark and applied herbicide to cambium wound and end foliage with the idea it will die off loose weight and lift away plus in time dry out and just become a non conducting dead twig beyond what is our regulated clearance distance.
Click to expand...

Probably better to drill it and inject it neat into the limb.
 
yes in your patch trees vs wire predominately be DB distribution mobs business as ESV undeclared zone,, in my patch its mixed but this tree is LG local gov declared area and in LBRA low bush fire vs most of Yarra valley be HBRA high bush fire where the growth of limbs above HV is strictly a no no..

Agree drill inject be more efficient ( i had one in the ewp bucket ) but i was conscious of not impacting small limbs strength so hoping ring bark - foliage spray would still work. The targeting of single limb to kill is not something i done often or intend to repeat this scenario just allows the test of idea.
 
ATH said:
What herbicide did you use? I'd be concerned about whether that will go back into the tree...
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Most herbicides that are systemic move down, as into the roots as opposed to systemic insecticides that move up into the foliage.

I' not familiar with things down under but from the picture that looks like a easy piece to stand up with a grcs. They'l really charge you $7500 for that?.
 
Hydro Quebec clears everything near the high tension, and it's $3000 find for being too close yourself. They will put up what is called "spaghetti" (rubber covering on the wire) for free if you have to do work in order to make the line non-conductive, but if you don't clear the work with them and get the spaghetti, you get the fine.

That said, we work too close to the lines a lot. :innocent:
 
Jed1124 said:
I' not familiar with things down under but from the picture that looks like a easy piece to stand up with a grcs. They'l really charge you $7500 for that?.
Click to expand...

Yes, I got written quotes for similar jobs as the only provider of live line tree work or shut down is the network business owner and so they can charge what they please. In other nearby networks same type of job about $1500 so i asked mine for quote break down they reckon a circuit fuse is $3800 a fuse they take out and just put back in .. They wack on a 20% margin for all 3 level of business units & tool consumables & charge $800 for traffic control when your jobs in a paddock etc etc ... Im working with industry regulator on fixing this but its going to take some time.

Sure I could under cut and fold that limb back or rope it and lift or nudge it up away with bucket or nibble it to bits till gone but if it goes wrong very bad fizz..so i dont push limits as I been cutting around wires 35 year and used up all my luck about 15 year ago so I just dont.... you'll notice its a 22kv end termination cross arm so the circuit fuse is yonks away and the re-close safety will not sense the earth leak as it runs down limb up my arm though my chest and out other arm..


BC WetCoast said:
Technically, if the branch of the tree is within the limit of approach, then the whole tree is within the approach limit.
Click to expand...

Yes true so i took the time & choose a day that was dry no wind and my wing man tested insulated bucket operator & ground observer were told strictly by the book with full control to stop job.
 
derwoodii said:
Yes, I got written quotes for similar jobs as the only provider of live line tree work or shut down is the network business owner and so they can charge what they please. In other nearby networks same type of job about $1500 so i asked mine for quote break down they reckon a circuit fuse is $3800 a fuse they take out and just put back in .. They wack on a 20% margin for all 3 level of business units & tool consumables & charge $800 for traffic control when your jobs in a paddock etc etc ... Im working with industry regulator on fixing this but its going to take some time.

Sure I could under cut and fold that limb back or rope it and lift or nudge it up away with bucket or nibble it to bits till gone but if it goes wrong very bad fizz..so i dont push limits as I been cutting around wires 35 year and used up all my luck about 15 year ago so I just dont.... you'll notice its a 22kv end termination cross arm so the circuit fuse is yonks away and the re-close safety will not sense the earth leak as it runs down limb up my arm though my chest and out other arm..




Yes true so i took the time & choose a day that was dry no wind and my wing man tested insulated bucket operator & ground observer were told strictly by the book with full control to stop job.
Click to expand...

If your observer was doing things by the book he would have told you to stop, that branch is well within sass even for an authorised person, had something wrong or the right person seen you up there you would be in all sorts of trouble.
 
scheffa said:
If your observer was doing things by the book he would have told you to stop, that branch is well within sass even for an authorised person, had something wrong or the right person seen you up there you would be in all sorts of trouble.
Click to expand...


you could be right, yet i was not clearing or cutting the limb only rubbed away bark some 4 meters from wire a distance outside my SAD limits, a grey area but one that i am conscious off.. As BCwest says once any limb is trespassing the whole tree is out of spec and so no go.. Yet just last month the DB approved myself to preclear a tree much same scenario only leaving the limb parts that were beyond safe approach distance SAD.. hmm I going to have to inquire with regulator on this..
 
derwoodii said:
Unorthodox method so im posting to follow progress and seek others wisdom & input. The back stories a bit involved but in essence down here if a tree limb grows over a high voltage line > 1000 volts ( we ORP ) Ordinary persons are not allowed to clear it and will need to pay live line power company crews $1500 to $11,000+ depending upon task and their whim $$ at quote. My last was $7500 for a 1 hour shut down,, its $$ gouge due to power company cartel
( another story.)
This limb had gone rouge & was drooping down due to weight of fruit nut and leaf and just begun wind blow burning tips on 22kv line.
Wishing to avoid ridiculous costs i pondered what to do so today i got up within my SAD ( safe approach distance) and carved off the bark and applied herbicide to cambium wound and end foliage with the idea it will die off loose weight and lift away plus in time dry out and just become a non conducting dead twig beyond what is our regulated clearance distance.


View attachment 621125
View attachment 621126 View attachment 621127

lets see how it goes,, I treated wound about 3 meter back and 4 meters from next limb branch union so confident translocation of contact herbicide will impact only target limb
Click to expand...
The utility company is responsible legally to keep the lines cleared from any trees or they can be liable for any fires that start.
 
Rick Hammer said:
The utility company is responsible legally to keep the lines cleared from any trees or they can be liable for any fires that start.
Click to expand...

Derwoodii is in Australia, not sure if the same rules apply. They also don't have NERC (North American Electrical Reliability Corp) that oversees all electrical utilities to ensure you don't have regional blackouts.
 
Rick Hammer said:
The utility company is responsible legally to keep the lines cleared from any trees or they can be liable for any fires that start.
Click to expand...


Its complicated stupid and inefficient eg designed by Government... in some areas its the City ( Local government ) in others its the DB distribution business & all private HO trees are the DB so in one street you can actually have the DB trimming HO private tree the LG trimming street trees and on the other side of the road DB trimming the top of private and public trees from wire and the LG under pruning the street tree canopy

BC WetCoast said:
Derwoodii is in Australia, not sure if the same rules apply. They also don't have NERC (North American Electrical Reliability Corp) that oversees all electrical utilities to ensure you don't have regional blackouts.
Click to expand...


In my state have regulator known as ESV electrical safe Victoria they do a pretty good job most of the time & much better since 1983 and 2009 when they slipped missed or were not resourced enough to best audit the power company systems and that allowed tree vs wires fires that killed many souls..
 
I do line Clearance judging by the pic if Manuel climbing I'd probably tip tie a pull rope that's hung threw a higher crotch or false crotch and have my groundie pull as I performed a slow under cut. Making sure not to pop it off until tip is rotated up and back towards the main and only then when I know it won't go towards the wires I'd finish my cut. If it's within min approach you could use a foam filled pole pruner w insulatir on rope to break back small pieces byb pull n a lil on rope for a bite then pulling til it breaks or is back away from wire then finish clip. Repeat a bunch til safe to use chainsaw or handsaw. I clip smaller than the distance between the wires to prevent outage. Out here if a company or homeowner is going to do work the power company will send us in for free as a help job to prevent someone from trying to save money and getting hurt or burning lines down we pull it back 10' from lines and all brush stays
 
Luckysaturn said:
I do line Clearance judging by the pic if Manuel climbing I'd probably tip tie a pull rope that's hung threw a higher crotch or false crotch and have my groundie pull as I performed a slow under cut. Making sure not to pop it off until tip is rotated up and back towards the main and only then when I know it won't go towards the wires I'd finish my cut. If it's within min approach you could use a foam filled pole pruner w insulatir on rope to break back small pieces byb pull n a lil on rope for a bite then pulling til it breaks or is back away from wire then finish clip. Repeat a bunch til safe to use chainsaw or handsaw. I clip smaller than the distance between the wires to prevent outage. Out here if a company or homeowner is going to do work the power company will send us in for free as a help job to prevent someone from trying to save money and getting hurt or burning lines down we pull it back 10' from lines and all brush stays
Click to expand...


yes agree it would be easy limb to rope lift up away and nibble up but my site OHS rules are clear.

The other fact my area power company is actually exploiting the issue by charging $$ ridiculous service fee is something im taking to industry regulator as it puts ORP ordinary persons in jeopardy as avoiding costs looks more appealing vs safety.
 

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