BuddhaKat
Addicted to ArboristSite
So, I have a friend that has a tree in her backyard that has a branch that's growing against the power lines going into her home. It's about an 8" dia branch and you can see that it's putting some serious pressure on the cable. I looked at this earlier in the year and told her to call the power company and let them deal with it. She did, but they told her that they were busy and wouldn't be able to schedule it for months out. Basically, they told her they didn't care.
So when I was there yesterday she asked me to look at again. It was way worse. The line was now stretched tight and the branch was swaying in the wind.
So I get the bright idea to go get a pole saw and saw it off just past the lines, and then saw off a little nub just before the lines, then take the branch down when it's clear of the line. Well, step one worked perfectly. Got the overhang cut off and the branch picked up off the line when the weight was off. Then I sawed the little piece. Just as it started to open up to fall down it hit the lines and POW, 4th of July. Dang thing had worn through the insulation and the exposed wire came in contact with the guy wire. I finished the cut, (fiberglass pole), and there was a little bit of sparks as it hit the wires once again as it fell, but other than that, everything was fine. The house didn't lose power and there were no more sparks.
I did tell my friend to call the power company and have them come out and change the wires right away. She's kind of a dingbat so I don't know if she understands, but I'll check on her to make sure it got done.
I should have went with my original suggestion and left it up to the power company, but she didn't have that much time. I hate working around power lines. I'm not qualified and really have no business screwing around with it.
So when I was there yesterday she asked me to look at again. It was way worse. The line was now stretched tight and the branch was swaying in the wind.
So I get the bright idea to go get a pole saw and saw it off just past the lines, and then saw off a little nub just before the lines, then take the branch down when it's clear of the line. Well, step one worked perfectly. Got the overhang cut off and the branch picked up off the line when the weight was off. Then I sawed the little piece. Just as it started to open up to fall down it hit the lines and POW, 4th of July. Dang thing had worn through the insulation and the exposed wire came in contact with the guy wire. I finished the cut, (fiberglass pole), and there was a little bit of sparks as it hit the wires once again as it fell, but other than that, everything was fine. The house didn't lose power and there were no more sparks.
I did tell my friend to call the power company and have them come out and change the wires right away. She's kind of a dingbat so I don't know if she understands, but I'll check on her to make sure it got done.
I should have went with my original suggestion and left it up to the power company, but she didn't have that much time. I hate working around power lines. I'm not qualified and really have no business screwing around with it.
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