power lines

[joezilla11]

A black insulated line with a wire swirled around it sounds like power to me

 

[sgreanbeans]

Really?

The fact that you are asking these questions suggests a significant lack of expertise. This really sounds like it should be in the homeowner helper forum, although the answer is going to be the same: hire someone that knows what they are doing.

Those of us that actually know what we are doing with pruning and utility service have an excellent understanding of the risks involved and how to avoid the problems. No amount of on-line advice can give you the necessary talent to go near the utility service, so we are generally unwilling to give advice like that when we think it will just make you feel qualified to go get into trouble.

On this specific latest comment, you should not touch the wires at all with any falling branches, even if you think they are not going to electrocute you. This eliminates the risk of damage to wires or to yourself.

100% Agree

If you don't have a clear and precise grasp on what you are looking at, you shouldn't be messing with it.......... at all. Get with the line clearance outfit in your area, they will show you. Plus, if it is within 10ft, they will come do it for free. Often, when I call them, which in of its self is not often. Anyway, the guys show and they like to hang, so they always end up doing more than I need. Which works for me. Last time, we cooked up some chow for the guys and they stayed most of the day. We were on a big removal and they did half the tree! Saved me a bunch of money, and I didn't have to work near the lines.

 

[miko0618]

Oh god.. nevermind.

 

[pdqdl]

What town are you working in?

We will be sure to monitor the news and post your "accident" in the Arboricultural injuries forum. I guess if you just rip down the 600 pair telephone wire, that will never make the news. I hope you know that if it ends up needing repair and fell off the pole just because it was ready to fall anyway, you will still get the bill for a full repair.

Be sure to let us know how it all turns out.

 

[pdqdl]

Oh god.. nevermind.

You really shouldn't be that way. I have been climbing and removing trees for over 25 years, and I still call the line clearance trimmers every single time it is required. When you act like it doesn't matter, we know we will be hearing about you eventually.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

"Go ahead and cut em, you'll be fine"

Is that the post you were looking for? Not gonna happen here.If you're looking for sound advice, you've gotten it. If you want advice on that particular tree, post some pics. If you want to do work ANYWHERE near powerlines, then get some education. And if you want to work in this business, grow skin like oak, cause if the saw doesn't cut ya, your coworkers will. Sometimes good advice hurts, but not as much as not listening and paying the price of not taking it. I've been doing this work a long time, and one thing I'm proud of is tye worst injury any of my guys had was a bruised ego. That I can live with. The last big co. I left had 4 major injuries within the next three months, and it still haunts me , because I know I could have prevented them.

So whatever all you want, miko, but we'd kind of like to keep you around, and I didn't see any advice on this thread that I didn't think was on point, even if you didn't like the packaging.

And that's all I've got to say about that.

Jeff

 

[lxt]

I don't think it was meant to be rude. Being able to identify the various lines on a pole is basic Arborist 101.

I agree, but whats sad is when "basic" ID by supposed Pros is messed up, High voltage in the utility industry usually starts at 23T or 25T depending on the utility, actually we consider high lines 69kv & above, what the OP is trimming around & what most of us trim around is distribution.

The truth is if you cant ID a powerline from a cable or bell line you have no biz trimming the tree


LXT........

 

[arathol]

there are 4 wires on the phone pole. they are all the same. like a black tube with a thin wire swirled around. the lowest one is the largest.

That would be the phone lines. Most are a bundle of 2 or 3 larger lines and a stainless 3/8" support cable all wrapped up with stainless wire. The whole thing is about 4 or 5 inches in diameter.

so, my next question is, how sturdy are phone and cable wires? can they take a tug or light bumps?

Depends on how its hung and if there is strain relief built into the system. Sometimes they just fall, sometimes they don't. I've seen telephone lines pinned to the ground under a large pine tree spring right back up when the tree was removed.

 

[miko0618]

Thank you for answering my question.

I DID call the power company. They DID come out. I dont know how that information was missed. I am paranoid about getting shocked and i dont work around electricity. That information seems to have been missed as well. In this case, i will not be within 50' of electricity. And i wasnt planning on ripping down the phone lines, the tip is grown into it. Again, how that info was missed, i dont know. I am taking every precaution i can to make sure theres no power. And 1 of my resources was this site. I got some solid information. For those that gave it, i appreciate it. I work very safe, clean and am a professional. So go wait for me to turn up in the injury forum if you like, i have things to do.

 

[pdqdl]

Thank you for answering my question.

I DID call the power company. They DID come out. I dont know how that information was missed. I am paranoid about getting shocked and i dont work around electricity. That information seems to have been missed as well. In this case, i will not be within 50' of electricity. And i wasnt planning on ripping down the phone lines, the tip is grown into it. Again, how that info was missed, i dont know. I am taking every precaution i can to make sure theres no power. And 1 of my resources was this site. I got some solid information. For those that gave it, i appreciate it. I work very safe, clean and am a professional. So go wait for me to turn up in the injury forum if you like, i have things to do.

The info was missed because you never said that you called the power company. You did say this:

...I usually have the homeowner call and get the utility company trim the limbs that are in the power line...

Honestly, you sound like a total newbie that is trying to obscure your ignorance while asking newbie questions. Sorry if you don't care for that opinion, but I just can't help it. That's what your posts sound like to me.

You are not quite as rude as many of the folks that post here at AS, but you have certainly shown a willingness to share your opinions, so we have presumed that we don't need to treat you with kid gloves. Have fun, hang out, learn a bunch, and try not to pick any fights (verbal) that you don't want to finish. As pointed out elsewhere in this thread, you can't be too thin skinned in Arb 101. If you think we are a rough lot here, come on down to commercial climbing and test the waters there.

 

[7.3 rocket]

You are not quite as rude as many of the folks that post here at AS, but you have certainly shown a willingness to share your opinions, so we have presumed that we don't need to treat you with kid gloves. Have fun, hang out, learn a bunch, and try not to pick any fights (verbal) that you don't want to finish. As pointed out elsewhere in this thread, you can't be too thin skinned in Arb 101. If you think we are a rough lot here, come on down to commercial climbing and test the waters there.

Or walk into any big shop before the crews leave for the morning!

I'm only about a year into all this and the ones with the insulators are the ones you gotta worry about. Primaries, secondaries, and service drops can all kill.

Remember the insulation on the line is there to protect the line NOT you.

 

[miko0618]

I don't think the thickness of my skin is the issue. i'm not going to cower down from a bunch of egos on the internet. i am not a rude person because i stand up for myself. I am a total powerline newbie because I wont do work around them. period. i was never deceptive about my knowledge or experience level with this. in fact, i was very open that i had none. i came here to learn information. which i did. and none of what i learned came from the lectures and pointless stereotyping. i was here to determine the safety factor of the tree. if it was something i was not comfortable with, i would pass on the job. no big deal. it turned out to be a limb tip growing into some phone lines. i feel pretty safe with that. but i wanted to be 100 percent certain that was the case. I clearly stated that the power company said it was all phone and cable. and I asked if it could be the whole pole. you guys don't even read the information before you jump.

 

[miko0618]

anyway, thanks for the information about the wires. i now know more about whats what. but will still call for a trim for no reason if need be. i will look into training on identifying whats on the pole. but i still wont work near one with power. when i was younger i saw a wire cook a stick til it exploded on tv and ever since i wont go near them. this tree only has some needles into the wires. the rest of the tree is far away. that's why i was interested in it. i assumed it was power because of my respect for electricity. and i totally understand why some of you thought i was an idiot for not realizing it was phone. my lack of knowledge is why i asked. and to be honest, if the limb would have been into the lines more i would have said to the homeowner to call someone else, i don't work near power lines. all the while it was a phone pole. i don't know how much i want to know about working near them. i would imagine the more i knew, the more confident i would get and i would start taking jobs with the added risk of electrocution.

no hard feelings on my side. i am a bit difficult at times. but i stand firm in my belief in myself.

mike

 

[pdqdl]

I'm glad that is settled.

If it is any consolation, I don't go near the power lines either. At least not the primaries. I don't really have too much respect for the secondaries (house wiring voltage) because I know the voltage wont travel down my ropes, nor bridge an air gap and come electrocute me. That, and I am sure that I can keep from being the conduit to ground for 120 volts.

 

[tramp bushler]

Ya, you guys r a bunch a meanies. :msp_rolleyes:

:ah::big_smile:

 

[pdqdl]

Hey there, Tramp!

I guess us arbs seem like a bunch of woosies to you Alaskan lumberjacks.

 

[tramp bushler]

Now there's a fight starter. .
Never call a coastal logger a lumberjack.
Oh my gosh. Fist city boys.

But actually arbs are kinda different. It kinda wierds me out, but I'm getting used to it.
Not trying to start a fight but I get a lot of can't do that from arbs whereas with loggers it get er done. Now!!!!!! .
But its cool. I'm learnin stuff . Good stuff.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Just remember Tramp, when a logger drops a tree wrong, he gets a hanger. When an arb does it, he ends up buying a house he didn't really want.:msp_wink:

 

[pdqdl]

... Never call a coastal logger a lumberjack...

Noted!

By the way, I have always been one of those "get it done" types too. I'm not so much a nay-sayer, but I do have a tendency to tell folks when they are probably going to get in over their head.

 

[tramp bushler]

Just remember Tramp, when a logger drops a tree wrong, he gets a hanger. When an arb does it, he ends up buying a house he didn't really want.:msp_wink:

Any logger that ( Drops) a tree should be fired just out of hand.
If he can't ( fall) it he got no business sticking a saw in it.

And I'm in agreement with 90+% of everything you guys are saying. I think it's mostly an application thing. I have a unique set of circumstances that call for unique solutions :msp_w00t: