Hi Tech Hi Tension Maintenance

[JRobyn]

Hi folks,

Maybe this doesn't fit in the Safety forum, but where else?

Heard choppers very low behind my house this morning and went to look (with the camera) and saw this. Amazing! Both pilot and lineman must have nerves with more steel than those towers. These are 500kv lines. Wonder if OSHA approves?

- Jay

 

[shvl73]

I saw a tv show on that, may have been discovery channel. You'd really have to trust your pilot.

 

[MrJimi]

I've seen a good video on this and it's very interesting to watch here
Power line cleaning

 

[tomd999]

Hiya,

I have a buddy that does that. He gets paid very well come to think of it. They wear a chain suit so the electricity goes around them, and are only able to do the live attach in very specific conditions. Yes, he has some gruesome stories about "safety mishaps".

I'll stick with 12v

Tom

 

[DieselPower]

It's just like birds that set on wires. You can't get shocked if there's no ground. I saw a show on TV about that also a year or two ago. The one I saw actually had the guy suspended under the chopper on a cable. The main problem was the static discharge from the chopper when they first make contact with the wire. The wire dog makes contact with a grounding rod first and then can make safe contact with the live wires.

 

[N80]

Yes, but the other line will serve as a ground and a helicopter easily spans both lines.

 

[jsborn]

It's just like birds that set on wires. You can't get shocked if there's no ground. I saw a show on TV about that also a year or two ago. The one I saw actually had the guy suspended under the chopper on a cable. The main problem was the static discharge from the chopper when they first make contact with the wire. The wire dog makes contact with a grounding rod first and then can make safe contact with the live wires.

The line he is working on in the pictures is the static wire it is not energized but does have a lot of static in it.

DP you are kinda right but birds can't sit on conductors energized at 500KV or even 230KV. The EM field surrounding the conductors will smoke them if they try. That along with potential diff in the body is why we wear the chain male suits. they are really carbon woven fabric that allows us to enter the field while the difference in potential across our bodies is equalized by the low resistance conductors in the fiber.

Without going through a lot of math lets just say the resistance from one side of your hand to the other is small enough at these voltages to cause large currents to flow through you with out the protective suits. This current flow is also called cooking which is not a good thing to living things.

I have been energized at 500kv a few times and it does give you a strange feeling and make you glad to be back on the ground.

 

[jsborn]

Most of the dead ones are Buzzards and not many people even in California care about them. But you are probably correct they seem to be warned off as the try to land on the conductor but at 500kv the are warned about 20 feet away. The normal spacing for this class line is too much for a phase to phase flash due to wing span in most cases.

 

[N80]

The explanation on that History Channel show (for what its worth) said that the static kept them off the high tension lines.

 

[jsborn]

The explanation on that History Channel show (for what its worth) said that the static kept them off the high tension lines.

In Simple terms that is correct. It is uncomfortable on the energized conductor with the proper equipment but I cant imagine how it would feel with out it to a bird.

 

[riptides]

.........
Perhaps most birds are warned off very high tension wires by the side effects-- otherwise, birds being kinda bird brained, one would expect to have heaps of dead birds under 500KV lines with tree huggers howling like they do for the flying creatures diced up by windmills. Or maybe the birds are carbonized and no one misses them!..............

Interesting that we still build these towers. My area in the commonwealth in litigation with proposed new lines at county, state and federal levels.

Personally, I am within eyesite of these towers and find them unhealthy in both site and sound. Surely there must be a better wway to move the transmission of electricity?

-Mike Z.

 

[Rara Avis]

Interesting that we still build these towers. My area in the commonwealth in litigation with proposed new lines at county, state and federal levels.

Personally, I am within eyesite of these towers and find them unhealthy in both site and sound. Surely there must be a better wway to move the transmission of electricity?

-Mike Z.

They could bury them, as they did in North Dakota, but your electric bill would be a lot higher...

 

[tallyho8]

They cross my pasture way in back away from view from my home. I have no problem with them and have never seen any dead birds around them. And you can even get free light at night. Just stand under the lowest part of the wires and hold an 8' flourescent bulb straight up and it lights up.

 

[riptides]

They cross my pasture way in back away from view from my home. I have no problem with them and have never seen any dead birds around them. And you can even get free light at night. Just stand under the lowest part of the wires and hold an 8' flourescent bulb straight up and it lights up.

Yes, and the snap crackle and pop in certain weather conditions. Makes one wonders about the health effects of these things.

-Mike Z.

 

[jsborn]

Yes, and the snap crackle and pop in certain weather conditions. Makes one wonders about the health effects of these things.

-Mike Z.

After years of working on and around these lines I can safely say that my pacemaker does not like them but on a plus side my 6 fingered 3 eyed kids are no longer having problems in school.

Just kidding about the kids. Most if not all the studies I have read will say that there is little to no effect on human health due to the EMF of these lines.
I agree they are not the prettiest thing to look at but until we develop better ways to bury EHV lines we are stuck with them in the air if we want low cost power in or cities.

I due find it interesting that most of the people that have the biggest problems with these line have hugh houses that use extreame amounts of power and complan about the health issues while laying out at the beach burning their skin off with the sun.

Oh well to each his own I guess.

 

[stayalert]

those copters do inspections, repairs, etc. at tremendous savings. picture doing similar work from the ground and you can quickly see the advantage of the copter. I attended a safety class associated with line work and there were great videos showing how they approach and connect to the line to do work. As they approach they create a massive sustained blue spark that is awesome and terrifying at the same time.

 

[JayDavis]

Gotta love high voltage. Here is an interesting YouTube video dealing with this subject... YouTube - high voltage worker uses helicopter to reach power lines

 

[MarkV]

Well more power to you guys that work that stuff, small pun intended. If you put me on the outside of that chopper I’d wet myself and end up as an old bald French fry.

MarkV