How many volts???

[NickfromWI]

I think this would be a great topic for discussion. Let's post pics of utility poles and we can all take guesses as to how many volts are running through all the various lines. I have a basic idea of what I'm looking at when I see them- but it's an area where I'm sure many of us could use some more learnin'

I'll start with this one. Who wants to take a power quiz?!




love
nick

 

[candoarms]

Nick,

What a great topic. Thanks a heap.

I'll be the first to embarrass myself.

I believe the two top wires (1 and 2) are in the 7000 volt range. Wires 3 and 4 are supply voltages going to the homes, which would likely be 230 volts.....possibly 460 volts to commercial buildings. Wire number 5....if I'm looking it correctly, would be a support guy wire. This would have no power to it. 6 would be the phone, cable, and other communication wires......but all are to be considered potentially dangerous.

Joel

 

[flushcut]

"1.21 jigga watts"!

1-4 will kill you
5 is the guy line and I am almost sure there is no charge to that one
6 are the comm lines

 

[BlackSmith]

Great thread...

 

[treebilly]

Top four are nasties. I'm way rusty on this but I'm gonna say 11,000 -14,000 on those.
The guy wire should be zero but I've been tickled by them on a rainy day. Same with phone and cable.

 

[sotc]

Nick,

What a great topic. Thanks a heap.

I'll be the first to embarrass myself.

I believe the two top wires (1 and 2) are in the 7000 volt range. Wires 3 and 4 are supply voltages going to the homes, which would likely be 230 volts.....possibly 460 volts to commercial buildings. Wire number 5....if I'm looking it correctly, would be a support guy wire. This would have no power to it. 6 would be the phone, cable, and other communication wires......but all are to be considered potentially dangerous.

Joel

I'm with him. Although 1&2 could be as high as 13Kv

 

[Tuebor]

That's going to vary from utility to utility. Standard residential/commercial distribution system here is 4800 V with some 13.2 kV in the outer suburbs.

 

[NickfromWI]

At the last ehap class I took they said you can estimate the voltage by multiplying the number of insulators by .....🤔.... I think 3500 volts?

Like:

That has 3 little pancakes so that should be 11kV or something like that?

But I can't remember the multiplier!


love
nick

 

[Raj]

12,600v ?

 

[Raj]

 

[Tuebor]

If that's in the LA area, SCE uses a lot of 12 kV distribution. Some lower (4160) and some higher (16.5 and 33 kV).

The higher off the ground the more deadly is how I view it. And then there's really high voltage that does freaky stuff, like this.

http://youtu.be/hIkNY5xjy5k

 

[HolmenTree]

Primary and secondary are dangerous but the single line at the very top of the pole all by itself (not pictured) is the real hot one.
I always carry my absolute limits of approach distances card in my wallet.
To better translate safe limits :
750 - 150,000 volts =10 feet
150,000 - 250,000 volt = 15 feet
250,000 - plus volts = 20 feet.

 

[NickfromWI]

So who is posting the next one?!


love
nick

 

[candoarms]

Nick, I'd be happy to help out here, but I don't know where you find these pictures. If you have more photos like this, please put them here. It's a great topic for discussion, and I feel a very important one for all of us.

Joel

 

[Boomslang]

I work for the local utility (transmission, not distribution), but don't have too many decent pictures to share. You're welcome to guess at these though...

(Hint: they're all different voltages)

 

[Raj]

I'm tingling just looking at that pic.


This branch took a year to finally fall.

 

[Cobleskill]

A Black Walnut tree around here caught on fire touching a probably 4800 volt line. They have a pretty good handle on trimming these days.

Another high voltage question- we used to have a loud-make the birds scatter loud- arc 1/4 mile down the road from me. Just a burst for a second or so. Heard it several times before they fixed whatever it was.

 

[Limbrat]

Nick, did line work for many years. #1 and #2 are primary voltage. Ours is 7,200 volts. Judging from the insulators and the high side bushing of the transformer, your primary voltage is probably higher, possibly 12,000 or 13,200. #3 and #4 are secondary (household) voltage, 120 volts on each line. The one in the center closest to the transformer is the neutral and it is grounded. #5 is guy wire, the same as you use for cabling, probably 5/16" and it's holding a strain somewhere. With the Johnny balls ( the black insulators) in it, it's probably got some induced voltage on it too. I don't know if it is a salt contaminated area, but in that situation the insulators will naturally be larger to prevent the electrons from tracking over to the pole or crossarm.

Boomslang, looking at the insulators, in your top pic it would be 69,000 on either side and 115,000 in the center if it was here. Although I can't see the insulators that well in the bottom pic it would most likely be 500kv in Florida.

 

[Tuebor]

I work for the local utility (transmission, not distribution), but don't have too many decent pictures to share. You're welcome to guess at these though...

(Hint: they're all different voltages)

View attachment 68060View attachment 68061

500 kV bottom, 230 kV and 115 kV top photo?

 

[Tuebor]

Another high voltage question- we used to have a loud-make the birds scatter loud- arc 1/4 mile down the road from me. Just a burst for a second or so. Heard it several times before they fixed whatever it was.

Was it coming from a substation? Might have been air blast switches.

 

[Limbrat]

Can't really count them in the pics but ours would have 9 bells in the 115 and 12 in the 230 if I remember correctly. 5 bells in 69kv. That's porcelain or pyrex. The new poly insulators are a whole different ball game.

 

[hammer0419]

This is my profession . the company i work for we have 4kv, 13, 27, and 33 for primary voltage. 345,000 transmission voltage. Counting an insulator does you nothing as its the same poly insulators. Poles are badged / marked to identify. Numbers, letters, colors, etc are used for identifying.

 

[hammer0419]

Primary and secondary are dangerous but the single line at the very top of the pole all by itself (not pictured) is the real hot one.
I always carry my absolute limits of approach distances card in my wallet.
To better translate safe limits :
750 - 150,000 volts =10 feet
150,000 - 250,000 volt = 15 feet
250,000 - plus volts = 20 feet.

View attachment 68013View attachment 68014

Those 3 phases are all the same voltage whatever it may be BUT JUST DIFFERENT PHASES. 4kv is not bad. When you get to 13kv and above it can literally jump at you as you approach with tools. Draws a nice arc before you even come in Contact with it!!!

 

[Boomslang]

Boomslang, looking at the insulators, in your top pic it would be 69,000 on either side and 115,000 in the center if it was here. Although I can't see the insulators that well in the bottom pic it would most likely be 500kv in Florida.

500 kV bottom, 230 kV and 115 kV top photo?

In the top pic from left to right are 230kV, 138kV, and 69kV. The bottom pic is 345kV. We don't have 500kV here. Insulators can help, but they definitely shouldn't be your sole means of identification.

Our entire primary distribution system is 12.5kV with the exception of a couple of test areas using 25kV.

 

[HolmenTree]

Those 3 phases are all the same voltage whatever it may be BUT JUST DIFFERENT PHASES. 4kv is not bad. When you get to 13kv and above it can literally jump at you as you approach with tools. Draws a nice arc before you even come in Contact with it!!!

I took this pic of the high line in my back yard. This was one of the single line I was referring to. But I have seen lots of them tower above 3 phase spans on the same pole in the last town I lived in.