4 ms·

I agree with your comment about back feeding and shorting lines that are supposed to be de-energized, but linemen also sometimes have to work on hot lines. They

I agree with your comment about back feeding and shorting lines that are supposed to be de-energized, but linemen also sometimes have to work on hot lines. They have all kinds of neat tools and techniques for doing this. Seeing a lineman with a cheater stick (fiberglass pole) or insulated gloves working on a live line is pretty neat.

Retric 8y ago
During a flood I once saw a HV line that was occasionally dipping into the river. It would float down for a little bit, build up some tension, then shoot into the air creating a ~4-5 foot blue arc as the line shorted into the river before landing back in the water and producing a huge thumping sound. That completely changed my perspective on all those quite lines dancing in the wind.
sathackr 8y ago
Yep, and when they work on hot lines, they treat them as such, using the protective gear you mentioned. I cannot think of a time that I saw a lineman working on a power line that was not shorted, without protective gear. Working on a hot wire is a whole different story because every thing around you becomes a hazard. I do work on towers, sometimes in hot-RF environments (TV and radio antennas transmit with up to ~100,000 watts). The antennas will literally cook(like a microwave oven does) you if you get too close while they are live. For lower power situations, you can even hold your hand near the antenna -- it feels like a heat-lamp. Even at reduced levels, it can be harmful to areas of your body with poor circulation and cooling(such as your eyes), often causing damage before you're even aware of it. We wear an RF monitor when in those situations that alerts us if the RF field becomes stronger than is safe. I wonder if linemen wear a similar device that can alert them if an EM field becomes stronger than expected?

4 ms·

I agree with your comment about back feeding and shorting lines that are supposed to be de-energized, but linemen also sometimes have to work on hot lines. They

by planteen 8y ago

Retric 8y ago
During a flood I once saw a HV line that was occasionally dipping into the river. It would float down for a little bit, build up some tension, then shoot into the air creating a ~4-5 foot blue arc as the line shorted into the river before landing back in the water and producing a huge thumping sound. That completely changed my perspective on all those quite lines dancing in the wind.
sathackr 8y ago
Yep, and when they work on hot lines, they treat them as such, using the protective gear you mentioned. I cannot think of a time that I saw a lineman working on a power line that was not shorted, without protective gear. Working on a hot wire is a whole different story because every thing around you becomes a hazard. I do work on towers, sometimes in hot-RF environments (TV and radio antennas transmit with up to ~100,000 watts). The antennas will literally cook(like a microwave oven does) you if you get too close while they are live. For lower power situations, you can even hold your hand near the antenna -- it feels like a heat-lamp. Even at reduced levels, it can be harmful to areas of your body with poor circulation and cooling(such as your eyes), often causing damage before you're even aware of it. We wear an RF monitor when in those situations that alerts us if the RF field becomes stronger than is safe. I wonder if linemen wear a similar device that can alert them if an EM field becomes stronger than expected?