Power Line Safety

[aurora990]

what was taught in school might not be true afterall. we were told the difference between conductors and insulators in school but the demonstrations were from low voltage sources. I really comes down to common sense regardless of what was taught in school when it comes to electrical conduction. high voltage can cause insulators to low voltage to be conductors.

[xxxcagriersozxxx]

bullshit

[MegaFactMan]

If you bury high voltage power lines, rather than running them above ground, most of these safety hazards are eliminated.

[MnDeerHunter09]

@MegaFactMan One set back on burying the lines is the price. I may be wrong here but I heard that it costs around $35,000 per mile of underground 3 phase. Plus you are always going to have those people that don't think they need to call before they dig.

[bjtaudio]

I just did some conductivity tests with my high voltage transformer using 20KV AC almost 3 times as much as the 7200Volts used in this safety video, I tried dry clean cotton string, packaging twine, dry pine wood, I placed the materials between 2 metal conductors 20KV and Gnd spaced 3 inches or 75mm apart, applied power and there was no measurable leakage current, the materials did not even get warm, I can not get cotton string to conduct, as claimed in the video.

[bjtaudio]

I'm surprised that dry wood, and dry clean string appeared even slightly conductive. While branches from trees are conductive, mostly due to the water content within, from my experiments with voltages up to 20KV ac I found wood such as finger joint pine, MDF boards and cotton string to behave as insulators, provided they are clean, properly dry, have no conductive materials deposited on them like dirt, or even paint. I would never however rely on the insulation properties of these materials.

[SystemaNZ]

Franklin knew nothing then and was electricuted when he flew his kite in a thunder storm.

[BankaiIchigo12345]

@SystemaNZ

At a billion volts, ANYTHING will conduct, period.

[Tricountyrec]

Tri-County REC is committed to educating the public about the potentially fatal hazards associated with high voltage electricity. Comments made to refute or discredit the information contained within the video have no merit and serve no constructive purpose. Please refrain from making self serving ignorant comments. Our goal is to save lives. Nothing more.

[BenHutchinson1]

This video obviously used kite string that was compromised intentionally with moisture and/or conductive contaminants like moist dirt, on purpose to make it falsely look like it's more dangerous than a real situation. It's just for scare tactics to keep people from flying kites near powerlines, as if the very idea of doing so doesn't already sound scary enough to the not scientifically minded.

[DansTechView]

i graved a down powerline hell it was arcking at the other end . i did not get shocked

why i was grabing the wires outside coating

i did one more then 1 time .

i been socked so much from high votage

it amazing

[ipfhliyl]

You are simply lucky. It is not worth the risk. Period.

[DansTechView]

@ipfhliyl i love to play around with High Voltage

i been stock by a High voltage wire on CRT TV Yoke transformer

[BenHutchinson1]

@DansTechView

You mean the flyback transformer?

[DansTechView]

@BenHutchinson1 Yea

[Svendoh]

but what about steel wire that are using 2 hold up the power pole?? (the old ones) they can be dangerous 2. unfortunate i touched one and ended in hospital over the night. and that was only a low power line without insulation on the power line and the steel wire 2. it was removed the same day by the way.

[Tempestwulf]

I work for a electricity generator and retailer in New Zealand and this was a good educational watch. Forwarded to our team. We don't get to see the network side of it.

[davidwmasquelier]

as a young child i touch a regular light switch and got the shit shocked out of mt then thrown in the air. i was beerfoot on a concrete floor. i will never forget that day. oooh did it ever hurt.

[wvcoartney]

Nice Job, the public needs more of this.

from a fellow lineman (Allegheny Power, Parkersburg WV)

[emcredneck]

great video! I work with Altamaha EMC and would love to see that demo in person. i saw a demo at Smarr, Ga. at the last lineman school.

[bberguson]

We'd love to show you this in person! But we'll have to ask that you come here - you can travel a little easier (and faster) than it can! You're always welcome!

[a380rockerfan]

Whoa! That is so awesome! I think rubber boots only conduct when there is so much electricity and current forcing its way through it. 5/5

[shynyanga]

Good demo guys,you dont get a second chance with high voltage.ouch.

[Photonicinduction]

May be I should take a bit more care and repect it, instead of playing with gear like that in my living room and treating it like bit of fun.

Would have been nice if this set up had a bit more current on the HV so it shows copper cable getting chewed up,. and people exploding on contact or near contact with it, a few capacitors could demonstrate that quite nicely. Good though :)

[art11art12]

wasn't it something to do with potential of the line and potential of the string being equal? Like the Faraday cage or when birds perch on high voltage lines...that's what I thought.

[DJGahann]

Working on HT regularly (and also trying to avoid airport security hassle when travelling) I wear safety shoes with plastic soles and tips.

I'm surprised linemen don't (the travelling bit aside).

[ipfhliyl]

An insulator is an insulator only when it is clean and dry.

It is impossible to keep footwear clean enough and dry enough to be relied upon for insulation.

[DJGahann]

It's not meant as an insulator but an additional measure of safety. Steel tipped working boots have been known to pose a hazard when working with HT.

[AmeshiYama]

That is real nice training setup.

[Spillage66]

It is hilarious when they all stand forward when names, then he takes his hat, glasses etc forward to illustrate what a fucking hat and glasses are! You Americans! HAHA!

[MoondogUSA]

Eat it limey. I bet you have bad teeth.

[anhuichun]

great

[BenHutchinson1]

He put kite string on their and it conducted? But kite sring is cloth and should have burned. Did he wet it with water first to make sure it didn't burn? If so, that would also explain why a nonconductive string could conduct, because it was wet.

And yes contaminants on a boot can make the OUTER surface (where the cantaminants are) of the boot conduct, over the surface. But it cant contuct the electricity INTO the inside of the boot (where you are), so it isn't that bad of a situation.

[JuzzChiln]

You don't need to wet the string to get it to conduct.

[Syrophrenikan]

you should become a high voltage safety consultant and tell them why they're all wrong.

many materials will conduct when the voltage is high enough. but just because they conduct somewhat doesn't mean the current is high enough to cause said material to burn. if the string was wet i imagine it would have vaporized because a lot more current would have passed through it.

[BenHutchinson1]

It takes millions of volts in a lightning strike to make the string conduct, like what Ben Franklen did.

String won't conduct at just thosands of volts, UNLESS it is wet, or it is burned (carbonized). String is cloth, and cloth is made of very fine fibers of organic material which is like plastic but the fibers are so small it's hard to tell they are actually plastic. While a thin sheet of plastic will arc through, 10 feet of plastic is a GREAT insulator, so is 10 feet of kite string.

[pmgodfrey]

- @ BenHutchinson1 -

Everything has a dielectric breakdown point. This means that whatever it is, it has a point at which it will become conductive.

For example, a can of Raid insect spray. The can will say something like 25,000 volts dielectric. They are referring to is the breakdown voltage at which the liquid or chemical becomes conductive. If it has a voltage breakdown then it can be safely used up to that point in electrical panels...

But you're wrong about kite string by the way.

[BenHutchinson1]

But a kite string on the power lines is like 30 feet of string between you and the power line. Now dry air breaks down at about 30KV per half-inch. 2*12*30=720 is the number of half inches between you and the power line. And the breakdown voltage of kite string is more than the 30000V per half-inch (breakdown voltage of air). So you'd need more than 30000V*720=22.1MV to break down a kite string. Most power lines have less than one thousandth of this voltage on them with respect to ground.

[ipfhliyl]

You may be correct about perfectly dry, perfectly clean string (I'm actually not interested enough to verify your information); however, the only condition in which you get such is a laboratory.

Many strings are not purely dielectric, and nearly all used on kites are contaminated and could easily become conductive.

Sure there is a chance you'd be safe, but is it really worth the risk???

[BenHutchinson1]

@ipfhliyl

I never flew a kite near power lines, but I know they are made of nylon, which is like string made of plastic fibers. And plastic is an insulator. And I know the glass and ceramic insulators and the wooden poles together are enough insulation to seperate 2 lines a couple feet apart. They get dust and moisture all over them, but don't fail. If I fly a kite standing below a power line I've got like 20 to 30 feet of insulating plastic between me and the line.

[bassboylowg]

wow great video :D

[luigi2999]

how ironic. fiberglass ladders conduct electricity, and they just said they use fiberglass poles to protect linemen. someone must be giving us bad info

[ipfhliyl]

The fiberglass used by utilities is regularly cleaned and tested, has no conductive rungs, and no surface damages. When was the last time your fiberglass ladder was cleaned from top to bottom with dielectric solvents?

[russdonruss]

There are dieltric cleaners avaialble to make sure surface contaminants arenot making the fiberglass poles conductive. The surface of a fiberglass ladder will likely be contaminated with something like dust, dirt, oils etc. at some point. If it has not been cleaned with a dielectric solvent then the ladder will likely conduct.

[randommagnum]

The hazard with the generator is something you seldom hear talked about. It should be talked about more. It would be nice if all generators were sold with a pamphlet covering this issue, so everyone would know.

[ElectricResearcher]

This is an excellent video in fact i will consider putting a link to it on my website. There is one alarming feature!! the host pointed out he was wearing steel toe-cap boots I would like to point out to anyone who works with electricity whilst wearing steel toe caps, and they suffer from say an arm to ground shock the boots will prevent an electrical path reaching to ground, therefore causing more injury to themselves.

[Antipwnsurmum]

No, if there is no path to ground it will not conduct as it wouldn't be a closed circuit.

[ElectricResearcher]

If a hand was placed down onto a flat surface which was conducting electric current, say for current went from the thumb to the pinkie it may take up to 13000 different routes because of the complex nervous system and the blood system. Same time it may take the route down to ground and back up because it never got to ground because the victim was wearing metal toe caps. This scenario, the electric shock could travel all around the body, because of the "let go" current, brain injury is imminent.

[BenHutchinson1]

WRONG! Don't be spreading dangerous lies!

First off. A metal caped shoe will make it MORE conductive, not an insulator like you claim. Metal is a CONDUCTOR.

Second. Current tries to flow through the path of LEAST resistance. Which means WAY more than half of the current will flow just across the hand if just 2 fingers on the same hand are connecting hot to ground.

3rd. The body is 75% water, which is conductive. So current doesn't have to look for nerves and blood.

[ElectricResearcher]

You are correct that current TRIES to flow through the path of least resistance, however if a person is wearing metal toecaps which is a conductor the the current will still be trying to find the path of least resistance. E.G. a high Voltage Worker may lose his feet because the metal toecaps are conducting a high current/voltage, there was no comment about steel being an insulator. The leather and rubber below the toecaps are the insulator. Maybe I didnt explain ti well enough.

[BenHutchinson1]

The body being partially conductive means that the farther current goes, the more resistance it encounters (like moving the slider on a varyable resistor, farther equals higher R). So the short distance between your fingers will have a HUGE current going through it. While the large distance between your hand and your foot will have negligable current flowing.

[ipfhliyl]

Actually, most of the current would flow through the conductive sheet, not through the hand, but only if the entire rest of the body were well insulated from another conducting surface at a different potential.

Since the boots are likely contaminated, they would relatively easily conduct, and the metal inserts might just heat up enough to damage the foot.

That's why utility workers never rely on their boots for protection; they use rubber gloves, sleeves, and proper tools.

[ipfhliyl]

I should have said, "... never rely on their boots for *electrical* protection ..."

[russdonruss]

at low voltage, maybe so, 12V for instance. But at line voltage 12kV and up, there is almost no difference---the current will flow. I've been hit by 120V from hand to hand and I assure you I was flowing all the current, even at low voltage.

[russdonruss]

Wow, you're completely ignorant of how electricity works. It does not flow around and about the body looking for a exit to ground, burning up tissue along the way... If a lineman were to touch a energized conductor with his bare hand, and he was insulated from ground by his Personal Protective Equipment, (PPE) his body will come up to the line potential, but no current will flow because there is no path to ground through him.

[russdonruss]

As long as the lineman does not complete a path for the current to flow to while his body is energized at line potential--be it ground or neutral--he will be uninjured. Steel toe boots are worn so that in the event that a heavy object should be dropped or fall onto the worker's toes they will not sustain an injury that may cause disability OR cause them to react in a way that would compromise their safety or the safety of those around them. They are not intended to insulate. HV PPE does that.

[ElectricResearcher]

@russdonruss I never mentioned PPE however you make a reasonable point. But how dare you call me ignorant about how electricity works, besides having a Masters in Electrical and Electronics engineering I study BioEngineering and YES electricity is always trying to get to ground through the path of least resistance. Time you spoke to Lightning Strike and Electrical Shock Survivors International try telling them especially the linesmen that have had arms and feet blown of whilst at work.

[UltimateRAGEX]

Very informative.

[form109]

my school had one of these except it was indoors they showed us faults and massive arcs.

[n310ea]

How often does the protective gear have to be tested?

[bberguson]

Linemen are required to inspect their gear and PPE on a daily basis and prior to each and every use. Rubber gloves and sleeves are professionally tested by an independent lab every 60 days. Rubber blankets and line hose are tested by an independent lab every 6 months. Fiberglass shotguns and switch sticks are tested every year.

[ipfhliyl]

Or more often, depending upon the utility and upon the condition of the equipment.

[Naruto0022764]

I am very interested in becomming a linemen and I love any thing that deals with HV electric. I have watched several videos on youtube dealing with this subject and this is the best one by far! I would love to see more

[n310ea]

If you were to hire an electrician to do service to your home, is he authorized to pull your meter socket, or is it done only by the power company?

[bberguson]

Contact your electric company to know for sure.

[WDX7770243546]

ZAP-POOKA LOLZ

Yep, the truth is shocking.

[ghawk1039]

how can I obtain a copy for my training classes

[bberguson]

Contact Tri-County Rural Electric using the contact information at the end of the video.

[jigibao]

this must be learned in schol.. it sould be done.!thank you for this video.

[acjvs]

Very good video, thanks for posting, lots of good visual info.

[imperialanna]

Very informative! Show this to your kids!

[tall32guy]

He sounds like he's reading off of a damn teleprompter or script. LOL