Powerlines

MrPopper

TreeHouser
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
60
Location
Maryville, TN
So I know powerlines are dangerous, but what are exact dangers. Is it a limb laying across two lines for an extended period or is it certain types of powerlines or any other danger. Im in the middle of working the trees at my house, practicing and educating myself really, and those trees have powerlines all around them. I haven't had any trouble yet but I would like to know the true dangers.

Thanks.

(New to the profession and obession)
 
Stay away from trees with wires running through them till you know better. Even a service drop can kill you in many different ways. But dead is dead
 
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  • #3
These wires arent in the branches, they are nearby. (1-5 feet) They are medium height white pines and not over grown. Im wanting to know what happens and how it happens. I have trees that wires are throug. Im not going ib those. They have ivy growing up them and wires right through a main branch.
 
Nearby can kill you just as easily, high voltages and currents can jump considerable distances under the right conditions.

Here in the UK power line clearance is virtually a separate industry to other tree work, completely different training and certification. Although I've been cutting trees professionally for nearly 20 years I don't work on anything inside the proximity zone without the power co shutting the lines down.
 
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All of this is making me feel like I've been really reckless. I really dont want to hire someone to do work that I have the ability and equipment to do myself. That and I want the practice. So electricty can arc off the wire just case, under the correct circumstances? That sucks.
 
Arcing depends on a lot of things. Voltage of the line, humidity, distance above sea level, etc.... Will the lines you are talking about arc? Probably not, but 1-5 feet away is too close. The standard across the board is, for most typical distribution voltages, i.e. 14-12 kV and below, you need to be at least 10 feet away unless you have very specific training for working in these situations. That distance increases at the voltage goes up of course. Now, 10 feet away does not just mean your body, it means keeping away from limbs within that distance, as well as keeping your tools out of that zone as well.

What are the dangers? There is indirect and direct contact. Direct contact is just that, your body directly contacting the wires. It might be your head as you poke it through the growth, you may take a swing and swing right into the conductors. Anyway it happens=bad.

Indirect contact might be your rope coming into contact with the conductors, or a limb you have cut and are still holding onto hitting the conductors. The possibilities are endless and with the same result as direct contact. Electricity is looking for a path to ground and in these instances YOU are the path.

At the least, severe dermal burns can be expected from contact with the conductors. At the worst, your internal organs can be basically cooked, either killing you instantly, or maybe a few days later.

In addition to personal safety, if you hit the conductors, you can trip the fuse, and depending on where you are in a circuit, you will knock power out to a lot of unhappy customers, including ones with critical infrastructure potentially. It may result in frying appliances inside someones house, or causing a fire in extreme cases.

That's my short version of the hazards associated with working around wires. Were you being reckless? Probably not, you just didn't know any better. You didn't get hurt so no harm no foul. But now that you know, I would practice at a park or a less target rich environment. Good luck and stay safe.
 
MrPopper,
Find an EHAP course in your area and go. (Electrical Hazard Awareness Program). Knowing the proper air gap for the size of conductor is important.
There are so many variables. The stronger the current carried by a conductor the greater the arc distance. Even if you didn't have metal on you: Dee rings on saddle, spikes, wire-core-lanyard, electricity can 'jump' quite a distance and you are dead. Likewise if it is a high humidity day, or there is dirt or moisture on/in your ropes, and many other variables it changes the conductivity and lowers your chances of surviving if you are working close to an energized conductor. Simply put, you are crazy to be putting yourself at such a risk.

Your question: "Is it a limb laying across two lines for an extended period?" belies your lack of understanding. You do not get "an extended period" with electricity, it is immediate.
People say things like "it is only a millisecond", but a millisecond is a thousandth of a second, and electricity moves many times faster than that. (think about how it carries your voice from New York to Los Angeles in a phone conversation with no evidence of lag).

So if you were to cut a top or a branch and as it swings down and the hinge wood is separating (or already apart, but the 'air gap' is short) one single needle of that pine brushing past a conductor is enough to get the shock of your life, or the shock that ends your life.

Respect power. Get to a course and don't become a statistic.
 
Please listen to the posts above.

Unless you have non-conductive tools and electrical hazard training you don't have the tools and ability to to the job safely.

As several have posted electricity will do strange unexpected things. Trees and people are both naturally great conductors.

Electricity actually flowed around the outside of the wires. The coating on the wires is not electrical insulation it is insulation from the weather to protect the wires.

As for an EHAP course, you would need one specifically for tree workers as there are job specific things related in the course you would need to know.
 
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  • #9
Bummer. I follow everything you guys are saying. We have four pines that are surrounded by lines that go from the main grid lines at the street to our house and the neighborS. I wanting to remove them but geus thats been put on hold. We live in the county too so they do line clearance. At least to my knowledge and what other people have told me. One or two of of those trees have already dropped limbs on the house and the neighbors fence. Stinkin power lines. My wife will be relieved though. Thanks for all the information.
 
The county may not, but the power company should. Give them a call and explain your situation. They will not remove the trees for you, but they will likely provide clearence for their lines. Looking into hiring an insured professional would be a good call as well.

Cheers.
 
You may be able to set a line and winch the tree clear of the electro and safely work the tree if they are your property. Or just get a disconnect. It's usually free.
 
Welcome to the Tree House MrPopper.
In keeping with your obsession theme and not wanting to pay someone to do what looks about like work you could do, you could use this as an opportunity to find a great tree company that is properly trained and equipped and trade ground work for them for helping you out with the powerline part of your trees.

More tree work exposure. Opportunity to develop a working relationship with a tree professional. Safe completion of your work in a way that you are involved in and doesn't take money out of your pocket.
 
That's an idea. Easier to stand in the shoulders of giants than "figure it our yourself" and gain the same height.
 
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  • #16
Ill try get some good pictures today before work tonight. Thats not a bad idea. The one tree service I've tried to get on with so far and learn the ropes from, understandably didnt want to take me on because he didn't want to invest time and money into someone who would leave and start another buisnes. But would a service really do that. Do a job for free for free labor?
 
You work on their other jobs. You learn. You do your own work.

I've been offered this too many time by want-to-be-apprentices. Not for me. You never know.
 
Welcome to the TreeHouse, MrPopper.

It's not advisable to become a tree worker all on your own starting from scratch. You should go to work for (and keep your plans for the future to yourself) another company and get some experience.

And stay away from wires, period.
 
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  • #21
Sean you're right, reinventing the wheel is no walk in the park. I've enjoyed educating myself though. Not being able to go up these trees is gonna be torture. I've removed two that werent near the lines. But spurring up has become a nearly daily thing for me. Its killing me just know I can't go for a while. Again thanks to everyone and I'll have pics before to long.
 
Take it from a dumb guy: fortunate experiences in fairly non-conductive situations with accidents involving indirect contact (branches swung into the lines by my improper rigging) tend to make stupid people fairly confident around primaries. We're the guys who usually get popped. I've known many guys who have been popped and not killed. They are all the most timid guys around the lines.
 
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  • #24
Ok so here is a link to the video on youtube of my project. I hope this clears things up. I wish it wasn't all sillouette. It would be much clearer.


 
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