Saggy Power line too low?

[crazy_bull]

Managed to rip down a powerline the other day with a trailer laiden with bales. Silly I know, however last year we went out the same gate way with the same trailer and same number of bales high and got watched under and a good 12" clearance, so wrongly assumed this year would be fine!!!

Is there a minimum ground clearance for powerlines?

thanks

C B

 

[Hampton]

Fairly sure that the utilities have to ensure they are a minimum of 15 feet for it to be your fault. Found this out after we fetched a phone line down twice in the same year with combine and much spreader (with door fully open). House owner kicked off with by and this is what they told him.

 

[Netherfield]

Yes

 

[Beowulf]

According to the linked document, distribution lines of 33kv or less need a minimum legal clearance of 5.2m (or 5.8m over a road).

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/gs6.pdf

 

[Goweresque]

But presumably cables are affected by the weather? They expand in the heat, so do they allow for that? Or do they come out in normal conditions, measure 5.2m and say 'Thats Ok', forgetting that in hot weather (as we are likely to have this week) they will sag far lower?

Its odd that no one from the HSE seem to be that bothered that the electric companies are so blase about keeping their lethal wires above the statutory limits. I suppose the National Grid have got very expensive lawyers so its easier to harass farmers for not having the correct telehandler tickets instead.

 

[Henarar]

I took one down with the loader once three houses with no leccy they just came and put it back up it was under height and still is

 

[Still Farming]

Get on to them.
Their fault too low.

 

[parker]

i had a line which was to low and could not get under it with the combine, spoke to them and they came out and fitted a longer pole, problem solved

 

[Bobthebuilder]

Is it deffo a power line or phone line as there will be a difference, caught power line with cb aerial on combine a couple of years ago, rang them at 9am they were here by 11 and were there until it was sorted with 2 new higher poles at 4am the next day

 

[Lapwing]

National Grid chap told me that the pylon wires over our fields can sag 4 feet when under heavy current load as the cables get hotter. Sobering thought on a combine mid span.

 

[ollie989898]

These cables do seem to sag, and some of them hang a bit lower as trees and the weather attack them or their poles.

Seen a tree branch catch some local leccy cables once, across all three feeds or whatever they are called made a lovely noise.

 

[crazy_bull]

Is it deffo a power line or phone line as there will be a difference, caught power line with cb aerial on combine a couple of years ago, rang them at 9am they were here by 11 and were there until it was sorted with 2 new higher poles at 4am the next day

certainly power, is across an old yard, network power chaps have been out and instead of re-connecting it have simply cut it off at the pole. (it feeds to a currently empty farm house)

C B

 

[neilo]

I think the minimum height has changed fairly recently. We had leccy board out putting new poles up to raise the cables here, where it goes across an uneven paddock where you wouldn’t dream of trying to take a trailer.
I seem to remember the guy measuring said they had to be 5m now.

The telephone cable for our house is slung between the nearest leccy pole, over the drive, to the corner of the house. Unfortunately, when reattaching that cable to the new (higher) pole, they made that one lower down, so I couldn’t get a trailer of bales under it. I got BT out to sort that bit, before the inevitable happened. Then I got them out again to fix the intermittent broadband connection, caused by crimping the joint on that pole badly.

None of it had been causing any problems before.

 

[yellow belly]

We had one measured in the heat last summer below 5.2 m so they put it up with new poles we suspect it did the gps on the combine the previous year
Western power
The guy who checked it said if it is H&s issue they will get them up pdq they do not like outages as it can cost them a lot more
If you think a wire is too low call them out on a hot day
Do not get them to measure in winter the older copper wires sag more in heat newer aloy wires have less sag

 

[Nearly]

Last week Northern Powergrid swapped our transformer and buried the 3 wires that used to cross this gateway in front of the hiab wagon.
.

They quoted me £18k to do the job 3 years ago but I declined their kind offer and complained about the low wires instead.
The 3 wires were below the transformer so couldn't be raised up the pole.
One of my better days.

 

[Goweresque]

Do not get them to measure in winter the older copper wires sag more in heat newer aloy wires have less sag

Why do they get to ignore the fact that the weather and the seasons change? Would the HSE wear it if a farmer said 'Well my trailer brakes work well enough in the winter, but they're bit iffy if it gets over 25 degrees C'?'

 

[Walton2]

Last week Northern Powergrid swapped our transformer and buried the 3 wires that used to cross this gateway in front of the hiab wagon.
.

They quoted me £18k to do the job 3 years ago but I declined their kind offer and complained about the low wires instead.
The 3 wires were below the transformer so couldn't be raised up the pole.
One of my better days.

 

[Walton2]

Going through similar with Northern Powergrid now.....but they haven’t been as generous to me. Wires are about 4.5 m across yard...we can’t get some artics under them. I want underground supply from before the pole but all they’ve offered is a taller pole!

 

[Zebbedee]

Going through all this line malarkey at moment but I find there information on line safety deliberately misleading, how close is it safe to go to a 33kv cable?? and how do you identify what voltage a line is anyway??

 

[renewablejohn]

Going through all this line malarkey at moment but I find there information on line safety deliberately misleading, how close is it safe to go to a 33kv cable?? and how do you identify what voltage a line is anyway??

Post pictures of the insulators on here and some clever folk will be able to tell you what voltage the lines are.