I went to a friends who has just bought a cottage in a village where the power is distributed overhead on poles by means of 4 uninsulated conductors which are fixed one above the other in a vertical manner. They are quite common round here & would not usually give me cause for concern, but in this case, because the cottage is on a hill & the way the garden has been terraced, there is a point where the cables are approx. only 4 metres above ground level as they cross his garden. I also noticed an aluminium flag pole(about 4 metres long) laying across the lawn at this point & advised my friend to move it immediately. However I was not sure if there is a minimum height that this type of distribution can cross a domestic property & would appreciate any advice.
Overhead distribution
- Thread starter jj4091
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I'm not sure. Ring his DNO.
It could be that when those cables were installed, the ground level was lower.
It could be that when those cables were installed, the ground level was lower.
I'd say so, but it depends on the voltage. The lines you describe sound like mains voltage 400 volt 3 phase. They might get away with 4 metres, but these are normally streetlight height - 6-8 metres above ground.jj4091 said:
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Yes I think it will be 440V 3-Phase & neutral aswell, but cannot find any definitive minimum height recomendations or regulations, personaly I would have thought 6 metres would be a bare minimum, but as securespark says maybe contacting DNO is the way forward, apparently they are aware of it as they did some work on it last year, but that does not mean someone could not be bothered( they sub-contract a lot of distribution work)
personally id say 4 metres was too low. i think a call to the suppliers is what you need to do and make sure your not fobbed off, maybe reminding them that the responsibility is with them should anything happen will do the trick- to this end perhaps a letter as proof or an email would be appropriatte.
if its allowed to be only 4 metres then they wont do anything but if not then they really should do something about it.
if its allowed to be only 4 metres then they wont do anything but if not then they really should do something about it.
Get DNO to sleeve the conductors
The relevent regulations can be viewed here: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2002/20022665.htm
Part 5 and Schedule 2.
Part 5 and Schedule 2.
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Are there any vehicles passing underneath?
Not at the point it passes over his garden & is low, maybe in the rest of the village.I am not sure it was 5.8 metres where it crossed the road but I was really more concerned about him or his family being fried in the garden( & I don't mean by the sun). Hopefully when they come to look they will check the whole set-up.
Theres not much chance of the electric leaping the gap to ground, as its only 230/400 volts. They would have to physically touch the cable to get a shock.
If these were 11,000 volts (medium volt) or 220,000 volts (high voltage), then i'd be a little more worried
Theres a lot of overhead distribution lines around here, I know of some 220kv lines that go pretty low over a motorway (probably the minimum allowed), I always get nervous driving under them
How much does a length of HV cable weigh, between 2 pylons?? Pylons, and the insulators etc look so weak to carry such high loads, and the insulators carry the load horizontally under tension too! Have any HV cables ever snapped?!
If these were 11,000 volts (medium volt) or 220,000 volts (high voltage), then i'd be a little more worried
Theres a lot of overhead distribution lines around here, I know of some 220kv lines that go pretty low over a motorway (probably the minimum allowed), I always get nervous driving under them
How much does a length of HV cable weigh, between 2 pylons?? Pylons, and the insulators etc look so weak to carry such high loads, and the insulators carry the load horizontally under tension too! Have any HV cables ever snapped?!
Crafty said:Pylons, and the insulators etc look so weak to carry such high loads,
Thats because they are far away
Watch This to get an idea how thick those cables really are
OK, father ted! "those sheep are far away"
But still, there must be a hell of a load on those insulators where they change direction and the cables place horizontal tension on them. And then they go and put men on the line! great idea!
But still, there must be a hell of a load on those insulators where they change direction and the cables place horizontal tension on them. And then they go and put men on the line! great idea!
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