Street lighting shocker.

[VanSolo]

I was called to an industrial estate today as they had some street lighting off. There were ten lights on the circuit supplied by 10mm2 swa underground and after overriding the photocell I found that the last three lights weren't working. After confirming there was no voltage at the 8th column I went to inspect the 7th one. At this post I found an swa cable crudely terminated into the side and the cable running away to an open trench by the side of the road into a compound cable joint. Beside the joint was a cable with the condutors showing running back under the ground towards the 7th post. Anyone want to guess why the last three lights didn't work?

 

[oharaf]

They hadn't terminated them in the joint?

OR

The cable had been severed?

 

[VanSolo]

The badly terminated cable and compound joint had been a "repair" done by an "electrician" because of a neutral break on the cable between posts 6 and 7. When the cables had been disconnected from the service head in post 7 to connect the added cable, the damaged cable was reconnected along with the added cable instead of the outgoing cable to post 8 which was left hanging. subsequently a live end was left lying in the open trench!

 

[oharaf]

Ah more quality work

Any pics?

 

[VanSolo]

[GALLERY=media, 4315][/GALLERY]
This is the lamp post. Lost the picture of the live cable in the trench :oops:

 

[streetlighter]

The base of that column has a lot of corrosion id advise replacement soon as they can shear off under high wind loads.
The hole for the SWA gland wont help the structural integrety much either.

Termination work looks untidy and the cutout is only single pole, Would never pass in Cheshire.

 

[VanSolo]

Shoddy and dangerous work all round. I have photographed, made the live cable safe and have recommended the whole lot is redone ( including a new post)
Can't find out who did this but it looks like someone has done the job with no test equipment, realised the last 3 lights still don't work and done a runner.

 

[securespark]

The only test equipment you need to realise that dozy bodge won't work is a brain.....!!

 

[VanSolo]

I don't know how these people get away with it. I need paperwork signed in triplicate from client and test certs for everything I work on as a minimum requirement.

 

[VanSolo]

[GALLERY=media, 4318][/GALLERY]

Found it.

 

[streetlighter]

That uncovered joint is shocking, Mind ive seen much worse like 3 phase supplys joined then wrapped in plastic bags and PVC tape buried just below surface at base of column.

Ive got loads of pictures from my travels around the North West area just never put them on here.

Maybe its time for " Streetlighting picture of the week "