See my post at the end of the thread - it now appears that UK Power Networks were aware of the problem, had asked permission of Cambridgeshire County Council to cut the trees, and had done nothing about it until someone spotted the arcing yesterday!
Michael
I'm not sure why the public spirited citizen is described as an idiot. I'm sure that most members of the public would be concerned to see cables arcing into trees and would want to alert someone-who-knows-about-these-things to get a considered opinion on the situation.
And the boys didn't find it exciting, an interesting experience, something different? Is every day, every mealtime, the same?
Congratulations! You are demonstrating very nicely your suitability to be a Lib Dem councillor. You started by criticising the supplier before you had the facts. You continue to criticise the supplier now you have some facts: ie that the supplier was aware of the trees and had planned to tackle the trees. Of course some of us might have also wanted to know how much other such work was identified in your area; how much of that was of greater priority (eg more people at risk, hospitals etc at risk); how much emergency work of even greater priority arose from severe weather conitions; and what else the supplier might have to say by way of explanation.
May I also ask how much more you would pay for electricity to reduce such disconnections by - say - 50%? Or do you expect urban dwellers like me to pay even more by way of cross-subidy to those who live in rural locations?
No doubt they'll tell me that when they respond to my complaint about the alleged foreknowledge of the problem. In which case, I'll let you know. There's no point in whingeing on a newsgroup without actually contacting the people concerned and asking them what's going on, which is what I did.
Plenty of urban dwellers have tree-lined roads and verges all over the place, alongside which run telegraph poles.
Michael
I have a line like that above our garden ,it was converted to aerial bundled years ago so the danger from some trees is more from physical damage than electrical mainly from a branch falling from above. The trees I've never really found who owns them, thought it was the farmer as they are over the fence but though he does trim them to clear the combine he says they are actually on a bit of land left when an estate sold the land we live on 70 years ago ,probably a sort of ransom strip that has now been forgotten about. I trim or get someone competent in to do so every so often,they are sycamores so giant weeds really though the birds like em. Whenever a branch has threatened the cable a phone call to the electric supplier has seen someone come out to deal with it,if I am lucky they sometimes remove a little more than needed in exchange for a cup of tea and biscuits.
If I had been in the OPs position I think I may have made a call to the supplier and mentioned that some trees were appearing to get close to conductors and could they check it. As he states they wouldn't have grown close over night and he must have seen them growing. May not actually have been his responsibility but may have saved his trauma of not being able to send an Email and ending up like Bo peep losing his sheep.
G.Harman
Nasty dangerous things candles unless you are talking tea lights and even then you need to be careful.
As for anything battery forget it if you want it to actually work when needed or provide a decent amount of light for more than a few minutes. We do have a small lantern with two 6" or so flourescent tubes that isn't bad as far as light level and runtime is concerned, not sure it's still on the market though.
Best is a gas lantern, they will run for many hours chucking out as much light as a 80W tungsten bulb. Lasts even longer if you turn it down. Gas cannisters don't go flat in storeage. Some lanterns come with piezo ignition so you don't even need matches.
But with lakeland for example knocking em out at 2.99 for 50 a cheap way of getting some light if used sensibly.
Not everybody has suitable storage for paraffin but we still have the oil lamps the family used on the farm before they got a dynamo 75 years ago*,a 240 ac set 55 years ago and mains 48 years ago. They have justified there retention several times despite the successive types of electric power. The light from an oil lamp with a proper mantle is actually quite pleasant and bright.
*did the final clear out of deceased dads shed/workshop the other day,found a roll of lead covered 2 core cable left from that first installation done by grandfather. It was 50Volt DC I was once told.G.Harman
Very simple solution is get a cheap LED based torch and bridge the switch with a 1M resistor. The battery still lasts out it's nominal shelf life, but the torch can then be found in pitch darkness. You may have to wait a few minutes to be able to see obstacles though.
We have powercuts fairly often during big winter storms. I have a great picture of the last tree to fall across our powerlines which amazingly thanks to the new aluminium 3 phase cable with a steel hawser inside did not actually fail. It did bend all the poles like bananas though.
We have a pair of emergency lights on permanent standby kitchen and dining room and one portable (ex Woolworths closing down sale). All of them will easily last a couple of hours. The woodburning stove can run and provide light heat and boiling water if needed.
We do have candles and know where and how to use them. Much safer than oil lamps which I also have as antiques. I really would not want to risk lighting them - that would be asking for *big* trouble.
My first reaction when the mains drops out is to look across to see if the village hall emergency lights are on. If they are then I know it is a real powercut on all 3 phases and not a local trip on my fuse box.
Lovely, that's helpful! Erm, is that right next to your property? Does the rule about claiming land by fencing it in and hoping no-one notices for seven years, still exist? Or was that always a myth?
In an ideal world you'd be quite right. inded. Unfortunately, exiting our driveway in a car is a matter of looking very carefully between the parked cars to avoid being hit by someone who hasn't slowed down from the 60mph to the 30mph zone which starts 20 yards away, and the driveway is below road level, not above, so visibility is very poor.
If I'm not in the car I'm most likely on the bicycle with children in tow, and I'm more concerned again with the on-coming cars, not the trees opposite!
Further down the road, if I'm on foot, I'm more concerned with the trees that overhand the footpaths - and I usually snap off the odd branch when I'm passing in order to keep the trees above head height. Nobody else ever trims them as far as I can tell.
So, perverse as it may seem, looking at the trees right under my nose, so to speak, doesn't get done!
Michael
I have fixed emergency lights over my stairs and near the distribution board. They will provide light for the four hours they are supposed to and are very useful for making the house look occupied during a power cut. The batteries do need to be replaced every few years though.
Colin Bignell
On 18/10/2012 23:29, Michael Kilpatrick wrote: ...
That what an uninterruptable power supply is for.
Colin Bignell
They're all rubbish. The only way to make them any good is attach a decent lithium battery pack and remember to do a maintenance charge on that every so often.
On 18/10/2012 22:41, Adrian wrote: ...
We have one pending to replace the poles. The outage is planned to be
08:30 to 16:30 and no reconnection if you are not in when they need to do safety checks. It was supposed to be this week, but has been postponed until I know not when. My guess is it will be either a very cold day or one when I am away.Colin Bignell
It wouldn't be worth the hassle really,if it as the farmer says then it's only about a 6ft strip. We have the trees on it and I would still have to deal with them or remove them and despite the fact they are a nuisance at times they do act as a windbreak and I like to spot the owls that frequently stop over in them. Some near neighbours without trees have cultivated a strip of vegetables allotment style on it The family who may own it are still around and own quite a few parcels of land in the area via an investment company and the matriarch of the family who is in her nineties lives nearby . She was refused planning permission many years ago for an extension/modifications on her house so a field on the opposite side of our place which the council in the 60's wanted to build some houses on she has refused to sell since then. An acquaintance rents it very cheaply as it saves the old bat the trouble of trimming the hedges etc herself . At the moment it has some horses in it and we have permission to put some chickens in but haven't got around to it. There are at least 3 places in the village within walking distance that have fresh eggs from there own birds available so probably won't bother. The missus has hankerings to ask to keep a Donkey there but god know what she would do with it.
G.Harman
Colin Bignell
Sometimes he turns the gas hob off and they have to eat sandwiches by electric light.
Go for rides on the beach?
What safety checks do they want to do? I've never known that happen when power is restored after an unplanned outage...
snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.co.uk wrote: The missus has hankerings
On Guensey the locals are called that by the Jerseyians. I asked why 'cos we are bloody well hung and they are jealous'
So watch out..
Or, most of the time, a laptop. :-)
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