Kaboom! (not exactly a d-i-y job)...

[Ian <$]

A few weeks ago Western Power replaced the transformer in the substation across the green with a shiny new one. On Tuesday night, just after tea, there was an earth-shattering kaboom (that would have impressed Marvin) and a cloud of smoke from its general direction. Cue arrival of fire brigade and several utility vans. "High voltage fault, 800+ houses down". To their credit, power was back within two hours.

Grabbed a pic of the aftermath - looks like they disturbed the HV feeder and it finally let the magic smoke out and blew a hole in its casing:

Three days later it's still sitting like that, cold and silent. Guess they're waiting for the parts. Hope the other substation(s) on our LV ring hold up...

It gave the UPS a workout too:

[Peter Burke]

Ian <${send-direct-email-to-news1021-at-jusme-dot-com-if-you-must}@jusme.com>

wrote in news:slrntfc9nf.dt1.${send-direct-email-to-news1021-at-jusme-dot-com-if@v m46.home.jusme.com:

To add insult to injury the transformer looks to be sitting on a couple skanky timber offcuts.

[Robin]

In other words 2 ethically sourced, plastic free, fully recyclable ground protectors.

[Colin Bignell]

They may consider the cable to be compromised and feel the need to replace the entire length back to its supply point.

[Colin Bignell]

They look like yellow painted steel plates to me. Taken with the yellow painted fork lift points half way up and the yellow painted lifting eyes at the top, I would hazard a guess that yellow paint marks bits that can safely be relied upon to take the weight of the transformer.

[Andy Burns]

Have you zoomed-in?

[Colin Bignell]

I hadn't, but having done so, I admit they do look like bits of MDF.

[Paul]

It hasn't been moved into the final position yet.

The skanky timber speaks of "it just came off the truck, and the truck needs to go back, so we'll set it down here for now".

There might be a bit of site prep, yet to go.

Maybe the new transformer will need a coat of paste wax and a buff up for the press photos.

Paul

[Ian <$]

Pretty sure the transformer job was was finished weeks ago. Fencing replaced, LV cable trench backfilled, all lit up and humming nicely until Tuesday night.

I'll grab a pic of the transformer in the morning...

[Brian Gaff]

Ah in the road system yellow paint appears to be used to mark areas of footway or road which needs attention. I often call it self healing paint, but it seems not to work. I don't see it nowadays of course, but people tell me that its still in use and after often several months the holes, broken grates or break down of surface seem worse than before, so the council or one of the contractors has to come and bodge, erm repair it. So does anyone know what the pale blue paint does. They appear often as two dashed lines along footways, suddenly veering across rods and with junctions here and there. MY guess is that this is where the services run and are put there if significant work on the footway is planned. Brian

[Bob Eager]

Round here, that's for water pipes.

[Colin Bignell]

The standard UK colour coding for marking services on roads and footways is:

Red - electricity Blue- water Yellow - gas Green - CCTV or cable network White - telecommunications

[Ian <$]

The new transformer and LV switchgear. Definately parked om a couple of planks:

And another view of the whole shebang. It looks like both HV cable casings have large holes blown in them, which seems strange:

[SH]

and purple is fibre optics I believe....

[Colin Bignell]

The ducting is, but I don't know about street marking paint. It is not a colour I have seen used.

[ARW]

That's how you store tea :-)

[ARW]

Thanks for that.

[Robin]

jolly spiffing old bean :)

[Andrew]

West Sussex County Council marks potholes for repair with white paint. All the recent fibre optic conduit fitted on the local town was purple.

[ARW]