Truck pulls power/communication line down in columbus, oh

Had a dump truck do that last week. Instead of dropping his bed after he dumped his load. He managed to hit some overhead telephone wires and brought down 9 power poles.

24 hours for repairs for the residents.

 

Bill me bill me not, 5000 times one 5000 times two 5000 times three....

 

Pole could have been weak and started to fold.

 

They usually get weak.

We had a twister come through one day about 200 yards from my home. I was gaming with headsets so I did not hear the violence of it passing above the thunder of battle. My rig remained on due to the support APU battery under the desk. When it finally wailed due to being hungry and wanting to be fed with no power I stopped everything and found the home without power. Turned out the twister had removed 16 poles neatly with everything on them. All out.

None of the homes were much touched which was pretty interesting considering.

 

The national electrical code requires the lowest hanging utility line be a 15' from the pavement, and it is usually a telephone line. Cable TV goes above that, then the real juice, which in reality is pushing 20' above the pavement.
I have taken out many an improperly installed telephone/cable TV line in my bedbug career. If the cops come they just shrug and let the telephone/cable TV people deal with it, IF I was supposed to be on that street to a delivery. If I was not supposed to be on that street, it would be a whole different story.

 

^^^This^^^

Here's the other rub... utilities aren't governed by the NEC.

Besides, the NEC requirement is for lines of 300V or more. Phone and cable TV fall well below 300V, so the NEC clearance requirement doesn't apply to this rule. There are codes that state that the installation has to be protected from damage, and vehicular traffic certainly presents a hazard to overhead cables. The NEC rules apply when the application is owned and located on private property, for example an overhead feed between two buildings where traffic can pass beneath.

Common sense dictates that this stuff all needs to be at least 15' above a public roadway. And even more in the northern states since ice accumulations can stretch cables and increase the sag.

 

And you are partially correct. I, as most people didn't realize there are two different codes, the NEC, and the NESC. It is not strictly utility based as to who must comply, is has to do with voltage, i. e more or less than 1000 volts. And much confusion reigns among professionals. This article explains the differences.

But you are correct, common sense( in short supply these days) dictates at least 15' feet.

NEC vs. NESC: Understanding the World of Code - IAEI News magazine