What are the triangle pieces on power lines?

What are the triangle pieces on power lines?

They are a type of disconnect switch that our crews call “shark fins.” They are used to de-energize part of a power line when there is damage to the line. The shark fins allow customers on one side of the switch to have their service restored while repairs can be made safely on the other side.

What are the three wires on a telephone pole?

Utility poles consist of three distinct layers or spaces. The top layer is the supply space. The middle layer is the neutral space and the bottom layer is the communications space.

What are those things on telephone poles?

The barrels that look like oil drums or trash cans hanging off utility poles are called transformers. They’re used to lower the amount of voltage between the primary wires and secondary lines. Without transformers, there would be lots of fried household appliances.

What are those things on telephone wires?

They’re called visibility marker balls or marker balls. You’ll often find them near mountain passes, in the deep valley areas, near major freeway crossings and around airports. They weight about 17 pounds each. The marker balls are placed on power lines to make the conductor crossings visible to aircraft.

What is the purpose of spheres on power lines?

The main purpose of the marker balls is so that helicopters and low-flying planes don’t hit electrical wires. They are an extra precaution since anything that flies isn’t supposed to fly lower than the electrical towers.

What are the reflectors on power lines?

Power Line Warning Markers (ROTAMARKA™) provide an excellent visual warning. This can be for; low flying aircraft, mining sites or construction sites where accidental contact or collision is at risk. They can be installed for both temporary and long term demarcation of power lines, cables, wires and conductors.

What is the cylinder on top of telephone pole?

It’s a metal canister that contains liquid nitrogen. That’s what it says on the container. The container is connected to a line that goes up the pole. Because the container is connected to a power pole or telephone pole, I called Joel Alexander, spokesman for City Utilities.

Why do power lines have 3 wires?

A three-wire three-phase circuit is usually more economical than an equivalent two-wire single-phase circuit at the same line to ground voltage because it uses less conductor material to transmit a given amount of electrical power. Three-phase power is mainly used directly to power large motors and other heavy loads.

What are the black boxes on telephone wires?

Black boxes were devices which, when attached to home phones, allowed all incoming calls to be received without charge to the caller. The black box (as distinguished from blue boxes and red boxes) was a small electronic circuit, usually a resistor or zener diode in series with the line.

Why do people put shoes on power lines?

One of the most commonly believed reasons shoes are thrown over power lines is to signal the location of a crack house or prime drug dealing spot. Dangling shoes can also be the symbol of gang members claiming territory, especially when the shoes are hanging from power lines or telephone wires in an intersection.

What is a telephone pole used for?

The mainstay of telephone distribution in the very early days. The pole carried most of the telephone traffic, be it locally or between towns. To carry all the wires necessary, the early poles were very tall and much bigger compared to those from the 1950’s onwards.

Why were telephone poles so tall in the 1950s?

The pole carried most of the telephone traffic, be it locally or between towns. To carry all the wires necessary, the early poles were very tall and much bigger compared to those from the 1950’s onwards. They had to be tall to get the wires over the roof tops in towns.

Where are the electrical distribution lines on a telephone pole?

On poles carrying both electrical and communications wiring, the electric power distribution lines and associated equipment are mounted at the top of the pole above the communication cables, for safety.

What is the space next to a telephone pole called?

The space closest to the ground is reserved for the low-voltage utilities and is called the communications space. Telephone is usually the lowest on the pole, with cable TV right above it. Telephone lines are generally thick cables and usually have junction boxes on one or both sides of the pole.