Overhead Standards

[Phoenix-7]

Our utility is going to allow primary risers and a transformer to be installed on the same pole. This looks like a widow maker to me, any thoughts about this?

[johnbellamy]

I think more so for privately owned utilities.

I have worked a lot of single pot, single phase riser pole's, the busiest pole was a closed wye/delta bank, with one primary riser, cut-out arm with four cut-out's and arrestor's.

I think it is a money thing, they don't want to have spend the money on another pole. It makes it bad for lineman, and customer's, but I don't think that matter's to companies.

[lineman1010]

we run into this alot doing work in the back yard where u cant get a truck to it. they do it so they dont have to run primary through the back yards its a pain in the as$. ran into this before also and we were taking the outage on the can, well lets just say the lineman who was opening up the can was one of the worst lineman i have ever worked with and opened up the wrong cut out, and the riser was being feed from under ground and dumped the whole circuit stupid mistake,ended up drawing a huge arc the crossed phased and burnt so much stuff down, i dont like having the transformer and riser on the same pole when it doesnt have to be, it make for to much stuff going on, on the pole.

[LAMartin.CVEC]

We have way to much of this type of thing on our system. URD and pots on the same pole, Breakers and a pot on the same pole, breakers and urd on the same pole; it's a death trap by design in my opinion.
Why should you put a riser up a pole with a transformer on it when you could rebuild it to have the URD feed a Pad Mount for what ever the transformer serves? Yes, there probably is extra cost involved, especially if you have to make an overhead service underground, however, in the name of a linemans safety, it (the cost) should be eaten by the power company in my opinion. Unfortunately, these "widowmakers" of yesteryear seem to stay there and new continue to be built. Perhaps we should have some engineers ride in the bucket next time there's trouble.

Be safe, and if you can speak with your engineering department, there is always a better way.

LAMartin
Journeyman CVEC

[Lineman North Florida]

We to have a lot of risers going in on pot poles, we generally will move the pot one span one way or the other if feasible and run a span of cable back to the riser pole to feed the services. The company caters to customers and if they complain the company will go to great lengths to keep from setting another pole, it will make the pole more aggravating to change out, but still doable, especially by some of todays rising superstars:rolleyes:

[ratbastard101]

We had an engineer and a lineman dream up a "temporary fix" to an engineering issue a few years ago. I was told, hey it will only be for a short time since it is all just temporary. Well it has been close to 4 years and theres no sign of it being changed anytime in the near future.

We have a 3 ph pole with a single phase pole mounted tx, a 3 ph #2 URD termination, and a single ph #2 termination all mounted on it. The real crappy part about it is that on the 3 ph fiberglass bracket that is designed for 3 cutouts and 3 arrestors, we have installed 5 cutouts and 3 arrestors. It makes me want to puke knowing that it should have never been allowed because what is supposed to be temporary today is the pole that needs changing out 20 years later.

I do not particularly care for transformers being on the same pole with risers but if built correctly they can still be worked safely and efficently. We normally attempt to move the transformer to an adjacent pole when/where possible. While you can put plenty of hardware on a pole and make things work, it sure makes it a pain in the rear when you are having to rework the pole due to trouble work or even maintenance work.

[mx-5]

"Our utility is going to allow primary risers and a transformer to be installed on the same pole. This looks like a widow maker to me,any thoughts about this?"yeap...kill it if you don't feel it's "safe" to work...;)

[koca]

I have seen this alot I dont like it either too big of cluster. Worked an rea that would put single pot on pole with 3-pot bank, not quite the same as the urd deal but still a bad idea imo.