Most Routine Operations?

[NC State Student]

Hello Linemen,

I am a design student working on a project regarding line-work and general tasks a lineman completes in a given day. I must admit, y'all help make the world go around, and for that, I thank you.

In order to gain more insight to the profession, I was hoping y'all could answer some of the following questions. I appreciate any advice you can impart.

1. What are the three most routine, daily repairs on the lines?
2. What are the three most often repairs in an emergency situation?
3. What is the range (mileage) of a single crew's service area?
4. What information do I not know, or not know to ask about?

Thank you again, for your work, and your assistance.

[in the bucket]

At our small muni the most common repairs are service drops, blown transformer fuses, and broken insulators. We have 100% open conductors on spacer racks for secondaries, so this stuff breaks all the time with tree branches falling on it.

Next batch would be replacing cross arms, broken "chocolate boxes", and blown arrestors.

Our entire system is 1 and 1/2 square miles so I cover the whole thing and don't have to drive terribly far :)

Good luck.


I am a design student working on a project regarding line-work and general tasks a lineman completes in a given day. I must admit, y'all help make the world go around, and for that, I thank you.

In order to gain more insight to the profession, I was hoping y'all could answer some of the following questions. I appreciate any advice you can impart.

1. What are the three most routine, daily repairs on the lines?
2. What are the three most often repairs in an emergency situation?
3. What is the range (mileage) of a single crew's service area?
4. What information do I not know, or not know to ask about?

Thank you again, for your work, and your assistance.[/QUOTE]

[T-Man]

Our utility covers a large sections of the state, the sections are not all adjacent to each other. We have different departments also. a line department consisting of line crews, a trouble department of single responders, URD crews consisting of crews that install pad mounted equipment and direct buried cables. We also have Station construction groups that build and maintain sub stations,and cable and conduit crews for work in big City settings where all the buildings are fed from vaults or manholes. Our line department constructs new lines and makes repairs to lines and equipment that get worn out or damaged during storms. Most common repairs are replacing lightening arresters, broken insulators, defective transformers or entire poles and the equipment from vehicle/pole accidents. The trouble department is sent out to find causes of outages or power quality problems. They can work alone until they need to make temporary repairs on primary energized equipment, at which time they will get assistance and back up from another troubleshooter. Trouble is trained to work on lines, URD, Sub Stations and the Cable conduit system down town. The territory is broken down into service areas to limit travel time. However there are some areas that are remote and can take an hour drive time to get to. In those cases the line trucks are left in a secure area near the site and the crew travels to and from the site daily to stay a little more cost effective. So I may have answered your questions and gave you something you didn't know, Not all utilities are set up alike so there will be a difference in what you find out. Good luck.