Capt Bly

[Capt Bly]

You and your pole partner are assigened the task of transfering 3-#6 bare cu. 4Ft. up to a new arm,with a center phase king pin.The adjacent poles are set in concret side walk,cross arms are fairly new,steel pins and insulators look good from the ground,no sleeves,kinks,pits,or old connectors. All three are same color,oxidezed green.Is there a trick you use to tell if its eneeled, lost its tensel strength? I`ll accept any comment you got.

[lewy]

I am curious to hear as I can count the times on 1 hand that I have worked on copper primary.

[bluestreak]

Not a lot of #6 primary but a bunch of #4 on 4.8 delta and 23 wye if it looked like enough slack to make the shift go slow and easy any doubt get reclosing on one shot and then still go slow and easy real concerned do it dead of course then the boss would like to play work order shuffle until he found somebody willing to roll the dice

[gumbo]

You and your pole partner are assigened the task of transfering 3-#6 bare cu. 4Ft. up to a new arm,with a center phase king pin.The adjacent poles are set in concret side walk,cross arms are fairly new,steel pins and insulators look good from the ground,no sleeves,kinks,pits,or old connectors. All three are same color,oxidezed green.Is there a trick you use to tell if its eneeled, lost its tensel strength? I`ll accept any comment you got. Look at the sag. If it's 6' or more on a 200' span, it's annealled. Other than that, you need a wire micrometer. As it gets soft and stretches, it'll get smaller in diameter. Watch out transferring the wire, the sleeves don't change size like the wire does and have been known to let go.

[Lineman North Florida]

Most all of our laterals were at one time #4 copper, very little #6, I have in the past felt like I needed to cut some slack in the primary and if moving up a considerable amount or out such as an angle pole I would mack it out and sleeve in a piece of wire throwing slack in it, around the coast or where there is salt spray or salt corrosion it is a different story, it can break at any connection point ie kearneys, stirrups etc etc. Under normal conditions and working out of a bucket truck I have moved it regularly behind fuses with little or no problems, when we had to do it off of the pole or baker board we killed it. Good luck.

[Pootnaigle]

Ummmmmmmm its a purdy safe bet to assume #6 cu has been up there for a very long time.It only hazta be overheated once to become annealed so For all practical purposes its best to assume all of it has lost some of its tensile strength.

[1245hand]

We still string #6 copper for new primary construction. Just installed some on a new 6 pole tapline extension a couple of weeks ago. 375' spans.

As for being able to tell if it's annealed, it's hard to tell. If your gloving it, and the spans are short and it's not tight, it feels a little like soft drawn. Real hard to tell on longer spans or when sagged tight.

On the coast, sometimes it has more of a rust color when annealed, instead of the usual green. Kind of the same as a old hand tie when you take it off. Guess it depends how long or how bad it's annealed.

Like Bluestreak said, slow & easy. If not behind fuses, get recloser on 1 shot. No sleeves or connectors is a good sign. Be Safe.

[lewy]

We still string #6 copper for new primary construction. Just installed some on a new 6 pole tapline extension a couple of weeks ago. 375' spans.

As for being able to tell if it's annealed, it's hard to tell. If your gloving it, and the spans are short and it's not tight, it feels a little like soft drawn. Real hard to tell on longer spans or when sagged tight.

On the coast, sometimes it has more of a rust color when annealed, instead of the usual green. Kind of the same as a old hand tie when you take it off. Guess it depends how long or how bad it's annealed.

Like Gumbo said, slow & easy. If not behind fuses, get recloser on 1 shot. No sleeves or connectors is a good sign. Be Safe.
We will install nothing smaller than 1/0 ACSR & that is only for run offs, all of our mainlines are min 3/0 ACSR.

[Swamprat]

A good test for "Colored" #6 or #4 Copper primary, to determine if it's annealed, Green or Brown, is to take your skinin knife, and "Scratch it a bit". With your rubber gloves on of Course.... If Pieces come off...don't dare put a grip on it. It's your call from there....

Still alot of #6 and 4 out there in America. AND...it's "Old" Sh$t. Be Careful....

[Capt Bly]

I'm on a comity, responding to a veteran Linemans concern.He has brought this to managements attention.I've been in line-work for forty plus years. My safety quote for this operation is "small wire gets no respect, and that's when it'll get you"I've run a heavy crew for the last twenty five years,have received many awards for safety record.My goal now is to go global with safety.I thank you for your response. I'll stay in touch. "I got your back"
Respectfully;Captbly

[rob8210]

By the Hydro One rule book in Ontario, Canada. No live work on #4 acsr, #4 special, and #6 solid copper. I have worked on it live and it does break way too easily! Best thing to do is kill it.

[Swamprat]

By the Hydro One rule book in Ontario, Canada. No live work on #4 acsr, #4 special, and #6 solid copper. I have worked on it live and it does break way too easily! Best thing to do is kill it.

Interesting Rob. Thats Canada though.

Here in the "States",...we've got so many Utilitys, Corps and major Power companys...it's a "bit Different". NOT sayin I don't agree with ya...but there are no "Standard" Rules. My "Rule" has always been "Common sense".


"Linework" my friend, is entering a "New Phase"...for better or worse for LINEMEN.
Maybe "Rules and regulations", are better than "Common sense".


It's just a "Different" world of "Linework" nowdays...."Progress".:rolleyes:

[rob8210]

Actually Swamp I have worked at a couple of PUC's that followed the ground to ground rule to a "T". Hydro One's rule book has some very sensible rules. Example; no rubber gloving after dark, no working live primary off the pole , point of work grounding, restricted conductor, etc. Makes a pretty good working environment. There are still 2 sets of rules here, but they are finding some common ground.

[JD426H]

I've worked for an IOU for 34 years, and our safety rules have always stated that we aren't allowed to move # 6 copper hot. More than once, I've seen it hit the ground while moving it dead and grounded. Like most all companies nowadays, we have plenty of liability rules that came from lawyers instead of safety rules that come from common sense. The no moving # 6 hot rule never bothered me though.

[lewy]

I've worked for an IOU for 34 years, and our safety rules have always stated that we aren't allowed to move # 6 copper hot. More than once, I've seen it hit the ground while moving it dead and grounded. Like most all companies nowadays, we have plenty of liability rules that came from lawyers instead of safety rules that come from common sense. The no moving # 6 hot rule never bothered me though.

We use the rule that Rob 8210 mentioned, that is why I was surprised when 1245hand said they still install the stuff.

[gumbo]

We use the rule that Rob 8210 mentioned, that is why I was surprised when 1245hand said they still install the stuff.Last time I worked in Cali they were hanging #6 cu triplex. Near the coast copper is most of what they use, primary and secondary, and then you're supposed to grease every connection but most don't. On PG&E property we were given rubber splicing tape and 3M Scotchcote to cover every kearney with, but then again, most didn't do it.

[Capt Bly]

aneeled wire looses 10% of its tensile strength.This is a fact,would have lost a paycheck on that one.WE tested it on a high dollar, accurate to 20 lb increments.Its the pits,burn marks, and abrasions, splices,and connecting points that make even the best looking wire,weak.Change is slow, there is no way our utility will let us De energize everything,but if a lineman says its unsafe to transfer hot,than we request it DEAD.Keep you guys posted.Watch out for each other,I got your back.
Capt Bly