Author -

Blown fuse on C phase

The other night we received a trouble order of a 3 phase line fuse feeding about 20 or so customers that was out. This was a rural area and the line fed resedential as well as a couple of small business'. Before arrival on the scene the dispatcher notified us that the sheriff's dept. reported wire down in the road. As we entered the area we decided to check the line fuse pole to see what was out. The only phase out was C phase and A & B phase were still in and working. We left that as we found it for the moment and decided we would go see how much wire was down and why. A tall rotten pine tree had taken down the primary and neutral. The three phase line fed down about 10 spans and B phase D.E. at that point and A & C fed thru about three more spans to an open delta. From the bank only a single phase continued and the wire was broken 2 spans past the open delta. We opened up the bank to eliminate backfeed while we picked up the wire. The wire was broken about 3' out from the pole on the down line side of the pole. We naturally "assumed" that the phase we were dealing with was C phase since its fuse was blown at the fuse pole. I went down to the far end and installed a ground on the primary. The other truck was setup to install a ground on the feed side of the downed line and pick the wire up at that point also. After thinking things thru once more we realized that the phase that was down was A phase and that it was still HOT! As you remember the wire on the feed side was still up and being held up only by the tie wire with a 3' piece on the downline side of the pole. We then decided that we had better go and open up A & B phase before anything else.

This could have been a very bad situation had we not of realized what was actually going on. Although we were going to install grounds before we did any work, suppose that we were not going to install a ground. I know there has been times when all of us has not grounded something at one time or another before working on it and not even use rubber gloves. This could have been a deadly mistake and someone could have lost their life to a dumb mistake.

In this instance the ground would have told us all we wanted to know. But to ground a hot phase of 35KV is not my idea of fun.

I know this got me to thinking about all sorts of things. Especially my family.

We all make mistakes but some mistakes you are only allowed one.

So please be careful out there and think things thru thoroughly. And no matter what someone says or thinks about linework we as JL know the truth.