soooo... based on your knowledge, experience and training, they didn't need the hotsticks. Sometimes, instead of speculating, you might stick to spectating. This was a well done job, by IBEW linemen. It appears that all safety protocols were observed, and work practices were nice. Well done job on the pole.

I could watch this all day...

That wrap material is used for fire hardening-- at a cetain temp it will activiate and puff out like a marshmellow giving insulation to the pole from high heat.

Love that glass insulators were still in use on the service drops!

I’m a lineman for the telephone company for 23 years now. The truck that placed the pole is called a digger derrick. I actually run the same exact truck at my job. I’m betting the reason they used that pressure washer/vac truck to dig the hole is because of how close the pole was to your gas line. They cant use a machine to dig if its within 3 feet of any utility (although sometimes we cheat). Ive never actually seen that truck used before, and wish my company would get a contractor to do that for us. We would have had to enlarge that hole by hand, with long handle shovels if we HAD to use the same hole, or dig a new one on the other side of the gas line. Consider yourself lucky you live in the area you do, cause by me - this would NEVER happen all in one day, unless the pole broke and was laying on the ground - forcing both companies to show up at the same time. Usually, if we own the pole and are replacing it for whatever reason (upgrade to larger pole, rotted base, bad lean, ect). we just install a new one as close to old as we can - and then usually have to wait for the power company to move their lines first. This can take YEARS. Power Co cant touch our stuff, and obviously we cant touch theirs. But we will move all cable tv lines, and any other telecom provider. There are HUNDREDS of old poles waiting around to have their lines transferred over to the new poles. Ive even had to replace the “new” pole, with anther “new pole” from cars seeming to aim for the same poles when they crash. The old wooden “u guard” for ground wire was used when power companies used to use solid uninsulated copper wire for the ground. Its kept people from touching it, and helped deter theft. Nowadays with the price of copper, youll never see that anymore. You’ll see them use stranded copper wire thats insulated, copper plated, or just aluminum. Some of the insulation will even say “this is not copper” so people don’t cut if off thinking its worth something. We have a contractor service that comes to collect all our old pole pieces we bring back to the yard. I remember hearing years ago they were sold and shipped out of state, and burned as fuel for a gypsum plant where epa regulations were less restrictive. I cant say if that is 100% accurate - but I wouldn’t go chopping up any old pole pieces to burn in your indoor fireplace due to all the chemicals in them. Unless you happen to find an old cedar pole. Those didnt have anything in them. Rule of thumb for depth of set if 10% of the total pole length plus 2 feet. So your new 50 footer should be in the ground about 7 feet. There should be a brand on the side of the pole, (its its visible through that covering) about 4 feet above ground that would tell you the length, and class (how thick) the pole is. Never seen that pole covering either. For a while about a year ago, there was a pole shortage. We actually started getting ready to have to use fiberglass poles instead. Thankfully it never happened.

Nice video they did a great job God bless them

It’s amazing you talk so much about something which you know very little about….

Thanks for the video, they are replacing my pole today. Now i know what to expect.

❤😊They are replacing our power pole tomorrow here 😊 thank you for video, Knowledge And Letting me know Time frame 😊

I wish all new power poles still had the v shaped frame on it. It is such a defining look for power poles.

He was using hot stick to ensure the lines were actually de energized. To ensure no back feed

Ward the 4K really makes a difference I can read the date on your chimney liner project 1971. If you're looking for new content perhaps you could tackle reworking your parking lot, though I'm still anticipating your helping your friend out on reworking his old solar panels.

The video was much better on silent. 👍

Ward - i love watching your videos - thanks for putting this one up.

Word is the covering on the new pole is fire hardening. Which makes sense as it is kind of a cement cloth.

15:50 Love it. Like my Stihl also....!

FYI, the high voltage coming into residential neighborhoods is usually between 17,000 volts and 45,000 volts, not 600,000 volts.

You don’t have any code/ regulations as to how close you can put fences, etc. in vicinity of the pole at ground level?

Hey ward your primary line is 7.200 kv if that was 600,000 kv everyone standing around would have die easily.

Those brown suspension insulators look very nice! Looks like ohio brass pieces judging by how wide the outer ring is!

Fire Wrap or Fire Shield. You live in a High Fire Area. Primary is a Phase and Neutral indicated by the single Fault Tamer Fuse on the primary arm protecting the transformer . Primary is maybe 7 or 9 kV depending on circuit mainline voltage. Secondary voltage is 600V likely 120/240V single phase on the triplex secondaries and service drops.

So...Joint Pole agreements JPA's which are apart of NCPA determine how much communications pay for their share of ownership of the pole. Usually from about 26' down is the communications company share. Asides from the modern wrapped pole with fire blanket, there is a nice new fiberglass cross-arm, and new style insulators, i wish they would upgrade my pole line!

31:22 the main issue with the squirrels is, they were probably getting shocked by the arrester and bushing on the old transformer because it did not contain animal guards. If you look at the new transformer, you can see it came with the animal guards for this purpose

Cool video! Looks like the transformer has a delta high side or at least a dual bushing with both phases insulated. Seems a little dangerous if you don’t know which is which. Edit: looks like a fiberglass crossarm on the pole.

That wrap could be protection against woodpeckers, etc.

Altec bucket truck unit manufactured in Birmingham Alabama about 30 miles from me

I’m with Lockhart

3:06 "...I wonder if they have any plans to repair my concrete when this is over..." HAHAhahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

That’s 7200V

Great commentary and video. What model video camera do you use?

The fellow operating the chain saw appeared to be smoking a cigarette. As the saw is gasoline powered, I question his judgment.

Not sure why you think you have the right to concrete next to their pole. They have easement rights and could take you to court for tampering with their easement access.

Ward, Thanks for taking the time to make this video it's always fun watching utility companies work. I like you and wondering what new procedures have come out on utility poles. I'm guessing it has something to do with all of the new EPA rules and PG&E's lawsuit issues. When the lineman went up with hot stick the box at the end is to check and see if the line is hot, looking to make sure your neighbors generator is in back feeding.

I believe that the communication companies are billed by the power company when they fix their wires.

There should be a guy crossing the road to hold the corner, otherwise the pole will always eventually lean into the corner unless they put in a much more expensive self supporting pole.

It is obvious that this is from a “customer’s” viewpoint that knows nothing about utility infrastructure or easements. Complaints about paint on his “new” driveway that is a “few years old”. Those guys doing “traffic control” are groundsmen that are also responsible for fetching equipment and such. And the fact you question the use of hot sticks proves how little you know. We called your type “NIMBYs”. Not In My Back Yard. Geese!

600,000 volts ? Really??? lol

Where is this..? Why is the pole almost inside the fence ? here they are made of cement or metals..Of course wooden poles exists, but carry either non electricity utilities or low voltage..I have never seen a wooden pole with a transformer..that will surely break the code.. ooh it is in america..the land of the weird buiulding codes. 😁

under ground power repairs are a night mare.

Should be only 12KV on that primary. The pole isn't framed for 600KV.

Just based on how much this guy knows about the subject, he could have replaced the pole themselves.

Electrical work is all about redundancies. Commentary is annoying and unhelpful like congrats you know what a service drop is but you dont gotta act like they dont know what those JLs are doing

Wow so much sarcasm and complaining from another NIMBY whiner who’ll sue the utility when janky parallel generators burn his house down. ETA: until those HV lines are grounded they are still hot whether off or not. Hence the hot sticks. There are a lot of inductors and capacitors on that line so even if it’s disconnected the possibility of it still being energized is high.

You know absolutely nothing about what you are taking about 😅

Oh god lord I can’t tell how many people like this you run into in this job.🙄

I'm sure you are a perfectly intelligent fellow in some aspects of life, but the commentary toward what is going on in this video shows extreme ignorance toward the subject matter.

Pge supposed to replace a pole in my area tomorrow. How long did all of this take