site lighting under power lines

[Paul1607]

Anyone ever experience problems when servicing pole lights under power lines?

I just got a job to re lamp / ballast a huge building parking lot. There were the normal amount scattered around the parking lot, but there was an alarming number of lamps / ballast out in a row directly under power lines. They are maybe 50 feet above the pole but strong enough to set off my hot stick / widow maker once I start raising up in the bucket truck. Something else that is unusual and might be more problematic that a normal situation is the ballast. This building is only a few years old and they are using 320w MH pulse start lamps, but the ballast is KIM LIGHTING, fully encased and according to the ballast has dimming capabilities. The AUX wire for dimming are unused. These ballast at almost $400 a piece, and I have a feeling in another year or 2 I am going to be in the same boat I am in right now.

 

[mgookin]

Most utilities are very cooperative in helping contractors work safely around their infrastructure. If you call the construction division of the utility and tell them where you are working & what you're doing, they will tell you more than you want to know about it, including what safe distance to maintain or what protective measures must be taken. I've even seen them come out with their own crews & equipment to make infrastructure safe for contractors to get their work done.

As to the ballast part of your question, I'll let someone else address that.

 

[fmtjfw]

What kind of power lines are they HV transmission (>35kV) or distribution?

What do you mean by "hot stick / widow maker" is that a high voltage field detector mounted on a hot stick or what?

Are the ballasts enclosed in grounded metal containers?

 

[texie]

Anyone ever experience problems when servicing pole lights under power lines?

I just got a job to re lamp / ballast a huge building parking lot. There were the normal amount scattered around the parking lot, but there was an alarming number of lamps / ballast out in a row directly under power lines. They are maybe 50 feet above the pole but strong enough to set off my hot stick / widow maker once I start raising up in the bucket truck. Something else that is unusual and might be more problematic that a normal situation is the ballast. This building is only a few years old and they are using 320w MH pulse start lamps, but the ballast is KIM LIGHTING, fully encased and according to the ballast has dimming capabilities. The AUX wire for dimming are unused. These ballast at almost $400 a piece, and I have a feeling in another year or 2 I am going to be in the same boat I am in right now.

Seems odd to me that there could be privately owned lights under a POCO line as they would likely be in their easement. Also odd that you would have a ballast like that that is not being used to it's capability. Interesting question though whether the POCO lines have any effect on the failure rate.

 

[GoldDigger]

If unused inputs to the ballast were left unterminated and were not adequately shielded by the metal of the luminaire and pole it might have an adverse effect on the ballast, particularly when transients occurred on the line.
There might even be transient induced voltages on the power lines to the ballasts. Maybe worth the cost of installing SPDs right at the ballast.

 

[mgookin]

Seems odd to me that there could be privately owned lights under a POCO line as they would likely be in their easement. Also odd that you would have a ballast like that that is not being used to it's capability. Interesting question though whether the POCO lines have any effect on the failure rate.

POCO does not own the land; they only have an easement across someone else's land. Many things can be done under the transmission lines like parking lots, etc. You just can't put a building under the lines.