another loose neutral

[growler]

I've seen hundreds of cases where neutrals have been gnawed in two by squirrels...

You must have some pretty nasty squirrels there. Only time I ever hear of a squirrel being an electrical problem is when he becomes a conductor to medium voltages.

Seen many service drops get rubbed in two by a tree branch but never seen squirrels damage them.

I don't know if quirrels chew through the service neutral or not but that is what the power companies claim to have happen.

I was just at a house with an open neutral. If it was lack of maintenance of the power lines (old line or tree limbs) they would be responsible. Both home owner insurance and the power company don't cover rodent damage.

 

[kwired]

I don't know if quirrels chew through the service neutral or not but that is what the power companies claim to have happen.

I was just at a house with an open neutral. If it was lack of maintenance of the power lines (old line or tree limbs) they would be responsible. Both home owner insurance and the power company don't cover rodent damage.

And when they repair it they take away any evidence to be able to prove otherwise.

 

[ptonsparky]

I don't know if quirrels chew through the service neutral or not but that is what the power companies claim to have happen.

I was just at a house with an open neutral. If it was lack of maintenance of the power lines (old line or tree limbs) they would be responsible. Both home owner insurance and the power company don't cover rodent damage.

Some HO insurance does. Insurance adjuster on a phone call rather briskly asks me "How do you know it was rodent damage?" "Teeth marks" caused him to laugh and say Ok.

 

[K8MHZ]

I don't know if squirrels chew through the service neutral or not but that is what the power companies claim to have happen.

Oh yeah. On day I was visiting a friend and I looked up and his service neutral at the pole had all but one wire was chewed and frayed by squirrels. The drop was being held up by the single steel strand in the steel reinforced aluminum cable. When the POCO came out and fixed it the linesman said that it's not all that often, but squirrels chewing through aluminum is not unheard of.

 

[ggunn]

Oh yeah. On day I was visiting a friend and I looked up and his service neutral at the pole had all but one wire was chewed and frayed by squirrels. The drop was being held up by the single steel strand in the steel reinforced aluminum cable. When the POCO came out and fixed it the linesman said that it's not all that often, but squirrels chewing through aluminum is not unheard of.

Years ago a squirrel chewed through a CCC on the pole mounted transformer across the street from my house. There was a sound like a shotgun blast, all my lights went off, and there were squirrel fragments all around the base of the pole.

 

[growler]

Some HO insurance does. Insurance adjuster on a phone call rather briskly asks me "How do you know it was rodent damage?" "Teeth marks" caused him to laugh and say Ok.

Yes, I should have said that most homeowner's insurance won't cover rodent damage but from what I have seen it's close enough just to say it's not covered. We have lots of squirrels here with those Georgia Pines and all so it may be more common for the companies to sell policies that do not cover rodent damage.

 

[kwired]

Years ago a squirrel chewed through a CCC on the pole mounted transformer across the street from my house. There was a sound like a shotgun blast, all my lights went off, and there were squirrel fragments all around the base of the pole.

Must have been on the medium voltage side of the transformer?

 

[growler]

Years ago a squirrel chewed through a CCC on the pole mounted transformer across the street from my house. There was a sound like a shotgun blast, all my lights went off, and there were squirrel fragments all around the base of the pole.

I went to a commercial site that had lost a phase (3 phase) and the power company annex was just a mile or so away and when I called to tell them about the lost phase they didn't ask any questions. They came with a bucket truch and removed what was left of the squirrel at the transformer and when I asked if they do this often they said it was the third time that year at that location.

 

[growler]

Oh yeah. On day I was visiting a friend and I looked up and his service neutral at the pole had all but one wire was chewed and frayed by squirrels. The drop was being held up by the single steel strand in the steel reinforced aluminum cable. When the POCO came out and fixed it the linesman said that it's not all that often, but squirrels chewing through aluminum is not unheard of.

I have never actually seen a squirrel chewing on a neutral service cable so I just have to take their word for it.

If it's not squirrels how would you prove otherwise?

 

[ggunn]

Must have been on the medium voltage side of the transformer?

The lineman I talked to did not say but there was squirrel shrapnel all over the place.

 

[JFletcher]

The lineman I talked to did not say but there was squirrel shrapnel all over the place.

Squirrel fragments, squirrel shrapnel.... from the last several posts, one might think squirrels are furry miniature tree climbing grenades with an appetite for aluminum.

Last year we had one take its last meal from the 20kV lead to the pole mount xfmr near the house. Actually caught the crossarm on fire and Dominion had to replace it.

While we're on lost service neutrals, last week I noticed an aerial drop in the neighborhood from xfmr to a house that has two 'mats' on it: one where it's about a foot from a tree, and another where it's about the same distance from the chimney. Does/would the POCO have installed these, or would an electrician have done it? I havent seen them anywhere else.

 

[kwired]

While we're on lost service neutrals, last week I noticed an aerial drop in the neighborhood from xfmr to a house that has two 'mats' on it: one where it's about a foot from a tree, and another where it's about the same distance from the chimney. Does/would the POCO have installed these, or would an electrician have done it? I havent seen them anywhere else.

Are you talking about some sort of shield slipped over the cable so it won't rub against the tree/chimmney?

I have seen a time or two where they slipped those orange poly covers they put over guy wires over a drop running through a tree.