Cable Humming

[Mike01]

A couple weeks ago I was standing on my front porch, and herd a humming sound when I looked around it appeared to be coming from the utility lines located on a pole approx 60? away, never thought to much about it then last night the same thing. The odd thing is it only happiness when it rains?? Any thoughts??

 

[augie47]

humming

humming

what tune ?

 

[zog]

Corona, get a lime.

Just dirty insulators, nothing to worry about. On a good foggy night you may see a purple glow around the insulators.

 

[billsnuff]

I see that purple glow every time i get foggy :grin:

 

[zog]

I see that purple glow every time i get foggy :grin:

From too much Corona?

 

[480sparky]

Didja at least teach them the lyrics? :grin:

 

[weressl]

A couple weeks ago I was standing on my front porch, and herd a humming sound when I looked around it appeared to be coming from the utility lines located on a pole approx 60? away, never thought to much about it then last night the same thing. The odd thing is it only happiness when it rains?? Any thoughts??

I like the comments, they all told the truth.....

Seriously it is capacitive discharge though the moist air to ground, accompanied and facilitated by the formation of ozone in the air due to ionized air/partial discharge corona effect.

 

[e57]

I live in a city known for it's fog - I used to live near the beach and had 12KVA lines out front of the house. On most nights you could hear the 'crackle' on really foggy nights you could see a 'Frankenstien' like light show down the sides of the insulators.

 

[mdshunk]

The PoCo's, and some specialized switchgear testing contractors, sometimes use a device called a "Corona Cam". You can see the corona discarge right on the screen. Google up some of those images. Pretty neat.

 

[dwellselectric]

Around the ocean where I live you hear alot of the transformers hum I thought it was due to the salt air?

 

[Rampage_Rick]

I've heard triplex hum before, but only in one location. Seemed to be load dependant (120A+) and I only ever heard it at night. I could show you the place.

 

[brian john]

Wasn't there a song about this subject in the late 70's, by the Knack?

My Corona,

Gun it comin' off the line Corona
Never gonna stop, give it up.
My my my i yi woo. M M M My Corona

 

[zog]

Transformer humming is a whole different thing, thats hysterisis loss or the realinging of the domains of the ferromagnetic material 120 per second causing a vibration on a molecular level.

P.S. That hum is a nearly perfrect B flat tone in case you are ever in a substation a need to tune an instrument, hey could happen.

 

[zog]

Wasn't there a song about this subject in the late 70's, by the Knack?

My Corona,

Gun it comin' off the line Corona
Never gonna stop, give it up.
My my my i yi woo. M M M My Corona

Not sure thats exactly right, but there are a bunch of songs out there by a band that all happen to be line workers. One song is called "Powerline Blues", I have a few of those songs archived somewhere. I will post if I can find them.

 

[boboelectric]

Dirty insulators