mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Deadly ground rod accident today
- Thread starter mdshunk
- Start date
- Status
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
mdshunk said:
another good reason for telephone and cable guys not to add their own rods. never did understand why they do that anyway.
do they not have a policy of calling the utility locating service first? i once had to wait several days for them to bury a cable just a few inches underground waiting for julie to come out and mark the underground services. something buried a few inches underground is sure not likely to hit anything in the first place.
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- Service Manager
Celtic, I think technically we're supposed to, although I never have.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had a little trepidation driving a ground rod next to a transformer for a temp - I always wonder exactly where that primary is.
What a sad story.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had a little trepidation driving a ground rod next to a transformer for a temp - I always wonder exactly where that primary is.
What a sad story.
- Location
- Massachusetts
allenwayne
Senior Member
Awhile back we had a t pole guy (that`s all he did),get a bright idea.He had 2 t poles to set across the street from each other.This areas poco requires a t pole for each address.So after post hole digging the first one he hooked up his trusty chipping hammer with ground rod adaptor,plugged it into the other tpole there and using a piece of nm he tied the trigger off and hung a block on the handle to drive the rod and walked across the street to dig the next hole.He didn`t get 1/2 dug when there was a lound boom and sparks went flying from the roto hammer.You guessed it straight through the primaries.He quit that day saying the $ was not worth it.Lost a perfectly good roto hammer and a stupid employee in one motion.
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- Service Manager
I'd say this event could possibly be used in a proposal to omit GES's for temps. It seems reasonable to me to allow the ground rod in the transformer, and our neutral conductor connection to it, to suffice for a 590 installation.
Sometimes it's unavoidable to install a ground rod in an easement. That spray paint isn't 100% on the money, all the time.
Sometimes it's unavoidable to install a ground rod in an easement. That spray paint isn't 100% on the money, all the time.
allenwayne
Senior Member
George I`ve seen more than my share of stupid situations here over the last several years.The T pole incident being one.Another was a sub for the poco line boring street light wiring (someone forgot to include it in the develpoment phase)
They came in on a friday with several trucks and line bored about a 100 light poles.I was on call that weekend and the service dept called me that there were several homes that had either lost power or 1/2 was out.So off I go grumbling as i drive.As it turned out the sub had line bored through 6 undergrounds and later it was found they also hit several sewage lines.
There has to be a power matrix for the planning board and poco to approve here so why didn`t they get a simple poco lay out ?????I walked away that day with homeowners screaming I need power !!!!!! All I could say was call the poco it`s on thier end and have a nice day.
I`ve set many t poles next to a trans. and have often wondered what would happen if I hit a primary.This poor guy found out.
They came in on a friday with several trucks and line bored about a 100 light poles.I was on call that weekend and the service dept called me that there were several homes that had either lost power or 1/2 was out.So off I go grumbling as i drive.As it turned out the sub had line bored through 6 undergrounds and later it was found they also hit several sewage lines.
There has to be a power matrix for the planning board and poco to approve here so why didn`t they get a simple poco lay out ?????I walked away that day with homeowners screaming I need power !!!!!! All I could say was call the poco it`s on thier end and have a nice day.
I`ve set many t poles next to a trans. and have often wondered what would happen if I hit a primary.This poor guy found out.
hockeyoligist2
Senior Member
- Location
- close to greenville sc
"the explosion happened about 5 p.m., soon after firefighters arrived," Why didn't the guy evacuate the area? That should be #1 priority.
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
Not often I hear of a cable tv company installing ground rods, even though it may be required by the NEC.
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Engineer
I agree. That just adds another level of sadness to this tragedy. The fire and explosion might not have been preventable, once the gas line had been breached. But the deaths were certainly preventable.hockeyoligist2 said:
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Engineer
When I had my cable company come out with a new service at my previous house (6 years ago), they required me to provide a ground rod. They gave me the option of using an existing one, if it were close to their point of service, or pounding a new one. But they did not give me the option of paying them to do that task.tom baker said:
muskiedog said:
I think that is nation wide .
You cant count on the markings all the time. I installed the street lighting in a subdivision about 15 years ago, Before the gas co installed thier lines I walk through it with them where the gas lines would be close to the street lights and to becareful to stay where they were drawn on the plans. afew weeks later the gas lines were in the curb was marked with a "G" indicating that the gas line was 3' from where we needed to drill and about 24' down we hit a 20lb gas main. That cleared the street, thankfully it did not have an explotion but it could have very well have. The same guy who I walk the job with was the one who came out to fix it, He started off with a very hi and mighty attitude about how we should of been more careful about where we drilled, when I reeminded him that he and I walked through the gas line installation before and his line was not where it was marked on the curb or the plan he very quitely fixed the line and didn't say another word. Nice guy,good thing no one was hurt.
- Location
- Massachusetts
georgestolz said:
Sounds reasonable to me as well......it ain't gonna happen.
They will just say you must have the location scouted.
Illinois has 2 " 1 " call systems. One for Chicago 312-744-7000 http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/...Transportation&deptMainCategoryOID=-536883922
and the other " Julie " for the rest of the state. www.illinois1call.com
H.L.
and the other " Julie " for the rest of the state. www.illinois1call.com
H.L.
I just found this. "On March 10, 2005, the Federal Communications Commission approved the use of 811 as a national call-before-you-dig telephone number. This three-digit-number will connect anyone intending to dig with their respective one call center. Implementation of this process is currently underway and will be fully operational in April 2007! www.call811.com
H.L.
H.L.
ryan_618
Senior Member
- Location
- Salt Lake City, Utah
I know a member here that has a ground rod story that nearly killed him. I will e-mail him and ask him if he would share it. If he does, you will not beleive what you are reading.
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
I drove a ground rod into a cast iron sewer line once. So far, that's all. I generally make a line of sight in my head between the gas curb stop and the gas entrance to the home, and don't drive rods in that path. So far, so good. I had a co-worker years back drive a ground rod next to the house, and it came out through the basement concrete block wall inside. It must have hit a stone underground and curved and went through the basement wall. Oops.
- Status