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How to verify existing parking lot light pole height

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LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Climb to top of pole carrying tape measure of sufficient length.
Don't fall off pole.
Extend tape measure to bottom of pole.
Don't fall off pole.
Read number on tape.
Don't fall off pole.
Climb back down pole.
QED
Alternate:
Climb to top of pole carrying stopwatch.
Fall off pole and start stopwatch.
Stop stopwatch when you land.
Calculate height from fall duration.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Occupation
EC
Alternate:
Climb to top of pole carrying stopwatch.
Fall off pole and start stopwatch.
Stop stopwatch when you land.
Calculate height from fall duration.
Hold onto a bunch of helium balloons to get yourself to top. Once there let go and start timing simultaneously.
 

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
You could use a UAV using the altimeter. At my previous company, one of my guys built custom drones for law enforcement. He built one that looks up, so he could see what type and wattage of lamp was in the heads.
 

qcroanoke

Sometimes I don't know if I'm the boxer or the bag
Location
Roanoke, VA.
Occupation
Sorta retired........
Climb to top of pole carrying tape measure of sufficient length.
Don't fall off pole.
Extend tape measure to bottom of pole.
Don't fall off pole.
Read number on tape.
Don't fall off pole.
Climb back down pole.
QED
No no no no
Send apprentice to perform above task
 

letgomywago

Senior Member
Location
Washington state and Oregon coast
Occupation
residential electrician
The way they figured this out was in the mountains with a barometer and hiking down and up and checking various elevations and corresponding with others at others in europe at their elevations using their own self built equipment.
 

topgone

Senior Member
The way they figured this out was in the mountains with a barometer and hiking down and up and checking various elevations and corresponding with others at others in europe at their elevations using their own self built equipment.
If the numbers needed are not expected to be very precise, I'd use my phone and let someone stand beside the pole and take a picture from a decent distance. I'd ask the man's height and bingo, I have the pole height!
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Occupation
EC
Does if matter if the pole is not a cylinder, and has a nice taper?
For water not moving it does not matter.

If you have a municipal water system and make a 3/4 inch tap from a six inch pipe the pressure is same in both pipes as long as there is no flow. However that 3/4 pipe will begin to see pressure loss as flow increases long before you will see any noticeable pressure change in the six inch pipe.
 

xformer

Senior Member
Location
Dallas, Tx
Occupation
Master Electrician
Measure known distance from base of pole. Use Speed Square with string and weight to measure incline angle to top of pole. Use trig to calculate height of pole. Add vertical distance from ground to sight level. No shadow required.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Occupation
EC
Measure known distance from base of pole. Use Speed Square with string and weight to measure incline angle to top of pole. Use trig to calculate height of pole. Add vertical distance from ground to sight level. No shadow required.
Speed square is 45 degree angle, you can use trig and calculate it out but result is going to be same as distance to the pole base with that angle.
 

steelbuster

Member
Location
mn
An Arborist determining tree height: hold rake at arm’s length’s so the end touches face at eye level, keeping arm straight allow rake to pivot to vertical, with head steady gaze at top of handle and walk forward or backwards until tip of handle aligns with top of tree. Height is equal to distance you are from tree plus your height. ( practical application of trigonometry)
 
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