What are the things that look like balls on power lines?
They’re called visibility marker balls or marker balls. You’ll often find them near mountain passes, in the deep valley areas, near major freeway crossings and around airports. They weight about 17 pounds each. The marker balls are placed on power lines to make the conductor crossings visible to aircraft.
What are the twisty things on power lines?
Bird flight diverters — or the “spinning things on power lines” as some folks call them — serve a dual purpose: They help keep the lights on and help preserve wildlife.
Why are powerlines slacked?
The lines are often heavily loaded because of increased power consumption, and the conductors, which are generally made of copper or aluminum, expand when heated. That expansion increases the slack between transmission line structures, causing them to sag.
Is sagged electrical wire harmful?
If you have a sagging power line to your house, then you should not touch it. You should stay away from it and you should keep others away. However, if you have reason to believe that the low hanging overhead power cable to your house poses a serious and immediate danger, then you should call 9-1-1.
What are the orange balls hanging on power lines?
The main purpose of the marker balls is so that helicopters and low-flying planes don’t hit electrical wires. They are an extra precaution since anything that flies isn’t supposed to fly lower than the electrical towers.
What is slack in wires?
The slack angle is the V-shaped angle created when a performer stands in the middle of the walking part of the wire. The angle depends on how long or short the wire is relative to the distance between two anchor points. This also affects the amplitude of the wire’s swing side to side.
What is a slack span?
The Slack Span Dead-end is designed to grip the conductor uniformly to prevent distortion. It also offers a unique design that eliminates bolts, nuts, washers and other component parts that may become lost or damaged during installation or in service.
What are the black boxes on power lines?
Those are splice containers that have a POSITIVE pressure inside so that the connections wont get moisture in them. A ROLL of that huge black cable comes on a 1000′ spool, so every splice is 1000 foot away UNLESS some idiot with a back hoe digs it up or a moron with a garbage truck hangs on the line and yanks it down.