On Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:52:56 +0000 (GMT), Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:25:21 +0000, Tim W wrote:

Could be a fault or an overload. The fact it comes back in a matter of
seconds is down to the auto-recloser they have on some of the
substations.

Yes, there is an auto-recloser in the line and the "off" time is
about what that does. What made me suspicious is the cuts happening
at the same time on consequative mornings.

We had another couple at 1746 this afternoon, so it might be ice(*)
or a tree drooping under the weight of snow onto the line and getting
blown apart.

(*) After the snow yesterday all the power lines where heavily coated
in snow, insulators the lot.

I'd guess at snow-laden branches weighed down and brushing against the
conductors.

I recollect one instance many years ago where a pole-mounted auto recloser
kept operating at more or less the same time every day for weeks. Carried
out line patrols, emergency tree cutitng to make sure the lines were clear,
all to no avail.

In the end it turned out to be a farmer who let his bull out into a paddock
at more or less the same time every day. There was an angle stay from a
pole in the paddock, and the bull would head straight for the stay and
start scratching his shoulder on the wire, which caused the overheads to
clash. Simple wooden stay guard and the problem went away!

--
The Wanderer

Meditate! It's better than sitting doing nothing.