On 16/04/2021 16:25, NY wrote:
"Peter Able" wrote in message
...
On 16/04/2021 15:57, NY wrote:
I'm used to seeing three-wire (three phases) overhead mains wiring
from poles along a street. Sometimes you get four-wire (three phases
plus neutral). Modern wiring is a single larger cable which is the
three (or four) wires twisted together. In each case, two wires
(between two phases, or one phase and neutral) go to each house, with
a different phase for each house or group of houses.

But I'm mystified about five-wire mains. As far as I could see, all
five wires were the same thickness and were each fastened to the same
type of insulator on the wooden poles - so probably not three-wire
mains and telephone.

What would the fifth wire be used for?

Telephones - well it is around here.

With the phone wires on (as far as I could see) the same brown porcelain
insulators as the 240 V mains wires?


This is the wiring https://goo.gl/maps/7TY9tJ2LNZfzEGE46 and
https://goo.gl/maps/YRgYsyz7K75p3KUZ6: the latter shows a separate phone
wire swapping from below the five mains wires on the nearest post to the
above them on the next post, which looks as if it could cause if the
insulated phone cable was repeatedly blown against the un-insulated
mains wires, eventually taking the phone insulation off and shorting the
mains wires.

Now, with an image, there's something to go on.

Looking at the second link, the fourth cable from the top terminates at
a house further on to right, and at a pole further to the left. It
looks to be thinner, and is not obviously driven from 3-phase drives?

So who knows?

And wouldn't you - even if was only meant for for this or that, use an
cable insulator/anti-rubbing item of the same kind as already in use in
that area?

PA