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Joy of CFEC
Sep. 29th, 2004 08:02 amWell, we had power, starting around 19:27 yesterday evening. Oh, and certainly no later than that, phone service restored as well.
Ruthann saw sparks and bright light at the transformer pulling in from SCA yesterday evening, right around 21:30 plus/minus. We eyeballed the situation (there'd been no dimming of lights or other signs in the house) to find a light tree limb across the lines & touching the transformer.
I called it in, switching through to the dispatcher. The conversation went something like this:
Me: I need to report tree limbs on my power lines, and on my transformer, which was sparking and quite spectacular.
Dispatcher: Do you have a fire?
Me: No. If I had a fire, I'd have called 911. I have tree limbs on my lines, causing the transformer to spark.
Dispatcher: Sir, it's quite normal for transformers to spark and such right after the power comes on.
Me: I know that. I've seen it before. What I'm trying to tell you is I have tree limbs on my transformer, which is not normal.
Dispatcher: Do you have a fire. Because if you have a fire, you need to call the fire department.
Me: No fire. I'm trying to prevent a fire. I have tree limbs on my transformer.
Dispatcher: Sir, it's quite normal for transformers to spark and such right after the power comes on. It will just trip the breaker.
Et Cetera.
This morning at about 06:10 as I reached into the shower to turn on the water...
A loud POP outside, not far from the house...
The lights went off.
I called CFEC and reported my power out.
Update edit: 09:22 Just off the phone with Ruthann; turns out there's a laurel oak, which I noticed yesterday evening overhanging but not touching the lines before power came back on, leaning into the lines today. This is probably what tripped the breaker on the transformer. The remainder of our neighborhood still enjoys power. Couldn't see much at all this AM on the way out at oh dark thirty, as thick fog amplified darkness to an incredible amount.
Archer, up the road from us about five miles and on a different feeder branch, is still at least one-half without power.
Ruthann saw sparks and bright light at the transformer pulling in from SCA yesterday evening, right around 21:30 plus/minus. We eyeballed the situation (there'd been no dimming of lights or other signs in the house) to find a light tree limb across the lines & touching the transformer.
I called it in, switching through to the dispatcher. The conversation went something like this:
Me: I need to report tree limbs on my power lines, and on my transformer, which was sparking and quite spectacular.
Dispatcher: Do you have a fire?
Me: No. If I had a fire, I'd have called 911. I have tree limbs on my lines, causing the transformer to spark.
Dispatcher: Sir, it's quite normal for transformers to spark and such right after the power comes on.
Me: I know that. I've seen it before. What I'm trying to tell you is I have tree limbs on my transformer, which is not normal.
Dispatcher: Do you have a fire. Because if you have a fire, you need to call the fire department.
Me: No fire. I'm trying to prevent a fire. I have tree limbs on my transformer.
Dispatcher: Sir, it's quite normal for transformers to spark and such right after the power comes on. It will just trip the breaker.
Et Cetera.
This morning at about 06:10 as I reached into the shower to turn on the water...
A loud POP outside, not far from the house...
The lights went off.
I called CFEC and reported my power out.
Update edit: 09:22 Just off the phone with Ruthann; turns out there's a laurel oak, which I noticed yesterday evening overhanging but not touching the lines before power came back on, leaning into the lines today. This is probably what tripped the breaker on the transformer. The remainder of our neighborhood still enjoys power. Couldn't see much at all this AM on the way out at oh dark thirty, as thick fog amplified darkness to an incredible amount.
Archer, up the road from us about five miles and on a different feeder branch, is still at least one-half without power.
