• oxomoxo@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I have this down the street from my house and I asked a lineman about it. He was saying they will never leave this on power lines, just on the telecom lines. The arborists work for the power company, because even thought the utility poles are jointly owned the power company has the highest risk so they are responsible for management.

    They will always remove the wood from power lines because wood is somewhat conductive, especially when it still fresh because of the water content. Leaving it on a high voltage line can increase the potential for a short. They don’t bother to cut them completely off the telecom lines because there is no risk of shock but a big risk to line damage. If they damage the telecom line they have to pay high fees to the telecom company for repair and risk creating an outage. Also the lines are designed to bear a certain amount of weight, as engineer have accounted for natural burdens like trees, ice and animals.

    Also the wood eventually rots after a few seasons and will eventually fall off on its own.

    • RubberDuck@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      This could be absolute nonsense… but it sounds legit… so I’ll believe you internet stranger. Have my up vote.

      • oxomoxo@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        I was curious if what I had been told had any reference online, a quick search did turn up this post which pretty much says the same:

      • TheBest@midwest.social
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        6 months ago

        Worked as a telecom lineman, he’s not wrong, but we (our company personally) normally go the extra steps to remove it for aesthetic reasons. Helps when the job is done and the foreman is doing his review walks.

  • not_woody_shaw@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I have suggestions:

    1. high voltage. Let the wire burn its way thru the wood.
    2. just replace that section of the wire.
    3. it actually looks kinda stable already. Maybe just sell tickets to view it.
    • Etterra@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      A woodchuck would chuck what a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck woodchucks.

  • umbrella@lemmy.ml
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    6 months ago

    i dunno i think beavers and woodpeckers would end up not being precise enough and biting through wire.

    termites will be the slow but safer option here

  • A_Chilean_Cyborg@feddit.cl
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    6 months ago

    Send the electrical company to build a parallel power line, then encapsulate the troubled cable in quantum confinement and destroy of with anti matter.

  • Lycist@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Termite paratroopers could work. Attach a brain organoid backpack to each terminate, and let them roll.