Being a Lineman - Episode 32

[@chrisporter4170]

What’s up Aaron I love your channel! I finally found the courage after finding your channel to leave my current career of 13 years to become a lineman. I got my CDL last summer and just put in my two weeks notice 😬. I go to orientation for my new company in a couple of days. I’m nervous and excited. Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to bring us along with you. Keep up the great work and content. Chris from the south end of Lake Okeechobee in Florida 👊🏼👊🏼

[@kevinkovalesky380]

Good luck man! I left a 12 year career to get into line work and I have no regrets.. Lakeland fl 🤙🏻

[@man4YAWEH454]

​@@kevinkovalesky380 Do you mind me asking how old you are?

[@man4YAWEH454]

Chris, do you mind me asking how old are you?

[@kevinkovalesky380]

@@man4YAWEH454 33 my brother just graduated at 41 and there was a 53 year old in his class

[@culbyj3665]

congrats bUddy Can i ask where you are going to school? or are u joing a Local power company? The training can be hard. Im telecom which many joke about us but work really close with our local power company owned by Excelon. Its good that we both own Poles so we set for each other and help out each other in that regard.. Anyways Congrats again Im really curious where u going for training and or where u got hired if you dont minda sharing. Im in South east PA...

[@Bobsdecline]

Hey Everyone! The last week or so has been constant calls like what's in this video! Really glad to see all the rain this week though... Those forest fires were getting pretty nasty. I managed to get some footage on some high voltage underground terminations, hopefully will be able to release some of that stuff soon! Winner of the fractal wood burning art will be announced later this week! Be safe out there everyone! 👊🍻

[@fn0rd-f5o]

Yeah, dangit Canada. First we have to deal with all your cold air, then all of the smoke. get it together man! 😆🤣 No kidding though, our sky is gray, visibility cut in half and the air smells like a campfire. I love the smell of a campfire though.

[@culbyj3665]

Yeah the forest fires are def intense. IM outside philadelphia pa in ur south. We actually had a major smog air quality warning for a few days the other week. U could literrally smell that wood burning scent in the air. The visuals were pretty crazy as well . U couldnt see more then a mile of like mt Views and city scape across higher terrain. Pretty Crazy. God bless the Wildland Firemen and women

[@fn0rd-f5o]

@@culbyj3665 i'm in south dakota, longs ways from philly. got tons of smoke here too

[@jjc2896]

Hey Aaron, this is a bit random, but I just want to say... I love your videos (as a non-lineman) and I appreciate the hard work that you put in to explain how things work and provide context to the numerous scenarios you roll up on. As a programmer and probable candidate for life-long office work, I know I'll probably never make use of the super technical stuff in the real world, but it's still interesting and entertaining to see behind the scenes. As many others here have said, you are a great asset to your community and the company you work for - a true professional. TL;DR: Love your videos, grab yourself a coffee or something on me :) Hope you're going okay, stay safe out there!

[@Bobsdecline]

@Jimmy Thank you so much! 🤝🍻 Not just for the coffee (maybe a couple!😁) But also for taking the time to write out the comments! It means a lot... If it wasn't for the comments and community engagement, I would have given up making videos long ago. Thanks again Jimmy 👊👊👊

[@jolyonwelsh9834]

That truck must have been going at quite a clip.

[@capicolaspicy]

Congrats on breaking through the 100K mark - I see it shows 101k now!

[@CubeComputerChannel]

11:26 smoke or steam coming from the left cutout - power was probably tracking across the door!

[@BudTheDrummer]

As a Local Trucker for over 20 years I've seen fuses blow, transformers blow, crashes where after impact with a pole, wires shorted and started pole fires. I've seen live wires downed and burning. Hurricane, Tornado and straight line wind damage. Equipment failures. You're videos always teach me something. Electricity and how it acts fascinates me. I love your videos because I feel like I'm there. Please keep up the great work you're doing, not to mention being a LINEMAN!

[@adrianstanton2652]

Aaron I love your attention to detail. You do the correct thing. Honest and upfront with your restrictions and allowable content. Thank you be safe and blessings on the fires up north.

[@AlanTheBeast100]

The French version of Bob's decline: " ... it's cold. Dark. And it's raining. I can die now. Alone."

[@SOU6900]

Damn that Freightliner took a beating. Talk about a roller skate in the grass.

[@mrhackerman4817]

I'm a software developer for a small city owned utility company, I work on their SCADA system and your videos are always great to watch since it gives me more context on what the guys on the field have to deal with when we see those alarms come in SCADA

[@heatherkohlwey8379]

Wow! That was one heck of a ride and mess. The second job didn't look too fun either. Some old transformers have PCB based oil. Not good. I've been praying that the fires get contained. Thank you for taking the time to share these videos. Please stay safe, and God bless.

[@english_muffinss]

The unmistakable lower front bumper of a freightliner cascadia lolol

[@2dfx]

I laughed good at the Timmies cup in the tire track

[@Bobsdecline]

Lol I figured someone would mention that!

[@dvone4124]

Congratulations on blowing past 100K subscribers! Totally deserved, great content; wish more of KZbin was like this.

[@culbyj3665]

should have 3 times that atleast

[@strottier1054]

Little late was on vacation for the long weekend as I watch you are at 102k subs congratulations!!!

[@TheChipmunk2008]

Not quite a coffee but it's all i can do right now, (work's slow!) But thank you for providing insight into a side of the industry that most people don't see

[@chris76-01]

Looks like it'll be a big bill for the in$urance company 😊

[@ianmyers1593]

Get some much deserved crew rest and keep up the good fight 👍

[@willwaconsya3433]

Hello fellow SCADA worker. I worked with SCADA systems on Long Island for a public water utility. I was a field tech and drove to various pumping stations to work in the RTU s troubleshooting plc s digital and analog. We monitored tank levels, chemicals, pressures, security, etc. I loved the work but I love retirement better.

[@FosterFarmsOk]

So funny. Im in Tulsa and us electricians and the Lineman have been hopping fences because no one left the gates unlocked for us to get back and fix the services from the storm we had.

[@bruceshepherd6217]

It bee nice to see you do some work

[@michaelgagne1911]

Great video love the real thing you linemen do seeing broken poles and what happens wish we could watch you guys working from start too finish camera helmet camera wow crazy video this one really enjoyed it thanks

[@adriansrealm]

I remember when you were at 23k subs and now 100k! Very cool Aaron, congratulations.

[@ziggybammurphy1645]

As much as a pain spacer cable is to work with sometimes, it eliminates alot of problems associated with open , bare wire construction…..

[@NSaw1]

11:25 Anyone else notice the left cutout door smoking/steaming? Makes since with the rain but also makes me wonder how long that door would last and what would happen to it if it was tracking on the outside and flashed over. Especially if a fault on the cutout doesn't trip another fuse/recloser up the line. Probably would not be good lol

[@throttlebottle5906]

last pole fire here, I didn't even know about, until after it woke me up and I went back to bed after seeing the UPS's beeping/shutting things down properly), in which I woke up later with still no power looked down road and seen flame/smoke from a pole. So I called the FD directly(no answer), then dialed nearly useless (911) they asked "oh wasn't the power company there yet" I facepalmed and said ""I don't know, but the power is off so possibly?"" I was ready to... never-mind, but there'd have been lots of action around here. I don't like to nor want to do/cause that EVER, but I'm being driven to the point.

[@PinePowerLI]

Crazy times we live in with all these storms and fires. Been thinking of how bad it's been in Canada with these fires. These weather extremes take their toll on the power infrastructure, that's for sure. Where I live on Long Island we don't use fiberglass extensions for poles. Sometimes they'll just cut the top off and put in a new crossarm a little lower down, or replace the entire pole. Most other utilities do use them including Con Edison & JCP&L. Never knew that warm dry weather followed by heavy rain could cause cracked insulators.

[@dvone4124]

It's not so much the weather that cracks the insulators, but the extended dry period allows dust to build up on the insulators and fill any cracks that happen for other reasons. When the rains come, that dust turns to conductive mud that fills the cracks and allows current to flow, bypassing the insulator. Being protected inside a crack keeps the mud in place instead of washing away like on the outside, so current continues to flow through the wood of the pole and fire can result.

[@jays106]

wow that big truck had to have been flying to go that far in ground that swampy and take out the poles the way he did and take out that much barbed wire! that stuff usually gets all wrapped up under the truck into everything! and i am surprised that the tow company that removed it did not clean up all the debris from the truck in my part of the US they usually do

[@stephenwallace7288]

Well ups to you... I have been watching your vids for awhile and have a new respect for linesmen... I'm a sparkie from New Zealand (well ex.. don't do it anymore)... but only dealt with 230/440V AC... does not scare me.. but if you add zeros on a voltage.. no thanks Random Idea.. what if you had a drone with infrared to check a line out? Saves driving the whole thing and searching for a fault... might not be practical with Canadian weather I suppose... just an idea Keep the video's coming.. love your work Cheers 👍👍👍

[@throttlebottle5906]

BTW, I have full respect for lineman, crews helping them, EMS/Fire/Law Enforcement, regardless of their dispatch capabilities, same for road work and all others. just don't do needless things (I don't see that often). but here and there I drive past signs, ( "X" work ahead), so pay slightly more attention(than 96%) cough. only to find nothing around out of sight( very late lunch perhaps or just lazy leaving the for the next day? same for most road work/ems/law of today, the lights they have are blinding bright to a person with fast great vision, let alone someone wit glasses/contacts, not even mentioning folks with deliberate imparities (drugs/alcohol). in the last two months, I've been whizzed off to the moon over idiot drivers and traffic but I deal with it and move on or pass them in passing zones with huge open forward views(not driving a rocket ship around, should I????)

[@birdfeeding]

Wow!

[@Yes-qqqq]

Awsome stuff! Stay safe !!

[@robertchauvin486]

He had to have been cruising pretty good to do all that damage.

[@Laurelpearce-w8l]

You done a fantastic job before the backup arrives ,seriously u do a fantastic job of details on the job wish you well ass these days this kind of posts is declining (no pun) love your posts if i had my life over again I would be a part of the network a mist opportunity , i went into component electronics instead

[@hammerlane3871]

Jesus.... I've been heavy rescue fd for 5 years, I've only ever seen a pole wreck this good once and the dude was going about 75 down a side street, lost control, right side hit the right bank, he flipped it and crashed into the pole, completely ripped it in half. 15 hours later we were on our way home

[@Joe-lg1fr]

I'm actually hoping to work for Altec after I graduate trade school. Cool to watch

[@paulf2529]

That was an eventfull shift.

[@veil67]

with those porcelain switches , and the hi-failure rate , so many burned poles i saw around my region when i was in your province , logically it would be better to replace them entirely , logically i know it would be almost impossible due of the cost and manpower it would involve , hopefully someday those porcelain switches and grey bells will be history

[@Bobsdecline]

Agree 💯! There's a few particular models with a high failure rate that were identified. They were all completely removed from our system. Now we're removing any stragglers that are still out there. Some of which were installed during storm/trouble work that were never properly identified in the system. Of several thousands, there are very few left in my area.

[@DrewMarold]

Damn, how fast was that truck going to cross all that soft ground and still have enough energy to take out 2 poles and plus the fence?

[@dendkmac]

Aaron they shredded the poles but it could have taken out wires and all so much rain, still a long day for you, take care D from Las Vegas.

[@steveblake8766]

53 thumbs up

[@LtKernelPanic]

Congrats on 100k!

[@nmccw3245]

Stay safe Aaron!

[@linehandibew6205]

101k !!!!! Congrats brother!!!!! You’re famous 🤪😂

[@jolyonwelsh9834]

Those dark rainy nights, the visibility is horrible.

[@unwired1281]

👍👊

[@HighMansx]

Just close all three phases in, it'll be fineeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..........

[@Pippy626]

If it wasn’t for those insulating breaking it would have been a lot worse for the driver

[@DjResR]

And that center insulator left the atmosphere._

[@kg4muc]

If you can use a pole topper it’ll sure make things easier

[@drlovety]

Lol, that last shot of you, slouching to the side, to trying really hard to say what you want, you can clearly tell you've put in a 14 hr day. Poor guy, get some sleep 🥱 couldn't imagine just sitting and waiting. How many times has your crew awakened you? great vid!

[@chris76-01]

14 hours is an easy day. I'm usually up 16-24😂

[@REBORNTROLL]

Kool get the hot dogs out

[@thechuckster6838]

Last thing you want to do is to work on that equipment while you are tired. The customer can live one night without power.

[@georgesmith8113]

👍👍👍👊😎

[@jasontexter1721]

Dude must've been going 140km/hr 🤣🤣 what are your big trucks limited to up in the Maple leaf???

[@abpsd73]

I'm guessing the transport driver fell asleep before their journey through the rhubarb?

[@44R0Ndin]

Gotta say, I'm surprised the new transformers use vegetable oil. I thought the current state of the art was simply extremely pure mineral oil (or maybe even synthetic mineral oil, so that you only have one kind of molecule to deal with) Vegetable oil is extremely variable, I wonder what they do to it to purify it enough for use in the transformer? The stainless steel enclosure for the transformer is a good choice tho, considering that your location is (apparently, from past videos) close to the seashore, and therefore subject to salt spray year-round (not just in the winter when they salt the roads). Those trucks you guys use must either use some sort of yearly-applied rust preventative on them or they are replaced frequently, because down here in the US, specifically New York state where I live, we salt and sand the roads whenever we get more than an inch of snow, and it takes such a toll on our cars that I often wonder if I'm paying more in rust than I'm paying in fuel! It's that bad!

[@44R0Ndin]

​@@liam3284 I guess it's counter-intuitive to me, I'd have thought that the mineral oils would last longer, but I guess I'm wrong about that.

[@cabwaldo]

I used to work on a bucket truck fleet. They were constantly getting new trucks - and that was for the rural outpost fleet. Trucks are also built way better than cars when it comes to rust. Even if they never wash the thing, the steel is thicker and takes longer to get to the point of failure. I think they are far more concerned about the integrity of the boom due to wear.

[@keithlewis9106]

Can I ask , metal pole , there a loop of top wire tie together and go back up , why the loop ?

[@jason7i2]

What’s the protocol for the driver if they think the truck might still be in contact with live lines?

[@rogerr1296]

Maybe someone can answer a question for me and forgive my lack of knowledge here...lol.... I live out in the country and there is only one line running down the road along with the neutral (single phase?). Anway, the neutral is down/cut from the pole that feeds my home on down to the next pole. All the slack is just lying in the ditch and my yard (a field actually). I showed it to the power company employee who was out here to inspect the conduit I had put in for power to my house, and he basically said it might be a problem for the people down the line but wasn't an issue for me (he didn't seem really concerned). I also reported it to the power company, but nothing has been done. Is it something I need to be really concerned about? I'm eventually going to put in a fence and clean up the ditch so can I, or should I, just cut it at the pole so I can get rid of the slack wire laying around or push the power company to take care of it? Sorry for the long comment/story.... lol.

[@ShainAndrews]

What country?

[@rogerr1296]

@@ShainAndrews I'm in the US. I checked on it yesterday after I posted the comment and they have cut the neutral... they cut it off about 3 feet from the ground and left it hanging down the pole. They also left the broken wire (about 50'+) all tangled up laying in my ditch/field. Also, didn't bother to repair the neutral line so it ends at the pole that feeds my house. I guess it doesn't matter about the people down the line from me 🤷‍♂ 🙄. It's embarrassing to see what kind of service and work ethic the power company and employees have, in my area at least, after seeing the dedication and high work ethic these guys have in these videos.

[@ShainAndrews]

@@rogerr1296 The utility must repair it. It is their discretion where to terminate a line, but it must be terminated regardless. Any line on the ground is to be treated as though it is active. Record & document all communication. If they will not take action then go to the state.

[@robertmailhos8159]

Ouch that is so not cool but some one is going to have to go replace it 😮

[@alanwhite4427]

Hi, I love all the videos, but why in your area do you have a primary neutral. A lot of places around the world just have the 3 phase supply without a neutral “Delta” ?. 3 conductors instead of 4.

[@justinchildress1453]

Have you tried out the safe guard voltage detector. They are so small you don't even no you have it on your hard hat

[@molivroman9806]

As much experience and knowledge lineman have and the hours they put in with overtime their compensation must be really good? anybody know how much a Canadian lineman can make a year?

[@James_Bowie]

It's dark, it's cold and it's raining. It's Canada.

[@Bobsdecline]

Lol! Been blasting the heater all week 😮😔

[@brendanmassaro9595]

How long does a job where you have to replace an entire pole typically take? You said there was also fiber on there and do you also repair that or have an isp come out to repair fiber lines?

[@PRR1954]

"...also fiber on there and do you also repair that or have an isp come out to repair fiber lines?" Fiber don't break easy. If it does, you certainly call a fiber-guy. That takes special tools, jigs, polishers, testers; and you should know what specs are set for that part of that company's network. Mostly though, Aaron can grab a dropped fiber-bundle and hang it on the new poles, send a bill. If the fiber is actually internally strained, so fiber customers complain, the ISP will send a guy with a special trailer with all the fiber fixings and testers. (They get to splice 'inside', in dry, not up in the rain like power workers.)

[@kennethjohnson4280]

I get upwards of 70,000 lb, but how fast was this cat going? Damn. That's a LONG run out.

[@jasontexter1721]

Had to have had brake failure or something....

[@gfy2979]

You aint gonna wait till that transformer cools off?

[@greghenderson9528]

just curious is it often you get a night of pole fires? Lineman in Ontario here, when they happen, its usually a one off, never seen 2 in one night before.

[@inothome]

Do you guys bond all the mounting hardware now to prevent that exact situation? We started doing that about 20 years ago in the Keys.

[@Bobsdecline]

We bond all equipment, guys and neutrals but not the pins or cut out brackets. We're in the process of switching to all fiberglass brackets and crossarms, which will help... My only concern is that a compromised piece of equipment may only be discovered upon operation .

[@inothome]

@@Bobsdecline Got ya, down in the Keys they bond everything. Cut-outs, pins, guys, etc.... I guess they had a lot of problems in the past, especially being in the salty air and tracking. A lot of the older lineman bitched about having to bond everything, but as seen in your video it can definitely stop that from happening! So the extra few minutes of time and copper is worth it, in my opinion. Work safe man.

[@timcat1004]

Is that your email chime? Mine was like that. Retired from CATV 5 months ago. Hated on-call.

[@justinchildress1453]

How does your call schedule work. We pull call 1 person on call a week for every area and if the man on call needs help he arcos for help. But I have to pull call every 5 week

[@m1stertim]

it shows 101k subscribers for me - what is that in metric?

[@dvone4124]

About 140,000 Canadian.😁

[@johnhershey4010]

OMG

[@williamfenner9915]

What happens if you are doing a job, and you aren't done yet. Do you have to leave

[@scott2582]

What brand of flash light are you using?

[@Bobsdecline]

I use both the Milwaukee and the litebox. The litebox is seen at the beginning of the video as I'm walking through the ditch. The Milwaukee is in the rest of the video. Highly recommended both brands.

[@johnclyne6350]

I prefer Streamlight helmet flashlights. The lite box is made by Streamlight & the Milwaukee’s are great but heavy & bulky. They require one hand to carry. I have a brand new Streamlight I just bought myself that fits on my hard hat. It gives me two hands to walk with incase I fall. It has up to 2000 lumens of light with 3 light settings. I bought 2 spare rechargeable batteries with it. My coworkers are constantly complaining how bright it is on the high setting. I can see up to 3 spans away with it. It’s not a flood light but more like beam light. It has 3 colored diffusers if I wanted to buy them? I chose not to. You might want to check that light out? It’s called the Protac 2.0 by Streamlight. It set me back with everything about $250.

[@РоманБогданов-э4в]

Клёво е видео лайк вам 🇷🇺🤜🤛🇺🇲слава Дружбе

[@eddiecarpenter3459]

Congrats on the 100k. Do you ever go to any lineman rodeos? Would love for you to post one!

[@michaelbrune1257]

Why not renew the pole , more overtime for the men

[@danielelise7348]

Hey Aaron,what do you use for a flashlight(s)?🔦❤

[@Bobsdecline]

Hey Daniel! The truck crash at the start, I'm using the streamlight - led Lightbox and the rest of the video is the Milwaukee handheld and spotlight.

[@danielelise7348]

@@Bobsdecline Awesome mate,Streamlight make decent lights.Take care & stay safe,Cheers from South Australia.⚡🔌💥❤️🇦🇺

[@fn0rd-f5o]

Guessing drunk driver? Or fell asleep. He's going to not be happy when he gets out of jail and sees his insurance bill. Do you know what happened, or can you say?

[@Bobsdecline]

I didn't ask on this one... Usually if drugs or alcohol were involved I'll hear emergency personnel talking about it. I would guess fell asleep, but again... Just guessing. There were no injuries and didn't appear to be any charges involved (other than billing for repairs of course)

[@JCWren]

Could be medical. Heart attack, seizure, or something like that.

[@fn0rd-f5o]

@@JCWren could have been. He must have not been making any attempt at braking. man that's scary. I am freaked out every time I drive (well not really), and I drive a lot, and there are tons of trucks on the roads here. Many more trucks than cars at times. Some of those guys really make me nervous, and you just have to keep the faith that they don't veer right into you.

[@fn0rd-f5o]

@@Bobsdecline Glad to hear that nobody was hurt other than the pole. Indeed, nice job securing those porcelain insulators. I also had no idea that poles caught fire like that. I learned something new, as I often do on your channel. I'm not a lineman by trade, but I'm interested in electrical engineering. I do telecom myself.

[@johnclyne6350]

Who was Jackie Stewart? More than likely fell asleep at the wheel? As soon as his front wheels left the road the speed & momentum of the vehicle sent him through the high grass. Very lucky he wasn’t killed between everything he hit & the energized lines. Fellas look like they’ll have some rest time after that mess. Keep up the great content Aaron. 👊🏻👍🏻 100,000 subscribers?! Congratulations! 🎉 Wishing you all the best. Don’t forget it’s more important to get your rest than the money 💰. Last week we were getting all the smoke from the fires in Canada. Was very bad. Hopefully you & your mates we’re not affected by it?

[@msmoonbeam91]

Scary to think what would have happened if the accident had happened during morning traffic

[@extraslayar4585]

If assume sleep deprivation/white line hypnosis had a play in this accident so it wouldnt happen during morning with other cars as that would make you more alert