138 kV switch malfunction

Hey Everyone!
While filming some 138Kv switching, things didn't quite go as planned. I was initially going to scrap the video, but decided it would be great to share and emphasize the importance of stopping all work when a problem is encountered. This applies to all jobs!
During routine work, if ever you encounter a situation that isn't consistent with the pre job discussion - Stop and reassess the situation. Make sure everyone involved in the work is aware and come up with a new plan!
Cheers all!
** These video's are NOT intended for training or D.I.Y. Only properly trained and authorized personal are allowed to work on this equipment. Always adhere to work methods and procedures particular to the company you are working for. **
Be safe Everyone. Cheers! 🥂
Don't forget to drop a 👊 along with where you're watching
➡ / bobsdecline
#Bobsdecline, #Beingalineman, #Lineman

[@Bobsdecline]

Hey Everyone! While filming some 138Kv switching, things didn't quite go as planned. I was initially going to scrap the video, but decided it would be great to share and emphasize the importance of stopping all work when a problem is encountered. This applies to all jobs! During routine work, if ever you encounter a situation that isn't consistent with the pre job discussion - Stop and reassess the situation. Make sure everyone involved in the work is aware and come up with a new plan! Cheers all!

[@jwilli2460]

Aaron, you're really putting out some great info. As a system operator, I enjoy seeing what's going on on the other end of the phone call. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten the call that a switch won't operate correctly and we have to start figuring out our next steps. Keep up the good work and as I've said before, BE CAREFUL!!!

[@earlestes8649]

Is there a adjustment for that second bar so that you can set it to close better? It’s like the second one is a tooth or more out of time with the first one.

[@Bobsdecline]

@Earl Estes yes there are multiple points of adjustment. It can be finicky at times, but usually not an overly complicated repair

[@conradbarthel54]

Seeing as the middle phase was the only one that closed 100% that disconnect needs some scotchbrite and a coating of graphite and it will be mint! Glad to see your not the only other utility here in Canada that has those bulk oil breakers!!! MB hydro power electrician here

[@montanaboy3777]

As always there sir...learned things I didn't know before - very entertaining and fun to watch you while you on the job. I am curious as too WTH geo cash is ?? or what that small plastic container was for? Love the videos and the wide menu of things your job brings too you!! Keep up the great work - (Along with you fellow workers). I was wondering if you know the frequency your company operates on...would love to listen in. thank you Jeff

[@phaphrd]

Love that he's gonna transfer the geocache over to the new pole! What a guy!!

[@edmarks688]

Love the fact you showed the geocache you found and talked about it briefly. Being a geocache myself it's great to see these little nuggets shared

[@devin8656]

Love that you show the methodical process required for something as superficially simple as flipping a switch. Things may not have went as planned but I definitely learned something. Cheers!

[@jfbeam]

There's NOTHING superficial about 138 THOUSAND volts. This isn't a 120V lightswitch energizing a 5W lightbulb. Even the smallest thing going wrong could be deadly.

[@yopajo]

@@jfbeam dam straight .. my early field career was in HV started at 13Kv topped out at 150Kv - go slow - one mistake either kills you - severely damages you or worse you kill / hurt someone else. IMO not being completely comfortable around it is a good thing as it keeps you focused.

[@RWoody1995]

@@jfbeam I think when they said "superficially simple" they meant "something that looks simple but isn't necessarily simple" not that the task itself is "superficial"

[@ikonix360]

@@yopajo Also it can damage equipment either owned by the power company or owned by the end user that happens to be connected to the line.

[@erzahler1930]

And here I am, restoring tube ham radio gear, and methinks that 2 kVDC on the plates in the power amplifier was a lot! HA! When restoring ham radio gear, we always go by the "one hand in the pocket" rule. Another rule we go by basically says (paraphrased a bit): "Always assume the chassis is hot until you KNOW it's not." (A little poetic license taken. 😁) Even with a power transformer at the AC mains power (117 VAC RMS), a short in the power supply section, or a serious leak in a filter capacitor (leaking electrically AND physically) can create a direct short to chassis ground; not a nice thing to contemplate.

[@davidschick6951]

Bravo on your safety procedures. It reminds me of when I worked in a nuclear power plant. I was security but even though I didn't do electrical work, our leadership strongly emphazied that if we got any unexpected result, stop, make the work safe, and notify whoever you needed to notify. I miss it.

[@lesterawilson3]

7 years in nuclear IT and the same rules applied to us. Crazy place to work but I miss the hell out of it!

[@jonahansen]

Bob - you're a real stand-up guy. I bet they like you a lot at your company...

[@rodolfovillalobos4433]

Retired power plant electrician, our system was 345KV. Nice arc show when it was foggy/humid. Nice to see different equipment being used out there. New or old.

[@tiago222ofnewyork8]

I honestly said to myself "What a good guy..." out loud about a minute ago. It's really a heartwarming moment when someone is big enough to understand that while it might seem dumb, silly, or insignificant to some people, they are smart enough to know that was important to someone. That little bit of extra courtesy of transferring safety reflectors that someone might have put up so they know where the pole is in relation to their driveway when the snow is 2 feet deep or a geocache that was a middle schooler's project - well it just breeds goodwill between people. And goodwill is what this place needs now more than ever. 👍

[@MagentaRV]

I wish more linemen would transfer caches to the new pole when you replace one! Thanks for pointing it out and bringing awareness!

[@numeristatech]

Brings me memories. Years ago had to do a computer deployment for an energy company, which included a mandatory 4 day electrical safety course. No problems working in the offices but having to walk into the protected switching park to access the local main control room, surrounded by lots of lattice structures with very heavy HV cables strung everywhere. Safety was drilled in: Stay on the concrete path. Don't walk on the gravel on either side. If you fall or slip don't move and call for help. The control team will come looking for you if you are not there in 5 minutes. And the omnipresent angry buzzing like walking into a hornets nest was extremely unsettling and oppressive! I did ask the team why the big safety certifications just to drag in and out a bunch of computers, and the offhanded sarcastic comment from the site supervisor was to the tune of "if one of those 63kv lines strung across the parking lot falls to ground, all the earth connectors in the building will go live. And if you plug in a computer at that time, it will kill you. But at least you will know why you died". I will admit that the short 100 metre walk to that general control centre was genuinely scary! All the time remembering the spark gap distances for any energised conductors we were given in the training. Getting up close and personal to enough power to run a region with a town of 100 000 people and an industrial zone containing one of the countries largest oil refineries was awe inspiring. And yeah, scary!

[@Gregory.Evans66]

You are the true heroes. Life stops in its tracks when the power goes out. Thank you for keeping us alive!

[@mikeiver]

I work now for a large research center of a global corporation as an electrician. We work everything from the outlets and equipment all the way out to the yard where we have 138KV incoming for the whole facility. They make use dawn the 40cal suits et al for any manual switching. But like you said, it is rather easy if you just follow the check list. Cool videos.

[@retroandrailways]

Great video, it is amazing and interesting to see all these things and jobs that are behind our sockets and light switches that enable us to have electricity on our disposal in any time of day and night.

[@inothome]

Good emphasis on stopping when switching doesn't go correct and also to verify that the contacts fully went in and rolled. I know you know, but I am sure not many outside the industry understand how most HV switches operate. The movable contact actually rolls inside the jaws BEFORE it starts to move out of the jaws. Opposite when it's closed. The movable contact fully inserts in to the jaws and then it rotates to make the solid connection and also performs a "wipe" as it seats to help clear any corrosion on the contacts. The movable contact isn't round, it has ears, per se on it that allows it to move in and out of the jaws with no friction and then rotate to close the connection. Speaking of corrosion, the contacts are usually silver plated, since silver oxide conducts. Vs coper oxide that is a bad conductor and will not make a good connection. That's why when performing maintenance on most HV switches you do NOT use anything more abrasive than a light Scotch-brite. The silver plating is thin and a wire brush could remove the silver plating, leaving just the copper that can lead to hot spots later down the road. As archaic as some substation equipment may look, there is a lot of engineering and lessons learned that is going on, even with something as simple as this switch. Some more 138kV switch action!! And yes, some of them needed maintenance and should not be that hard to operate. A few did end up breaking over the years. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWnGfoZ6rL-eerc

[@Tech-NO-City]

I wish you would elaborate more on the worst case scenario. What not to do is equally important to know.

[@Bobsdecline]

A great point! I'll keep that in mind with future videos 👊🍻

[@matthewellisor5835]

@@Bobsdecline Yes! Few understand Why re-opening a switch (even if it just wouldn't fully close) without authorization could leave someone else in a dangerous situation with overloaded lines or leave many users down the line at risk of a cascade-failure.

[@linehandibew6205]

Don’t get killed…. That’s the worst case scenario. And the way to do that is to follow procedures. If something isn’t working properly or you are unsure of what is being requested of you then you stop everything and clarify the orders and get on the same page with the operator. Don’t be an idiot and never just wing it. Measure twice cut once

[@shawnerz98]

Thanks for what you do! Thinking about the things can go wrong on 138KV lines scares me. I think I'll stick to my 3.3V, 5V, and 12VDC systems thank you very much! 😀

[@AldoSchmedack]

lol 😂 Why I do electronic engineering and not electrical right there! Worked on up to 13.8 and prefer NOT to tyvm.

[@Gengingen]

Looks like you don’t care much for the light & sound show 😊

[@jolyonwelsh9834]

You are the best lineman I have ever seen on KZbin. Keep up the good work.

[@Bobsdecline]

🙏 Appreciate that very much! 🤝👊

[@heatherkohlwey8379]

That looks like it would be quite a process to replace that switch. I would be interested in how it's done. Since you don't normally work in those areas, I appreciate what you did show with that. Thank you. Stay safe and God bless.

[@mrfrenzy.]

I don't think the switch needs to be replaced, just adjusted or serviced. It looks like the center blade clooses an inch too soon which prevents the handle from keeping to turn and closing the outer two blades properly. It still might be quite a process though and maybe that bus bar has to be switched off.

[@inothome]

As mrfrenzy said, the switch just needs to be adjusted and or lubed. There are rods between the poles to allow interphase timing adjustments.

[@matthewbeasley7765]

The real challenge is if anything needs to be done up at the switch blade. That would require dropping the feed to the switch long enough to pull the jumpers back where it connects to the bus. Them one more time after the switch is fixed. Switches on the bus side are some of the most difficult to deal with because it means taking a bus offline to do the work.

[@heatherkohlwey8379]

@@mrfrenzy. Thanks for the info. I'm new to this stuff and I enjoy learning new things.

[@heatherkohlwey8379]

@@matthewbeasley7765 Thank you. This is a process I would love to watch. I'm totally new to this so I'm learning.

[@Happymacer_P]

Thanks! A video showing best safety practice is great to see! On a related note, I’m sure you know this but maybe some of your viewers don’t: that grounding mat at the operating wheel you mentioned is an equipotential mat, to ensure your feet and hands are at the same voltage if a phase to ground fault should occur. Critical safety device, and as you say must be checked for continuity before operating the switch. Such a simple device can save a life!

[@fellpower]

This is a lineman, that works with standards and rules - like we germans do - great work and greetz from a german electrican ;)

[@dividendjourney]

Thank you Aaron as always Brother for showing everyone real-time electrical safety. You've taught myself and many other upencoming Lineman safe work practices! God bless, stay safe 🙏 👍👊

[@gertebert]

Best job in the world! You have to be intelligent, understand everything about high voltages, work with your hands, have a bunch of colleagues that you can trust to the bone and you work outside in the fresh air!

[@jeffreykornspan9053]

hi Aaron, we just had a one engine private plane get entangled in one of our 500 KV transmission towers this evening and they had to open them to rescue the pilot as well as removing the plane. Only took down one or two outdoor substations along with numerous other 69KV indoor substations. And about 85,000 customers on a cloudy, rainy sunday evening. jk

[@Bobsdecline]

Crazy! I actually just came across the article about that on my newsfeed! 😮😟

[@AldoSchmedack]

😮 wowsa bad place to land a line... notes that for future flightschool classes... 😂

[@colehoffmeyer9083]

I only trim tree around power lines but find it fascinating on the inner workings of the system

[@spikester]

Always interesting as usual, those gas filled breakers are gigantic. I presume most of the open air breaker bars are spring loaded nowadays & these are older units where there is no 'slam action' on the blades when you get to a specific point in the crank. Thanks for all your hard work as usual showing us how its done.

[@leotexas3485]

This was an awesome video! I’m a residential apprentice, but I appreciate and learn from all aspects of the grid.

[@busnorth]

I have great respect for linemen. I have started many arguments on work sites as to why pumers make more money over electricians considering the levels of danger.

[@Matty-oc8db]

That's super impressive you're trained and capable of switching overhead, underground, and in the transmission substations. We have different departments for each of those so coordinating operations is kind of a nightmare for us sometimes.

[@Real_Moon-Moon]

If something ever seems off, check it. This is a good thing to keep in mind for most if not every industry. Including the field of structural engineering and architecture. Which is where I'm going. There have been lots of tragedies caused by people not double checking.

[@wrnrt]

Thanks for adding the space in the title. 🙂

[@ottoroth9377]

I've been an electrician 52 years but will not mess with the big stuff, nope, sorry, don't want to be a pork chop well done!

[@perserverance719]

Your channel is fantastic! Should have way more subscribers than channels that just make you lose brain cells when you watch them.

[@timbelson9522]

I kept staring at the communications tower behind you at around 1min 30 into the video thinking about work earlier today being called in to find the broken line on emergency call today, except dint usually scan above the lowest line's for issues, i respect your work and others who work on the low voltage and high voltage lines above ones i do work on

[@okzzvil7617]

Thanks

[@artwigwa]

Thank you for sharing your work on camera, very interesting. Stay safe 👍

[@Samanthareneeheart1]

Be careful as Always Erin have a great weekend

[@Bobsdecline]

You too Samantha, thanks!!

[@Samanthareneeheart1]

@@Bobsdecline your welcome sir 🤜

[@TheJmich2001]

Big juice!! Thx for keeping us warm! NJ

[@theslowride66]

loved learning now the switches work I seen right away they were not making a good connection. NO Bs when dealing with electricity.

[@frederickbowman4494]

I like your style of safety great job!

[@jeffreykornspan9053]

Thanks for the Video Aaron. Great details with the grounding and the defective air switch.

[@easymac79]

14:00 You should have taken the cache and joined, or at least looked into it. I've heard of it. Sounds fun if you have time for it (Certainly you don't), but maybe a friend. Cheers, love your videos, always learn something.

[@1234j]

Your videos are just packed with information and interest. Thank you for such consistent content. Cheers from England.

[@Relkond]

Failure is mandatory. What you do when failure occurs is what’s important.

[@jeffreykornspan9053]

Good evening, Aaron. My mistake on the voltage on our utility here in Montgomery County. They were 230 KV. There are a set of that runs from Montgomery to Howard County that are 500KV also. I did the old rule of thumb counting the rings on the insulators. But, yesterday made a call to one of my engineer friends and he confirmed the correct KV.

[@peterwexler5737]

You would be a great airline pilot, Bobsdecline.

[@crockpot5194]

Hey Bob yes I'm actually doing 2 projects. Haven't been on for a while because of me doing this. It's definitely alot of work

[@tedmoss]

Boy! I haven't heard that hum for many years! The 500 Kv is even louder.

[@shuntawolf]

Always nice to see things like this. So many companies out there ignore the basics at times that it winds up costing time and money. Something as simple as "go flick that switch and make sure it's working right" can turn disastrous in a hurry if even the most simple of procedures aren't followed. Question I have is why didn't the two bars seat fully? Issue with the bars themselves, or with the rotating mechanism or ??? I'm surprised that the gearing didn't let it go past the 90 degree mark under force.... Curious now.... Stay safe up there!

[@SarahLowrey]

Good deal, Bob! As an equipment operator at a nuclear power plant, we have as stringent requirements as you. Good to see them followed so well.

[@throttlebottle5906]

the TLM crew probably went out, closed it and hammered it in place with hot sticks. 🤣🤣

[@wesley1983]

12:14 thanks for the shout out to the Relay Techs. 👍

[@TandD1w]

Thanks for transferring the geocache. I don't know if everybody would have done that know it really shouldn't have been attached to your pole in the first place.

[@Bobsdecline]

It's not really, but also pretty harmless. Really great hobby that I encourage anyone to try!

[@B-Scales]

Eveytime I watch an video, it make me want to be doing Line work!

[@raydunakin]

This was pretty interesting.

[@jimsvideos7201]

I admire your willingness to do this job; I'm ok with 220 VAC but the kind of voltage that comes out to get you... 🤔

[@MrTheHillfolk]

LOL I've had 480 try and bite me on a damp day when I go to touch my fluke leads to an ats checking generator power by seeing a little arc reach out and touch the metal tip before I make contact, that's enough for me forever !

[@eyeofbass]

Massive respect. Enjoyed the insights. Subscribed.

[@2024301]

So interesting to see how all this works

[@scotsmanofnewengland7713]

Differently a dangerous job and over the years a lot of men and women have been seriously injured and killed. I lost a second cousin who was a lineman and got electrocuted up in a bucket truck while repairing a line after a severe thunderstorm. Sad he left a wife and child. Be careful and always “ Safety “

[@TheBradbo1140]

What an interesting job.

[@Bluenoser613]

I hope you signed the geocache!

[@Dinco422]

The most I got shocked by was 200v while backfeeding a small transformer... 138Kv... is just... You'd blow up basically. That's why I respect what you guys do so much, many people don't think about these people except when there's some trouble and they don't have power, but when nothing happens it means they do their job :)

[@NotActorRobertLoggia]

Just found this channel, so maybe I'm missing something, but it looks like you're switching alone. Maybe we're spoiled were I work, but the switchmen I work with would never even entertain doing this kind of work alone. Stay safe out there.

Outstanding, simple comment

[@johnwalker890]

Good job Aaron.

[@alan.macrae]

Thanks Aaron. Another informative video. 👊

[@theamerican7080]

Fascinating.

[@zootflute]

Great work on another educational video!

[@erzahler1930]

I like the methodology. It's a lot like railroads. When a Maintenance-of-Way (MoW) gang is working a problem, such as a malfunctioning power switch. A "power switch" is a motorized switch for switching a train to one track or another at a junction, such as a passing siding. It can be remotely operated by the dispatcher, or manually operated by a train or ground crew on site. With train traffic still moving in the area, the gang foreman will call the subdivision dispatcher via radio to get a "track and time" warrant to occupy that section of track. The warrant will specify the warrant #, the exact milepost location where work is being accomplished, the track limits (from milepost # to milepost #), and whether the track is a main line, a siding, or a branch line. The time declared for the warrant depends largely on traffic density. If the track is low density, such as an industrial lead or a secondary branch line, the warrant will specify a time limit. If the track sees high density, such a section of a transcontinental line, the warrant will read "joint with dispatcher until called." This means the MoW crew must clear the site for approaching traffic when the dispatcher so informs the foreman. The warrant is cleared, allowing the train to proceed at a reduced speed. Once clear, the track foreman will call the dispatcher to create a new track-and-time warrant with the same information as the previous warrant. Obviously, a railroad is not an electrical transmission line, and vice versa. However, procedures for doing/completing work are similar. Fun fact: the rails on a railroad actually have a tiny current running through them, pushed by a very small voltage, maybe 2 or 3 VDC. Rails run in shunt circuits and are normally open between blocks. When a train runs over a shunt, it completes the circuit, which signals the dispatcher where that train is on the railroad. Shunts are also used to activate/deactivate grade crossing protection. While the two industries are miles apart in form and function, there are, nevertheless, similarities between both. Also, on a railroad, any signal or electrical apparatus needing maintenance is performed by a "signal maintainer." I thought you all might find that interesting. 🙂

[@mikeholmstrom1899]

Some years ago, part of the Bay Area had an "Oops!" blackout, during work on major lines like those: "PG&E blamed the outage, which affected more than 375,000 households and businesses in San Francisco and on the Peninsula, on construction workers who failed to remove a grounding apparatus before restoring power to substation equipment they were servicing. The utility also faulted a control room crew for turning off protective devices designed to confine any outages to the substation."

[@andrewrussack8647]

Nice video. Single person switching on live equipment is not allowed in Australian jurisdictions.

[@jsb7546]

Dope geo cash find

[@carlubambi5541]

Great work you do !

[@AlanTheBeast100]

Very informative video. I'll have to re-watch...

[@Bacongrease00]

Still rocking those OCBs

[@arthurcarr7364]

What's your PCB content in the main tank and the bushings?

[@nicktatters7523]

Brilliant video 👍 please leave your caption bar up for longer, we can read then. I have to keep rewinding and pausing, Thankyou.

[@Bobsdecline]

I definitely do that in future uploads! Thanks for letting me know 👊🤝🍻

[@ScooterMcDooter69]

A Cleaveland Price switch has the same style switch that would fix that problem 😉 if you don't feel like adjusting the interphase pipe to get the blades to fully seat in the jaws of the switches

[@Croissinate]

The forbidden playground

[@capitalfelony305]

at 3:24 I'm seeing how the rigid pipe is crimped down on the bond wire a couple times, in order to bond the pipe. I've never seen that method before... seems like a good cheat there! :) Easier than using bonding bushings or clamps i suppose.

[@wesley1983]

8:44 You got 3 finger gloves? Never seen those before, awesome!

[@IimmanSdexterXan]

very interesting . ty .

[@eyeofbass]

The Mr. Fixit in me wanted to give the breaker blade a good shove into place. 😂

[@rich6913]

Filming a video while you’re doing high voltage switching is a safety hazard. You should be focused 100% on what you’re doing and not distracted with videoing. I’m surprised your company doesn’t fire you for doing this. I’ve been trained that when you’re doing high-voltage switching there was no other conversations or distractions. Well doing switching. Your life and others are on the line.

[@danm4320]

He is simply verbally explaining the processes out loud as if he was an instructor. As long as he doesn't start rambling on about what he ate on the weekend I don't see the issue. He looked very focused;

[@DaylightRobberyCA]

All sorts of work, electrical or not, changing/unexpected conditions are a huge risk for incidents.

[@nathanburgon6629]

Would be good to see the control room and the associated protective equipment. Interested to see what you guys in the USA use 🇺🇸

[@eswing2153]

Not Sus at all.

[@tookitogo]

And he’s not even in USA.

[@timcat1004]

I just retired from CATV 41 years. I found a Geo Cash on my gate. Tossed it into the bush. They trespassed to get to the gate.

[@akshonclip]

I’d be willing to bet a geocacher ran into that pole while staring at his GPS screen. 😂

[@Bobsdecline]

Magine, that was on the police report lol.. found it!

[@gleydsonjunqueira4876]

Up Bro

[@GamingGuy256636]

@Bobsdecline - Lineman blogger What is the normal cause/issue that would not allow it to fully close. Would it sometimes be how its been lined up or installed? or simply the mechanism is damaged?

[@ottoroth9377]

I've been an electrician for 51 years...NO WAY would I even attempt to play this game of chance!

[@MrBurritoMan]

That's a tremendous number of angry pixies...

[@billzhang709]

Why the malfunctioned switch was reported but the switching plan was still being executed before maintenance finished the repair work?

[@NathanaelNewton]

Hey Bob! Love your glasses.. Can you share the details about them?

[@Bobsdecline]

The "mirrored" pair at the start of the video are the smoked lens Nemesis And the dark tinted pair are the fog resistant Milwaukee. Both very good safety glasses... Highly recommend!

[@Qazxswer68]

Hey it’s a geocache😃 My favorite outdoor hobby:) You wouldn’t mind sending me the location of it so I can tell the owner they made it on KZbin.

[@tcoradeschi]

And that it “Needs Maintenance”!

[@jamesmeme7734]

Geocaching... that is awesome can I marked that off now that I seen it in your video.... hahahaha

[@Bobsdecline]

Haha still counts!

[@TheNapalmFTW]

This is why it can take a while to put the power back on after a cut. And I'm okay with it.

[@rpyle76]

Every major electrical company should be getting fiberglass line poles soon.

[@johnathonneal603]

During Thanksgiving, I was at my aunts property, and I noticed that the original transformer that was installed back in the 60s with PCB is still being used.

[@jamescollier3]

did it taste good?

[@johnathonneal603]

@@jamescollier3 delicious 😆

[@DrumCoversbyBill]

Wow that humming sound. Dayum thats some serious juice.

[@owendodman3037]

So you're saying if the load side is also connected you may not have been able to reopen in fear of an arcflash? What would be the procedure in that case?

[@fn0rd-f5o]

curious, what's up with the microwave towers? That just for remote access to the sensing equipment?

[@devtrash]

So someone could get the blades closed, tagged and they sent you out to close the blades, they didn't, so you. tagged it and...how many times will they send out a guy?