So ice no power no cell no net no cable

[partsed]

For years my wife and I have said the same thing about having trees planted so close to roads and power lines.
There are power lines that are still down in the Silverton area due to trees pulling on the lines and then snapping the power poles like a toothpick.

 

[Provincial]

Not true. I have worked on a 345kv underground line. The big lines are overhead as a cost measure. dang near impossible to get it underground without trench and conduit. Can't just directional drill or plow it in easily. The other HUGE problem is environmental impact.

Almost anything is "possible" if you spend enough money. I should have said "too expensive" to bury, but that is splitting hairs.

 

[Provincial]

For years my wife and I have said the same thing about having trees planted so close to roads and power lines.
There are power lines that are still down in the Silverton area due to trees pulling on the lines and then snapping the power poles like a toothpick.

Even the current power right of ways are very intrusive on productive land. In addition to the loss of productive land, they restrict the management of the adjacent area.

In urban areas, the loss of trees is a quality-of-life issue affecting the visual impact for residents. Complaints about ugly overhead power wires are already common. Take away the screening effect of the trees, and the "eyesore effect" will skyrocket.

 

[The Heretic]

I keep seeing a common contributor to our power outages here, trees. Shouldn't the trees or thinning/removal of them be more of a focus rather than moving all the transmission lines underground. Why do cities insist on planting or restricting removal of street trees that eventually become problematic and cause power outages, sidewalk destruction, road closures, etc. We have plenty of spaces away from power lines and roadways where we could grow trees at.

Problem is (probably) right of way lines. I am not sure how far the utility right of way extends, if there is such a thing at all (I guess there is, but not sure where).

Up here on the mountain where the trees grow huge (at least 100' tall, usually more than that), can you imagine how far that right of way would have to extend in order to keep the trees off power lines?

Even the limbs can fall away from the trees enough that the right of way would have to extend well onto private property.

Every year that I have lived here, there have been crews up here cutting back trees along the power lines and roads. They only cut them back a certain distance from the road, and trees are usually only trimmed, not cut down where they would interfere with the lines.

Many of the lines cross over well into private property. The power line poles are probably on right of way, but the lines cross private property I am guessing.

A tree itself falling can easily extend 100' from its base and the hardwoods grow like weeds.

On a somewhat related topic, yesterday I ordered a Starlink system. I think I found a spot on my property where it might work. I will have 30 days once it is delivered to try to find a place to put it. The spot I am thinking of is almost 100' from my shop. The 100' cable for the dish from the custom POE injector is hardwired at both ends and the license terms/conditions mandate no modification of the POE/cable/dish. So I may have to put the POE in a waterproof box and run power/ethernet to that box.

Problem is, that spot has fallen limbs on it from the recent ice/snow storm and it is under several huge fir trees. I might have to build come kind of protective cage for it.

 

[kenboy]

Hoping for power in the north Salem labish area by end of day today.....

 

[BigDog67]

A big issue is the amount rain/water the tree gets. In the Portland area that 100+' tree only has roots about 5 ' deep. Our trees up here have to send roots half way to hell to find water. So while a limb may break off, we almost never have a tree go over.

 

[The Heretic]

A big issue is the amount rain/water the tree gets. In the Portland area that 100+' tree only has roots about 5 ' deep. Our trees up here have to send roots half way to hell to find water. So while a limb may break off, we almost never have a tree go over.

True, but here, where trees grow aplenty, it is the hardwoods that cause most of the problems - they may be hard but they are brittle too. They lose limbs and split and break much more often than the conifers. The conifers have long limbs that break too, but rarely split (unless rotten) and generally only the strong windstorms blow them over.

 

[Soli]

Didn't read the whole thread, stopped at "don't wait to buy that generator" in the first post.

Power went out 2/14 approx 10:00. Came on approx 12:00 the same day. What a tease. Went out again approx 14:00.

Just came on today, 2/19, approx 13:00. Cable came back too. Phones were sketchy (lots of dropped, not going though first time, bad connections, etc), but generally worked.

Invested in a generator and wiring for second panel to support it a decade ago. Joked that since I did it and we being us it would never be used. We'd die without ever needing it. Hahahahahaha...

So... just do it. Make your home a place that will actually stay a home for at least a couple of weeks if the power goes out.

 

[kenboy]

THANK YOU PGE LINEMAN!!!! Power restored at 8:00 tonight in north Salem.

 

[The Heretic]

Joked that since I did it and we being us it would never be used. We'd die without ever needing it. Hahahahahaha...

Yeah, I did that right here on this forum and elsewhere. Had three power outage this year before this last one, then I bought the new genset (old one is still not working). Joked that the new genset was a powerful talisman and that now I wouldn't need a generator - while other people were losing power for several days.

Then wham - I lost power.

 

[arakboss]

I doubt the Nissan leaf owners were enjoying this feature:

Ford trucks' built-in generators power Texas homes after winter storm causes power outages

Some pickup truck owners in Texas have been able to ride out winter storm power outages in comfort thanks to built-in generators in their vehicles.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[pdxjimbo]

People need to think outside the (box) ... planet

There'll be a quantum leap in tech that'll make these incremental musings quant and obsolete.

 

[dfisher1981]

I doubt the Nissan leaf owners were enjoying this feature:

Ford trucks' built-in generators power Texas homes after winter storm causes power outages

Some pickup truck owners in Texas have been able to ride out winter storm power outages in comfort thanks to built-in generators in their vehicles.

www.foxbusiness.com

You don't need a $70,000 hybrid electric pickup truck to do the job of an $800 generator.

 

[The Heretic]

You don't need a $70,000 hybrid electric pickup truck to do the job of an $800 generator.

But it doesn't hurt to have a vehicle that can do the job of a generator.

 

[arakboss]

You don't need a $70,000 hybrid electric pickup truck to do the job of an $800 generator.

Try picking up the ladies in your $800 generator.

 

[partsed]

I like the fact that Ford asked dealers in Texas to loan the trucks to people who needed them!!

 

[fd15k]

Try picking up the ladies in your $800 generator.

Tells more about quality of the ladies, as opposed to the size of your "generator."

 

[BigDog67]

QUALITY ladies don't WORRY about the size of a generator. And would probably slap you for your inference.

 

[fd15k]

Power was restored yesterday, nearly 8 days after it went out. And less than 24 hours later... another tree is down and took the power with it. So yeah, let's not put anything underground, it's too expensive while outages are free and don't cost squat.

 

[arakboss]

Power was restored yesterday, nearly 8 days after it went out. And less than 24 hours later... another tree is down and took the power with it. So yeah, let's not put anything underground, it's too expensive while outages are free and don't cost squat.

Chainsaws and woodstoves will take care of the problem.