Cut Those Tree Limbs!!!

I just completed an assignment where contact between a power line and a tree limb caused damage to several home appliances. We all know that power lines are sometimes routed through tree branches between the transformer and the weatherhead on a residential or commercial building roof.  It’s also no secret that electricity can travel through a tree.  In this particular case, contact with the limb came about as a result of rubbing so that when the wire insulation had worn off and the conductor was exposed, a short circuit to ground was created.  When this happens, current is going to go in all directions.  It is possible to energize the neutral side of a building’s electrical system so that current is fed into an appliance in the wrong way which causes damage.  Although electric utilities sometimes take on the responsibility for pruning tress, home and building owners should be proactive in helping to maintain the safety and reliability of power distribution.  As this article is being written, the northeast is being “slammed” with a huge winter snow storm.  It’s no stretch of the imagination to conceive of the number of power lines that will come down as result of broken tree limbs.  But, keeping tree limbs pruned and off power lines can mean the difference between staying warm and waiting several hours if not days for utility crews to make repairs.  Remember, unless you are in an extremely isolated area, the transformer that feeds you home or business, also feeds your neighbor’s homes and businesses.