They can’t bury power lines in east TN, it’s all rocks and caves down there 

5 hours ago, gim said:

My current house has all buried power lines. This neighborhood has been here since 1998 and it has never lost power

People get a false sense of reality by having buried power lines. At some point they go from aerial to underground. The only way you’re going to have any sense of security is if you live in the plains states which we don’t. The tree trimming we have going on definitely helps but it doesn’t give us 100% security. As someone who in the underground utility business, to install underground utilities it would cost a MINIMUM of $15 per foot so that’s not an option, therefore outages will always be a part of our live to some capacity. 
 

To make matters worse, people complain about power outages so utility companies employ tree trimming companies to help with this but then you have homeowners who constantly complain about the tree trimming because it affects their privacy so it’s a lose lose situation. I’ve experienced this first hand several times over the past 15 years I’ve been doing this. Go figure!

28 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

People get a false sense of reality by having buried power lines. At some point they go from aerial to underground. The only way you’re going to have any sense of security is if you live in the plains states which we don’t. The tree trimming we have going on definitely helps but it doesn’t give us 100% security. As someone who in the underground utility business, to install underground utilities it would cost a MINIMUM of $15 per foot so that’s not an option, therefore outages will always be a part of our live to some capacity. 
 

To make matters worse, people complain about power outages so utility companies employ tree trimming companies to help with this but then you have homeowners who constantly complain about the tree trimming because it affects their privacy so it’s a lose lose situation. I’ve experienced this first hand several times over the past 15 years I’ve been doing this. Go figure!

this is the situation here. Our street is buried since it was a 2005 development. But at the bottom of the street it emerges and goes to a pole. Just in time to run 300 yards along the road through the woods. And the power has to come from somewhere that isn’t the main power line. 
 

We have had a lot of emerald ash borer here such that every ash tree is a dead tree standing. The utilities cut ones that are imminently near the lines but there are so many more that aren’t cut that are close enough to fall on them. People with trees near lines don’t want to cut them because they think the utility should (its landowner responsibility) but then the same people complain when trees take out lines and they lose power.  

11 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

this is the situation here. Our street is buried since it was a 2005 development. But at the bottom of the street it emerges and goes to a pole. Just in time to run 300 yards along the road through the woods. And the power has to come from somewhere that isn’t the main power line. 
 

We have had a lot of emerald ash borer here such that every ash tree is a dead tree standing. The utilities cut ones that are imminently near the lines but there are so many more that aren’t cut that are close enough to fall on them. People with trees near lines don’t want to cut them because they think the utility should (its landowner responsibility) but then the same people complain when trees take out lines and they lose power.  

Along power lines there’s usually what’s called a utility easement and that’s typically 20-40’ on Esther side of the power lines so the utility company can’t do anything beyond that which means they can trim the branches but can’t cut down the trees. In some case they can cut down the tree depending on the health of the tree. Still, that means the majority of the trees are safe from being cut down which means a good storm could still bring that tree down and the power lines underneath it which means power outage to hundreds or thousands of people. 
 

 

30 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Along power lines there’s usually what’s called a utility easement and that’s typically 20-40’ on Esther side of the power lines so the utility company can’t do anything beyond that which means they can trim the branches but can’t cut down the trees. In some case they can cut down the tree depending on the health of the tree. Still, that means the majority of the trees are safe from being cut down which means a good storm could still bring that tree down and the power lines underneath it which means power outage to hundreds or thousands of people. 
 

 

Yeah, we have a utility line out back. It’s a 100’ wide line and they are entitled to cut any tree that is dead or damaged within 25’ and any elm within 50’. They did a big clear out two summers ago and knocked down a couple big oaks on the back of mine. Talking with the guys, the line is a backup connector if the lines elsewhere go down. 
 

the main lines aren’t the big problem. It’s the ones along the roads. There are too many miles to get them all unless the homeowners do their part too. 

I called the utility to see if they wanted to cut one of my trees, they said no thank you 😆 

8 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Talking with the guys, the line is a backup connector if the lines elsewhere go down. 

They have redundancy which is always nice to have. We build our fiber optic infrastructure with redundancy.

11 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

At some point they go from aerial to underground.

I’ll take a photo of the aerial lines one the edge of my neighborhood. These things are not coming down. They are built like the Eiffel Tower.

 

That being said, you know more about this than I do because of the line of work you’re in. 27 years is a long time not to ever lose any power though. Storm after storm, blizzard after blizzard. Something tells me that the only way it could occur is if someone severs a buried line.

37 minutes ago, gim said:

I’ll take a photo of the aerial lines one the edge of my neighborhood. These things are not coming down. They are built like the Eiffel Tower.

 

 

Keep thinking that 🤣

Main power lines between Texas & Louisiana being replaced after Hurricane Laura 

 

 

37 minutes ago, gim said:

I’ll take a photo of the aerial lines one the edge of my neighborhood. These things are not coming down. They are built like the Eiffel Tower.

 

 

Keep thinking that 🤣

Main power lines between Texas & Louisiana being replaced after Hurricane Laura 

 

 

I have a 13k standby with 300 gallon propane tanks. I previously had portable generators. I would never go back, the standy is such a piece of mind, and I don't have to go out and refuel. 

1 hour ago, gim said:

I’ll take a photo of the aerial lines one the edge of my neighborhood. These things are not coming down. They are built like the Eiffel Tower.

 

That being said, you know more about this than I do because of the line of work you’re in. 27 years is a long time not to ever lose any power though. Storm after storm, blizzard after blizzard. Something tells me that the only way it could occur is if someone severs a buried line.

Here in Michigan the towers like you’re referring to and the ones like @Catt posted are transmission lines. Transmission lines come from the power plant and usually to go a substation where the voltage is dropped down to a distribution level and from the substation they go to feed houses and so on. The transmission towers here are huge and like you said those puppies aren’t coming down. It’s quite possible what you’re referring to are distribution lines and if that’s the case you guys are very fortunate. 27 years without losing power is awesome!

@12poundbass The lines in those pictures are out in a marsh & were taken from probably 2 miles away. Those are the main lines connecting Texas & Louisiana. 

 

This is what 158 mph sustained winds are capable of. Your power lines will come down, been there, done that.

 

3 minutes ago, Catt said:

This is what 158 mph sustained winds are capable of. Your power lines will come down, been there, done that.

 

Thankfully we don’t have hurricanes up here and tornadoes which can produce those type of winds albeit not sustained for long periods of time are very rare.

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Main power lines between Texas & Louisiana being replaced after Hurricane Laura 

They look like the first photo you posted.

 

No hurricanes in the Midwest. Bout the strongest wind gust we’ll get here is 75mph when a squall line or bow echo wind burst comes through right before a thunderstorm.

 

I guess a tornado could take one out. I’ve never experienced one.

On 3/22/2025 at 11:03 AM, 12poundbass said:

The transmission towers here are huge and like you said those puppies aren’t coming down.

Well @gim I spoke too soon. We had some nasty storms come through last night with one confirmed tornado so far and at least one more suspected tornado. Confirmed winds of 86 mph at the regional airport in Grand Rapids. This transmission tower was damaged about 45 minutes northwest of me.

 

Wishing I had that generator right about now.

😑

A-Jay 

13 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Wishing I had that generator right about now.

😑

A-Jay 

If you wanted to make the drive down here I have one you could borrow. 

5 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

Well @gim I spoke too soon. We had some nasty storms come through last night with one confirmed tornado so far and at least one more suspected tornado. Confirmed winds of 86 mph at the regional airport in Grand Rapids. This transmission tower was damaged about 45 minutes northwest of me.

 

Holy cow 

 

I saw a hail storm come across Lake Michigan once and I was seeking shelter haha. Also had a door ripped out of the frame at a rental we stayed at. Bro in law was solo camping on manitou island only a few miles away in a tent, he said it wasn’t bad at all 🤷‍♂️ 

12 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

Well @gim I spoke too soon. We had some nasty storms come through last night with one confirmed tornado so far and at least one more suspected tornado. Confirmed winds of 86 mph at the regional airport in Grand Rapids. This transmission tower was damaged about 45 minutes northwest of me.

 

 

What are the chances of this.

Just now, gim said:

 

What are the chances of this.

That was the first thing I thought of too. I’m scared to saying anything else.

 

I wonder if my ancestor was the one who said the Titanic was “unsinkable?”