Power Poles – How to Maintain Them

Not many of us worry abut electricity, we all have them in our homes. Yet, making electricity travel from one place to another is a big job for two reasons - without the right equipment, there can be substantial loss of electricity and two, there should possess no threat when transferring electricity from one place to another. This is where a power pole comes into use.

What is a power pole?
While going on weekend trips we often find those ubiquitous iron or wood columns in busy locations with lots of wires dangling from them. These are the electric power poles which supply electricity to each and every corner of the country. They are made strong and sturdy so that they can withstand the vagaries of nature. Apart from being used to carry the power to individual homes, these long beams of wood or galvanised steel are also used on a temporary basis in commercial sites or construction sites. Sometimes the traditional single tall structure is also replaced by A shaped poles for more stability and longevity.

Maintaining power poles
In this article, we intend to educate you regarding the maintenance procedures of power poles. They are built on a strong foundation and are of robust structure, but still, they also suffer damage sometimes due to natural or due to human activities. Besides natural calamities such as cyclones and earthquakes, human incidents such as a car crash, collision or riots may also inflict significant damage to the power pole. So it is also extremely important to know when to call for power pole repairs.

As a consequence of the aforementioned causes, power poles get damaged and pose a serious hazard for all activities around itself. In case the damage is so heavy that the pole might collapse, it poses life threat for the people around who may be injured or killed due to the debris. However, faulty deteriorated poles can prove fatal as well. They may inflict extremely high voltage current to people coming in contact instantly killing them or may even lead to fires. Any unchecked damage may thus prove fatal for all passersby.

In the case any such damage is visible, you should contact the electricity department to come and disconnect the power or contact a Level 2 Electrician Sydney. The damage will then be assessed by the officials, and necessary repairmen and contractors will be contacted to carry out the repair work. However, an important thing to be noted is that under no circumstances should any untrained person be allowed to cut the power. Also, in case of fire, it is extremely important that the water is not used to try and douse the fire. It will have far reaching consequences and may be lethal for many.

So, it is important to be vigilant and keep an eye on the power poles on a regular basis. Just a regular visual examination will suffice. In the case of any visible damage it will be most appropriate to contact the electricity department.

Electrical Metering Services Facts That You Need to Know

Electric meters are fitted in commercial as well as domestic establishments, to keep a tab on the amount of electricity used. As per the kind of establishment and the load of that particular establishment, the single phase or two phases or a 3 phase metering service is installed. The bill is generated by calculating the net usage of electricity over a cycle of a specified period. The main unit of measurement is Kwh.

Single Phase: Cost effective and widely used in residential establishments. They are used in areas with low demand and if the residence has many electrical appliances such as multiple ACs then a 2 phase or three phase metering system are needed.

Three Phase: When the same load is supplied by three different supplied the system is called a three phase metering service. It is mostly used in high demand areas such as commercial establishments or large residences. Unlike the previous types of single and two phase, three phase is a significant development as all the three voltages are completely in equilibrium.

Solar - Gross, Net, Sun Power: Apart from the regular kind of meters which we all know about solar power uses a different technology. Upgrading your meter would mean you can check the amount of solar power that is fed into the grid.

Off-Peak Time of use: Generally, demand for electricity falls between 11 pm and 7 am. This is because of the reduction in activities significantly. To encourage people to utilise this time power companies offer discounts and special offers during this period. Since, most people are asleep during that time of the night it is generally utilised by charging all the appliances. That helps save lots of money on electric bills and also keeps consumption levels from falling drastically. So it is a win-win situation for both the consumer as well as the power supplier.

How you judiciously use off-peak electricity will depend on the kind of meter you have at home. Here is a look at some of the things that you need to consider.

• Single meters have a uniform rate and do not have such discounts on offer. As matter of fact there is nothing called Off-Peak time rates in case of single meters
• There are types of meters called Interval Meters which measure the electricity consumed at peak time, off-peak time as well as shoulder rates.
• Two rate meters are programmed to maintain just two records. They measure the electricity consumed in peak time and during off-peak time.
• Off peak or Controlled metering devices use a uniform rate for all the appliances in your house apart from one. For example, a hot water service which consumes power only at off-peak hours and is kept out of this meter as it is charged at off-peak hour rates.

Electric metering is a concept that’s gained a lot of prominences today. If you are from Sydney, always look out for a level 2 service provider Sydney. A level 2 electrician will know all about the electrical works and will help you to solve your problems efficiently. Looking for a level 2 electrician also ensures your safety.

When You Need Certified Level 2 Service Provider?

Be it at our homes or workplaces, we all need electric energy to perform all sorts of work. We operate several electrical appliances to complete domestic chores as well as require the assistance of electrical gadgets to complete official tasks. Have you ever wondered from where this electric energy comes to our homes and offices? Through many complex underground and overhead wiring and with the help of power poles, the electric energy reaches our homes and offices from the main electricity power plant/ power station.

To facilitate easy connectivity of this electric power into our homes and offices, we mainly depend on certified level 2 service providers. These major electric installations need to be dealt with extreme caution and need specialized training and expertise, and level 2 certified electricians are equipped to handle this type of works. Typically, a certified level 2 service provider offers the following complex electrical services.

• Electrical work requiring overhead and underground wiring or installation.
• They work on main electricity Power Poles and Aerials.
• They facilitate to provide temporary electricity supply to the building that’s under construction or newly built.
• They are quite capable to handle all three-phase upgrades.
• They can work with disconnects and reconnects.
• They can perform all types of switchboard upgrades.
• Do you want to carry out defect repairs? They can handle it as well.

You can give a call to a certified level 2 electrician when you need assistance with any of the above mentioned major electrical installations/ cabling requirements or upgrades; and be rest assured that your job will be done to perfection.

Make Sure You Call the Right People to do the Job

You need to make sure that you are calling the right Level 2 Service Provider. You need to verify their credentials as below:

• Do they have a valid Electrical Contractor’s License?
• Do they have License as an Authorized Service Provider?

This check will ensure that you are dealing with the right people.

Keep the Telephone Numbers Handy with You

You never know when an electrical emergency would come up. So, when you have found out one such reliable Level 2 Service Provider, it makes sense to keep their contact numbers saved in your mobile or note their contact numbers in your personal pocket dairy, so that when a sudden electrical emergency arises, you can immediately call them and have the problem fixed.

Hope this bit of information has helped you to understand the importance of level 2 electricians and when you need to call them.

Regional Level 2 Electrician Can Come To Your Rescue in an Emergency

When you want to complete large and complicated electrical tasks, certainly you require the assistance of a level 2 electrical service provider. For example, you might require expanding your current single phase electric supply to three phase electrical supply as your use of electronic appliances in your property may have gone up.

Licensed Professionals

A level 2 service provider is licensed to execute all kinds of complicated electrical tasks. They can efficiently undertake works like switchboard upgrades; underground wiring and re-wiring; Meter Installations; Fixing of overhead power lines; disconnects and reconnects; cabling needs for newly constructed buildings, be it for residential, commercial or industrial properties; defect repairs and more.

Are you facing a break in your electric power supply connection with your local electricity supplier and want to reconnect? A licensed Level 2 electrician can get you connected again by linking your main service lines to your local electricity supplier and also they can efficiently handle live cables and metering equipment. Regardless of how big or small electrical tasks are - a licensed Level 2 service provider can manage it all in the right method.

Dependability
Definitely, you can depend on level 2 electricians for all sorts of crucial and intricate electrical works as they possess the required training and experience to accomplish these electrical works in the proper way. The stay well-informed about advances in technologies and new instruments, thus they can very well work on any type of the latest equipment effortlessly.
For any type of emergency electrical services, you can rightly look up to level 2 service provider for immediate and prompt assistance. An emergency electrical work can include repairing a faulty power pole; detecting and repairing underground faulty cable lines; or upgrading your switchboard and replacing your meter equipment.

Annual Contract
For regular maintenance of electrical cables and appliances, you can get the services of a licensed Level 2 electrician by signing an annual contract, which would help you to keep your overall costs lower and most importantly you will be covered against all kinds of electrical emergencies.

Saving Important Contact Numbers
It’s recommended that you keep the telephone numbers of a licensed level 2 service provider saved in your mobile handset or personal pocket diary, so that you can easily reach them when you are in need or if an electrical emergency strikes unexpectedly.

You can very well rely on level 2 electricians for acquiring important electrical repairing and maintenance. These level 2 electricians are professionally dressed, report on the job site on time and they obtain ongoing training and have practical hands-on most important, complex as well as minor electrical tasks.

The Significance of Underground Electrical Cabling

These days, we can see that in many places, underground electrical cables are used to allocate electricity to residences instead of the usual overhead cabling and utility poles. Underground electrical cabling is also normally used for lighting parking area, and is a better choice for property owners who require to power outbuildings. Compared to overhead installations, underground installations have lesser issues, yet they require repairs or cabling replacements over the period of time.

Underground cabling is prone to getting cracks as well (generally known as faults). Cable that is installed in rocky ground is particularly vulnerable to cracks. Among other things which lead to cable issues is when people dig into the underground cable to install something else. Over the course of time, all electric cables degrade and start having problems, and underground cabling is no different.

When you discover electrical faults or failures, what would you normally do? The best thing to do is to call an expert electrician to handle the issue for you. To find out underground cabling faults, you will have to call an underground power specialist, who can uncover the underground cable that has gone wrong, which needs repairs or replacement. The tools required for performing underground electrical tasks are way too pricey and complicated, and so it’s only prudent to leave the work to a licensed electrician.

In order to determine the crack, the fault locator will use a cable tester. Then after, the professional will use an underground cable locator to find out the path of the underground electrical cable, and will make use of paint to mark where the cable passes through underground area. At that juncture, the cable fault locator will make use of one or more available methods to trace the accurate spot where the electrical cable is cracked.

The professional electrician might make use of several possible methods that tests the area for power fluctuations in the ground, or may make use of an earth gradient method, in which a high voltage flow is transmitted by means of the electrical cable, which can be observed with a particular meter. When these methods are used by a practiced underground cable specialist, it’s exact and effective. Nevertheless, there are times, when conditions in the electrical cable or the land prevent these methods from functioning accurately.

In severe cases, the error in the underground electrical cabling might require to be positioned through unearthing numerous locations to test the cabling or another alternative would be to change the part of underground cabling that is causing problems.

Certainly, underground electrical cabling is the handiest and aesthetically pleasant, but when problems happen, it is best to take the services of a licensed electrician who has years of experience in dealing with such issues so that the specialist can identify the error in cabling and recommend you on the finest methods to fix it.

Why Timber Power Poles are Preferred over Steel Power Poles

Austin Agnew runs a restaurant in Burwood, Sydney. Close to his restaurant there is power pole that has obtained damages in a recent accident, so he wants to get the damaged power pole replaced by a new timber power pole and have it re-installed by a licensed Level 2 Electrician.

Why timber power pole is preferred by Austin?

Using timber power poles considerably assists protecting the environment and at the same time it saves power costs.

Furthermore, timber power poles are 50 percent cheaper compared to steel power poles and accounts for only 25% of the cost of concrete pole.

The major benefit of using timber pole is it lowers carbon footprint. When a tree is converted and made into a power pole, the carbon remains in the timber product.

The other notable fact is that timber uses much less energy during construction than any other substitute. It consumes eight times less energy to make a tonne of timber than it takes to make a tonne of steel.

Undoubtedly, there would be a continuous demand for timber poles in the future and it will keep on rising as the State’s electricity distribution network expands. 

Due to the many advantages Timber Power Pole has to offer, Austin is in favour of re-installing timber power pole as a replacement for the damaged power pole, which is located close to his restaurant. He will certainly take the services of a licensed and experienced Level 2 Electrician in Sydney for replacing the damaged power pole.

Power Poles Should Be Maintained In Good Condition at All Times

Does your property have power poles within it?

A property pole is a pole that is located in your property's frontier, which holds the overhead power lines to your home or other structures within your property. Typically poles are made up of concrete, timber or steel, and they were at first setup on behalf of the property owner.

Who is the actual owner of property poles and who is accountable?

Property poles could be setup on both commercial as well as residential properties. Typically, the property owner owns the property poles and the power lines between these poles and other structures within the property’s boundary. The property owner is accountable for all the ongoing power pole repairs and maintenance.

However, poles owned by local power suppliers can be recognised by the power suppliers’ pole number, which is normally positioned 2 to 3 metres above the ground on the side of the poles.

How to maintain your property poles?

It is imperative to carry out regular checks and maintain property poles for security and safety reasons and help ensure the stability of energy supply. The property owner is responsible to execute these checks and any maintenance work involved.

Due to corrosion, termite damage or decay, eventually the pole’s foundation can deteriorate. If this happens, the pole may grow weaker, bend or collapse, and probably cause damage to the adjacent property or might injure people.

As a result of the fallen pole, it could bring down the power line that supplies power to your property. It can be lethal - until the pole is replaced fittingly by your electrical contractor, the fallen power lines will not only interrupt the power supply to your home but also it might kill people.

How to investigate, what to search for and what you need to do?

To ensure there is no sign of termites, decay, rust or other type of damage, regularly carry out inspection around the foundation of the pole.

In case, your pole has a cross arm [a structure that is attached near the crest of the pole that holds the power line] - just look at it staying on the ground level and scrutinise if it’s appearing in good condition.

Suppose, you find that the pole has got corrosion or pole’s foundation is starting to decay or something is not right with the cross arm or it’s general condition or safety of the pole, you need to contact level 2 electrician near to you and get them to inspect the pole and repair it if required. As far as the safety of the pole is concerned, don’t trust your own judgement.

Further to the above, at every 5 years, you need to have the pole examined by your local level 2 electrician.

Checklist for Hiring a Capable Level 2 Electrician in Sydney

It’s imperative to do a little bit of research to find the best emergency electrical services contractors in Sydney. Certainly, you have to look out for an expert level 2 electrician who can provide guarantees for their executed work.

Emergency electrical contractor/ service provider ought to-

• Have a guaranteed procedure by which immediate services can be offered to needed customers.
• Offer an all-region services [This suggests a high service capability, capable to handle with emergencies as a component of their essential working arrangement].
• Be fully consistent concerning instant presence.
• Exhibit a good level of service and professional values/ ethics.
• Have licensed and experienced electricians to tackle all sorts of emergency services.
• Exhibit the capability to entirely service your place and the types of installations you may have including mains connections and power systems.

These are some of the essential qualities that a full-fledged level 2 electrician should possess so that they can meet to all your electrical servicing needs. The proficient and competent emergency electrician/ contractor will have no issues fulfilling all these standards.


AJI Electrics is one of the prominent level 2 electrician in Sydney who is there for you 24 hours of the day to offer you with a speedy service in emergencies for all complex electrical issues and get you up and running without any further delays. AJI’s expertise is in power poles, aerials, underground and overhead electrical works, 3-phase upgrades, disconnects and reconnects, metering, switchboard upgrades, defect repairs and more.