UTILITY POLES - 7 INTERESTING FACTS

Utility Poles, also known as transmission poles, support overhead power lines and various other public utilities, such as cable, fibre optic cable, and related equipment such as transformers and street lights. It can be referred to as a transmission pole, telephone pole, telecommunication pole, power pole, hydro pole, telegraph pole, or telegraph post, depending on its application.

The following 7 interesting facts about utility poles was shared from Travel Trips, to read more follow this link.

#1 - Utility poles range in height from 30ft to more than 100ft.

The power poles in your neighborhood range in height from 30ft to 60ft tall. Big ones that you may see along major roads and highways measure from 60ft to more than 120ft in height. The world's tallest power line suspension towers, which flank the Yangtze River in Jiangyin, China, are 1,137ft tall!

#2 - Utility poles carry more than just electric wires.

OK, so you've probably noticed that there are many wires on utility poles. Not all of them carry electricity though. Usually, the top 3 wires - which are called primary conductors - carry most of the electricity on the pole. As you come down the utility pole, the next set of wires consists of secondary conductors. They typically deliver power to buildings and homes. The lowest wires are cable and telephone lines.

#3 - Some utility poles carry wires of more than 100,000 volts.

The amount of voltage carried along electricity wires can range from a few thousand volts to over 100,000 volts. Huge transmission lines, which are usually suspended from metal lattice towers or very tall concrete poles (you often see these out in the country), may carry wires with 150,000 to 300,000 volts or more. Lines that connect to your house are usually either 120 or 240 volts.

#4 - Transformers help provide just the right amount of power for your home or business.

Notice those barrels that look like oil drums or trash cans hanging off utility poles? Those are transformers, and they are used to lower the amount of voltage between the primary wires and secondary lines. Without transformers, there would be lots of fried household appliances!

Here's a great video showing how transformers work.  

#5 - Many utility poles are several decades old.

Most power poles are 50 to 60 years old, with some of them much older than that. Depending on your local climate, wood utility poles in your neck of the woods may last from 40 to 60 years. Metal and concrete poles can last much longer, but eventually all utility poles need to be replaced.

#6 - Insulators protect electricity from draining into utility poles.

Ever notice that power lines don't actually touch the poles? Instead, the lines are attached to things that look like dinner plates or cups. These are called insulators, and they help keep electricity from leaking out of the wires and down into the poles. In the old days, glass insulators were common, but today they are mainly made from ceramic or polymer composites.

#7 - The most unique power pole is in Florida.

OK, so this is probably a pretty subjective topic, but if I had to nominate a single power pole as being the "most unique," I know just the one that I would: the Mickey Mouse power pole along Interstate 4 in Kissimmee Florida. It's located right near the westernmost exit for the Walt Disney World resort.

This tower has 3 hoops which form the shape of Mickey Mouse's famously profiled head and ears, with each hoop suspending wires.