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Some sort of Insulating bracket?
I have seen these kind of brackets on wooden OR metal poles used in Denver- Xcel energy territory- A LOT.

What I have noticed is that when these brackets are used, there are LESS porcelain insulators, A LOT less, than usual.

Like on this picture, there would be 8 or 9 Disc insulators hanging down if it was directly connected to the wood or metal.

But on THESE kinds of brackets there always seems to be only FOUR hanging down.

I think these lines would be 115 to at least 150 KiloVolts, A standard voltage for High-Voltage Primary lines.

Are these Utility-Pole brackets insulating? They kind of look like it. I wonder what they are made of, some sort of polymer or something?

I posted this here cause all you experts might know about it. xD
Keywords: Miscellaneous

Some sort of Insulating bracket?

I have seen these kind of brackets on wooden OR metal poles used in Denver- Xcel energy territory- A LOT.

What I have noticed is that when these brackets are used, there are LESS porcelain insulators, A LOT less, than usual.

Like on this picture, there would be 8 or 9 Disc insulators hanging down if it was directly connected to the wood or metal.

But on THESE kinds of brackets there always seems to be only FOUR hanging down.

I think these lines would be 115 to at least 150 KiloVolts, A standard voltage for High-Voltage Primary lines.

Are these Utility-Pole brackets insulating? They kind of look like it. I wonder what they are made of, some sort of polymer or something?

I posted this here cause all you experts might know about it. xD

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Comment 16 to 35 of 35
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LilCinnamon   [Dec 15, 2011 at 02:48 AM]
Denver (Xcel Energy) Uses those voltages for their main voltage lines.

Sometimes one setup has where one side of the lines has 345 KV and the other side has 115.

HERE Is an example.

The weird thing about that set of power lines is the POLES (or frames) Are meant to hold THREE sets of three wires, but only hold two, leaving one of the sections empty. What might be weirder is that instead of leaving the middle one empty they left one of the side ones empty.

For a while this set gets a third set of three, a 115 KV set that get's added on then branches back off to give electricity to the mountain areas, which actually give electricity to that 45 KV line that will be replaced that give electricity to my HOUSE.

You can see the same set HERE when it has three sets of three. But that was the only time it had three, you can browse the maps to see where they branch on then branch off.

Maybe Xcel energy had the money and decided to just spend the money using more expensive. xD
Form109   [Dec 15, 2011 at 02:53 AM]
i've heard that it causes cancer...but i hear talk disputing that and supporting it...i can't see Electromagnetic Fields being harmful.

also..a Thread has began on this photo...High Voltage Ian Thread XD
joe_347V   [Dec 15, 2011 at 03:44 AM]
Shoebox thread > HV Ian Thread. Very Happy
LilCinnamon   [Dec 15, 2011 at 05:53 AM]
Back to the picture.

They made brackets like what is on this picture in Polymer? These don't look polymer..

What do you think these brackets are made out of? They look like they insulate to me.

But they don't look metal, the metal part is on the edges where the insulators attach and where the bracket attaches to the pole, Which is why I think they are an insulating bracket.
Silverliner14B   [Dec 15, 2011 at 06:19 AM]
Here in Southern California Edison territory, the highest voltage I know of on wooden poles are the 66kv sub-transmission lines. They are identified as being on tall wooden poles, usually found along some major roads. The transmission lines on the tall steel towers are either 230kv or 500kv.
LilCinnamon   [Dec 15, 2011 at 06:58 AM]
You find wood poles get pretty high voltage here.

I know of one set where there is 365 KV lines on WOODEN POLES! And a 115 KV with a similar setup like this right next to it and follows the 345 KV right next to each other. The two eventually go together and both sets go on one pole, with equal amount of insulators, to a mini power plant.

Let me get a street view...

HERE IS ONE Of the normal ones, as you see the lower voltage have a setup similar to this picture,

Here is another picture of a turn:
CLICK HERE - Note that it has 2 x more insulators than the drop-down with the brackets.

And here is the SAME string of power lines, but in a different place with different poles, in this view you see that there are FOUR sets of three, but on BOTH sets of lines one side has no electricity running though them, they are just support-wires and aren't intended to carry electricity, so you end up seeing one side end abruptly:

HERE
And to look across the street you see that one side of the 345 KV just ends abruptly:

HERE

And here is where they end, as you notice the 115 KV ones one side just ends and leaves some insulators hanging stray and the other one connects to the power lines behind it.
CLICK HERE
(Street view is a little outdated, the metal steel tower are still there but the ones behind it on wooden poles are long gone, and replaced with some bigger 6 2-phased wire steel poles (hollow steel) with polymer insulators)

That's it now. xD There is an example of how weird Xcel energy can get.
TiCoune66   [Dec 15, 2011 at 04:20 PM]
Here in Québec we use 735kV lines! At the time they've been installed they were the highest voltage lines in the world! Today there are probably a few places with slightly higher voltage lines.
Form109   [Dec 15, 2011 at 08:55 PM]
when were those lines installed vince?
LilCinnamon   [Feb 15, 2012 at 12:05 AM]
I found out that these brackets that are holding the insulators are Fiberglasss, which is a very good insulator, which is why I see less insulators on these brackets than if they were just on normal metal. I know these power lines are 115 KV, and The fiberglass bracekts + the porcelain insulators equals enough insulation.
Antstar85   [Feb 15, 2012 at 12:16 AM]
Ok, I'm not trying to bust you but I work on these for a living and there is no way that these are 115 kv lines. Just because those are fiberglass dosent mean they insulate up to high voltages like that. The NESC (national electrical safety code) which all utilities must follow states the standards for proper 115 kv insulating value. Typically 7 to 8 disc are installed on 115 kv lines. Plus if you look at the top phase, it is well within 6' of the pole which would cause a flash over in moist conditions. Even on distribution lines, you never see power lines attached directly to fiber glass pins, theres always a porcelin or ploymer indulator installed to give proper insulation. I've seen ground mount switch gear flash over on a piece of fiberglass in the switch that had moisture. Please don't assume unless you know exactly what you are working with.
LilCinnamon   [Feb 15, 2012 at 12:48 AM]
Well these are old, and I am not sure Xcel energy or the people who made the power lines always went to code, Different utilities use different things..

I am not sure the voltage but some power lines that I KNOW that are 115 KV have the same brackets and 4 insulators hanging down and then 10 insulators on the dead ends.

And one of the power poles had the same bracket with 4 hanging down but then there was 8 disc insulators connecting to the wire straight to the metal for extra support. If they were lower I Bet they would of just used four straight to the metal. Don't ask me why Xcel did that but it's what they did. Probably wasn't their best idea.
Antstar85   [Feb 15, 2012 at 12:56 AM]
Unless you get me proof these are 115 kv lines, there is know way I can believe this because these are way to use in proximity to be 115.
LilCinnamon   [Feb 15, 2012 at 01:05 AM]
I am not sure why they would use 4 insulators, I guess they did it to be cheaper, you know, people would do anything to be cheaper.

Just the whole set of powerlines had 8 insulators the whole time except on these brackets, that's where I get it from. Xcel probably didn't go by code if there was even a code back then.
Antstar85   [Feb 15, 2012 at 01:07 AM]
Well 4 insulators is only good for 40kv, you can not use the fiberglass bracket as a insulator, so they may have upgraded towers to 115kv but still operating at 69kv which this looks like to me since all our 69 kv installations have 4 disc here.
LilCinnamon   [Feb 15, 2012 at 01:17 AM]
Well since fiberglass insulates maybe they thought they would use the fiberglass to insulate a BIT and still have disc insulators but considerably less. Probably not the best solution but they might of done that.

But I have a bracket now that is the same type so that is how I Found out they are made of fiberglass.
Antstar85   [Feb 15, 2012 at 01:21 AM]
But the clearances from the pole and adjacent lines are way to close, this is why I'm having difficulty beleving this. Like I said before, you can not use the bracket as an insulator. There are metal rods on those for strength which do conduct electricity.
LilCinnamon   [Feb 15, 2012 at 01:25 AM]
I am not sure either though... I would have to ask what the voltage is.

Is there any ways to find OUT the voltage say at a substation?
Antstar85   [Feb 15, 2012 at 01:40 AM]
Not without going inside.
LilCinnamon   [Feb 15, 2012 at 03:19 AM]
Also I have to mention that these powerlines go a vast distance, they go from power plant to power plant, and interconnect to each other. That's why I am guessing they are 115, because they go REALLY far, and I don't think sub-transmission lines go from a power plant to another power plant. They probably go over 100 miles, with a few substations in between, but they still go far.
LilCinnamon   [Aug 20, 2014 at 04:58 AM]
These brackets are made of fiberglass, I know because I had brackets like this. Fiberglass is an insulator, and the clearance between the wires are far enough, because I know 115 kV lines with huge porcelain insulators and I know for a FACT are 115 kV because people that work for power companies told me and a few of the poles on that 115 kV line have a setup like this with 4 disc insulators.

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