New distribution board problem

[f.awn]

Hi.
I am looking into having a replacement distribution board / consumer unit fitted into my home.
My problem is that I live in an area where thousands of swans overwinter and breaks in power supply can on occasion happen frequently in any 24hour period .
With my current wire fuse system this is not a problem but if and when I upgrade it will create a major problem if the circuit needs to be reset each time it is tripped.
My current contractor is trying to find a solution to this but I thought I woul£ see if anybody had any solutions whereby the circuits (especialy the freezers etc) would not need resetting each time.
I’m not intending to do the work myself, just looking for guidance.

 

[Strima]

Circuit breakers don’t normally need resetting after a mains fail. And what have swans got to do with the installation? Are they chewing the supply cables...

 

[Octopus]

Not sure I understand the relevance of the swans!!

As for power outages, have you "complained" to your supplier?

 

[Nobbin]

Not the brightest of birds they will have a go at anything.

 

[buzzlightyear]

where thousands of swans overwinter and breaks in power supply can on occasion happen frequently

are the swans a gang that ride motor bikes, that break into sub stations ,and have you seen them !

 

[Spoon]

are the swans a gang that ride motor bikes, that break into sub stations ,and have you seen them !

It's probably them that nick all the cables for the copper...

 

[telectrix]

them Swans are a Pikey offshoot of Hells Angels. the ride their choppers up to sub stations and nick all the copper they can find, thus causing your outages. 2 of them have sidecars fitted to carry the stolen copper.

 

[buzzlightyear]

I have not seen that on the main news yet ,about the pecker head gang ,stealing gear from sub stations .

 

[Andy78]

I live in an area where thousands of swans overwinter and breaks in power supply can on occasion happen frequently in any 24hour period

Lol, reminds me of this website ....

15 Insane Things That Correlate With Each Other - http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations

 

[Tes369]

The swans fly into overhead cables/infrastructure and blow themselves to pieces I know someone who worked for the grid.

He said the mess was something to be seen, they had to kill the power while they cleaned it all up.

Cheers

-Quote
" ANIMAL welfare groups are demanding an enquiry after the deaths of over 170 swans at Monkton. It is believed they collided with overhead power lines and were unable to fly. Five more birds were seriously injured.

Two train passengers travelling separately spotted a large pile of carcasses on Monkton Marshes and phoned a swan rescue centre in Surrey on their mobile phones.

A team from the Swan Sanctuary, Egham made the gruesome discovery on Sunday. Founder Dorothy Beeston said: “There were 173 dead birds altogether, most with broken wings and necks.

“They appeared to have crashed into the overhead lines, and hit the ground. “Many had crawled into ditches and starved, as they were unable to feed themselves.

“Some seemed to have been there for months, but these are the first reports we’ve had. It was absolutely diabolical.”

Ms Beeston said she was pleased that five birds had survived, but all were very ill. One, a seven-month-old cygnet, hit a power line as sanctuary workers were at the site, and is awaiting surgery for a broken wing.

The sanctuary has the only operating theatre in the country specifically designed to treat swans. Ms Beeston said she had been lobbying utility companies for years to get them to put markers on their power lines to avoid birds hitting them.

She said: “In winter especially, swans don’t see the lines until they are almost on top of them. By then it is too late and entire flocks collide with each other.

“If plastic markers were put on the lines, they would be able to see them in plenty of time.”

Her calls have been echoed by Suzy Gale, wife of Thanet North MP Roger, who chairs the Conservative Animal Welfare group. She has written to Seeboard to ask them for markers on lines.

The five injured swans will remain at the Swan Sanctuary until they are fully fit. They will then be rehomed in private lakes, with other disabled swans.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Swan Sanctuary can visit their website www.swanuk.org.uk, or write to them at Field View, Pooley Green, Egham, Surrey, TW20 8AT

 

[Andy78]

And there's me thinking the power outages were caused by overload when all the swans came in for the winter and put all their electric heaters on for the season.

 

[telectrix]

and here's me thinking that Swansea FC were short on players.

 

[littlespark]

I think the issue here is not when there's a power outage, but when the power comes back on, there can be a little surge when all the appliances come back on, and that can cause breakers to trip.

There is very little you can do about it, apart from being in the house when the electric comes back on.
I have had cause to phone Scottish Power at times, and they advised to unplug everything in preparation for the power coming back, so that there wasn't a big sudden need for power.

The swan problem reminds me of a story about a squirrel on an 11kV transformer box on a pole taking out two thirds of a caravan park I worked on.
It was sitting on a live terminal. Bushy tail up, brushes the earth and, well...... still smoking when I saw it.

"Was it a red or grey squirrel?"

"Um?.... It was a black one"

 

[f.awn]

Hi.
I am looking into having a replacement distribution board / consumer unit fitted into my home.
My problem is that I live in an area where thousands of swans overwinter and breaks in power supply can on occasion happen frequently in any 24hour period .
With my current wire fuse system this is not a problem but if and when I upgrade it will create a major problem if the circuit needs to be reset each time it is tripped.
My current contractor is trying to find a solution to this but I thought I woul£ see if anybody had any solutions whereby the circuits (especialy the freezers etc) would not need resetting each time.
I’m not intending to do the work myself, just looking for guidance.

The swan problem is caused due to our property backing on to the local Wild Fowl Trust Site and them moving in large flocks to feed and catching the cables on the local pylons resulting in the lose of power, often for only a minute or so. The birds are seldom killed but the problem happens regularly in the winter.

 

[Tes369]

I think swans are more than seldom killed have you ever seen a swan in flight they are pretty clumsy and very big.

A mate of mine in the valleys in Wales was saying weekly they had to go in and clear up blown up swan on one site.

He said if it collided with something it would be like a bomb going off from the actual contact point bits of swan/guts/etc in all directions.

*Maybe because swans are wet/damp have a large wingspan etc doesnt help)

**Transformer boxes also kill alot of birds utility companies in places have sleaved cables around them.

*** wind turbines are the number 1# bird killers birds get confused and fly into them.

I know my birds

Cheers

 

[f.awn]

I think swans are more than seldom killed have you ever seen a swan in flight they are pretty clumsy and very big.

A mate of mine in the valleys in Wales was saying weekly they had to go in and clear up blown up swan on one site.

He said if it collided with something it would be like a bomb going off from the actual contact point bits of swan/guts/etc in all directions.

*Maybe because swans are wet/damp have a large wingspan etc doesnt help)

**Transformer boxes also kill alot of birds utility companies in places have sleaved cables around them.

*** wind turbines are the number 1# bird killers birds get confused and fly into them.

I know my birds

Cheers

Hi
I watch swans flying in there hundreds over my property on a daily basis from September to March each autumn/winter as they travel to local fields to feed and in the evenings to roost.
As a water bailiff on the local rivers I seldom see dead swans inspite of the pylons that cross both of our rivers, but we do suffer power cuts as a result of them and other wild fowl hitting the lines.
As I mentioned this can happen on many occasions in one day which is why I am seeking guidance.

Hi.
I am looking into having a replacement distribution board / consumer unit fitted into my home.
My problem is that I live in an area where thousands of swans overwinter and breaks in power supply can on occasion happen frequently in any 24hour period .
With my current wire fuse system this is not a problem but if and when I upgrade it will create a major problem if the circuit needs to be reset each time it is tripped.
My current contractor is trying to find a solution to this but I thought I woul£ see if anybody had any solutions whereby the circuits (especialy the freezers etc) would not need resetting each time.
I’m not intending to do the work myself, just looking for guidance.

 

[telectrix]

it's not rocket science to fit a few flags on the power lines, that is after a method statement, full risk assessment, committee meeting to decide what colour: should work out about £10,000 per flag.

edit: save a fortune if they just got some guy to use all the red tape they have in stock.

 

[JK-Electrical]

 

[Wilko]

I know my birds

Cheers

Awesome clip Tes !
Here's one on their speed just for fun.

Re RCD /MCB trips after power loss, this concern could be addressed by a specific circuit for freezer with C type rcbo perhaps?

 

[Tes369]

Female peregrine hit 242mph in America at a university study the bird was called frightfull.

I think 305mph was confirmed at some point in californina but not with the falcon above.

I remember that video of the peregrine jumping out of the hot air balloon it was filmed in Spain and the bird/trainer involved is Loyd Buck who lives near Bristol down south. Loyd isn't really a falconer.

Not a Peregrine but very close the Praire Falcon an American close relative.

And a Female Peregrine.