How far out is classed as the ocean?

Depends if they is Ocean going swans or not, the coastal ones tend to walk everywhere - so this definition is important - wouldn't want a swan to grow up thinking he's from the other lot - Black and white ones mixing toooooo racist that!

 

But a grey swan might be rather pretty, methinks!

 

Yeah with a red beak - the right shade of grey! could be something in this interbreeding thing after all! ........Yes Jack I know it works in Cornwall! but that's different!

 

For a bit of Swan trivia. The greatest cause of power outages in a certain area on Vancouver Island are caused by swans. Their large wing spans apparently will hit two of the three phase wires on the high lines which causes instantly cooked swans (25000 volts) and a tripped pole fuse link. I was told that the first thing the hydro crew do when they experience a power outage that hasn't got a ready explanation is to walk the line looking for a fried swan.

 

LOL!!That is WEIRD!

 

In St Petersburg, FL, about 2 years ago, an industrial site went out for a similar reason: a racoon climbed up on top of a power transformer. Sitting on one of the taps, he reached out and touched the other. ZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPP!!

 

We get that here with snakes but there body resistance is high being a reptile I suppose,-- so they just go zap-- and fall to the floor.

If your quick you can run like hell and get it first before the villagers get it--yum yum.


Does America still have exposed --above ground transformers and cables?????

Thailand is just putting them all under ground--looks much better.

 

We get the occasionly fried possum.
Underground cables are so much better, not nearly as unsightly, only on the newest housing estates are we doing it here in Oz.

Mychael

 

Lancer, are those crew outfitted with knifes anf forks or do they have to buy their own?

 

Hey Walrus

Actually being linesmen they usually have an assortment of tools in their tool pouches that would probably do quite nicely. Needle -nose pliers are good for tearing the flesh off the bones, A linemen's knife is excellent for slicing and deboning. I am told Swans taste a lot like chicken. LOL

As to answer Jack, most of the high lines outside of new subdivisions are exposed and bare, 30 to 40ft off the ground. The size of our rural area would make it too expensive to run the wiring underground. We have a very small population we respects to our land mass. I am in Qatar right now where most of the high voltage wiring is underground. I have observed them running high voltage cables in a trench which has to be jack hammered out. This method of wiring is very estheticly pleasing, however it is a very expensive and lenthy process.

 

Hi Jack(that's not something you want to say in a plane)
Maintenance might be less however I wouldn't like to think of having to repair or replace a buried highvoltage cable that has ruptured. The locating, digging, splicing and highpotting that has to be done doesn't come cheap. Remember the high voltage cables are buried and cemented in out here not run in enclosed tunnels. As for the transformers, they usually end up outside in secure compounds or vaults. They require a lot of air circulation to cool the oil that the actual transformer coils sit in. In the middle east where it gets toasty in the summers airconditioning units are attached.

 

Dear New thread "followers" (ones who are just beginning to read this thread now),
STOP READING-this has now become a topic on "how much do power lines cost???" and "wouldn't grey swans look nice!" and "do they hav overhead or underground power lines over there???" Unless you want the answers to these questions,stop reading now LOL.

 

Why, don't they have power lines out in the ocean?

 

Under water. I like it like that. Above water is so unsightly.