Re: [Phys-l] Glaze Ice

[Brian Whatcott <betwys1@sbcglobal.net>]

chuck britton wrote:
> At 6:10 PM -0600 2/2/10, Hodges, Laurent [PHYSA] wrote:
>   
> > Thirty years ago, soon after we built our passive solar home in 
> > Ames, Iowa, our municipal electric utility offered homeowners in our area to put the electric lines (then on poles) underground, for $300 per homeowner.  We all jumped at the chance, and have never had the problem with ice other communities (or other parts of Ames) have.  I think this is common in many new developments these days, and would recommend it highly.
> > _______________________________________________
> >     
>
> Many years ago ('70's) there was a tale going around of some 
> municipality pushing hard for underground utilities. Developers were 
> of course opposed to it because of the higher up-front cost. 
> Negotiations went back & forth -
> Municipality:	All utilities will be underground.
> Developers:	All utilities will be underground where feasible.
> Municipality:	All utilities will be underground unless it is found     necessary to place water and sewerage on overhead poles.
>
> In all fairness, underground power has had serious problems with 
> ground water leakage up until the late '90's or so when PVC conduit 
> began being used.
>   
I enjoyed this municipal power cable site negotiating tale. About the 
difficulty of laying cables in wet situations, I should mention that 
people seemed to be able to provide telegraphic signals via submarine 
cable for 20 miles or so in the 60's, the 1860's that is: and over 
several thousand deeply submerged miles soon after. Gutta percha and 
copper seemed to figure in their construction.
In visits to various European cities, I don't recall EVER seeing an 
elevated power cable in city distribution service, so pole pigs and PF 
correction caps are  domestic  icons for me.   Certainly distribution 
networks abroad seem to use open wire steel frame network high towers 
cross-country.

Underground UK phone cables of the 1950's featured lead sheath, paper 
wrap (!),  multi-wire construction. I had the honor to watch a linesman 
wipe a joint  in such a cable with a spelter stick, a blowtorch, and a 
moleskin (fabric) pad.    There, 'the rain it raineth every day' (or so 
it seemed at times).    They appeared to use storm drains as well as 
sewage systems, so that cast iron roof eave gutters were common place.

I have seen domestic underground cables being pressurized with bottled 
gas, so there  evidently has been cause for providing a pressure 
gradient moisture barrier of this kind.

The tally of utilities, as I now realize, can amount to water, gas, 
storm drains, sewerage, TV/Internet cable, and phone cable/fiber, along 
with satellite distribution cable in apartments, and disposal chutes and 
dumpsters/ "dust-bins".   Invisible but omni-present, as I wish in 
future....

Brian W