How Far Can Electricity Travel ??
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Topic: How Far Can Electricity Travel ??
Posted By: FREEDGUY
Subject: How Far Can Electricity Travel ??
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2021 at 6:06pm
I'm asking about the O/H power lines on rural country roads  . I understand that there are "distribution" stations for the "mega" lines, but what/s the "limit" of residential single phase power ? Thanks
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Replies:
Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2021 at 7:39pm
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Up here,usually, in residential areas, the highest set of wires are the 3 phase ones, each is 4800 volts. A transformer is fed from one of them , to supply 240 V,center tapped(120 -0 - 120), to usually 3-4 houses. I think the transformer is speced for 5 x 200A services ? The 'limit' would be miles, for the 4800 V lines, 100s of feet for the 240. Several factors come into play, like age of wires, wire size, type of conductor,number of splices, current draw, air temperature. if you're the only one on the 'pole', you'll have higher voltage and not much power's being used to 'load down' the transformer. ------------- 3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112 Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor) Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2021 at 8:22pm
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the design factor is a loss of 3% voltage at the end of the run... If the loss is greater than 3%, you have to increase wire size, shorten the distance . 4800 v that Jay is talking about is residential... Power line down the State Highways are 69,000 or 138,000 volts. substation every several miles to BOOST the voltage back up.. If you traveling city to city, the voltage might be 345,000 volts. ( a 3% loss would be 10,000 volts !) I ran a 500 ft line around a pond by our house. 240 v line, 20 amps..... had to put in #4 gauge wire to keep within the 3% loss ( 8 volt drop) ..... If you were using a 12 gauge extension cord you would probably have 180 volts at the end.
------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2021 at 8:28pm
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residential single phase power in our part of Illinois is 7000 volts. Two wires on the pole, HOT and GROUND.... When you get to a farm, there is a small transformer on the pole to drop the 7000 volts to 240 volts.. Transformer should be within 100 ft of your breaker box ( normally). Each farm/ house has their own transformer. If there are two small houses side by side or across the street from each other, them "MAY" share one transformer. ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 3:29am
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Steve it is actually 7200 vac Transmission substations are where the delivery of major power station production is split up, usually station to station but as near here is a major hub where four stations power is directed to is transformed from two from a lower voltage to a common higher voltage here is from 34000v to 365000v and then sent on three transmission lines to major cities or rural step down stations reducing to 34000v. Distribution substations are generally located within a few miles of a transmission sub these will serve a small town or industry with transformer dropping from 34000 to a lower voltage 7200 feed. May see rural grid loops of several square miles off one distribution substation with limited customer numbers or only a local supply sub with numerous customers. The main limiter is the amperage delivery rate. Want to note Electricity does not actually ‘travel’. Electricity is generated as a force much as a gravitational wave and just Exists, electron transfer of energy is the actual process where the energy is on the line nearly as instantly as is generated at all points along the line. DC electrical flows from source to ground at the source losing value as is utilized, AC changes ‘direction’ sixty times a second or in frequency or cycles and really does not go to ground in doing so but swaps return to feed on the Neutral line even as is grounded that same 60 cycles a second. |
Posted By: fixer1958
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 9:53am
| My driveway is a 1/2 mile. There are 4 boxes from the road to the house. Green and about 3' square. |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 11:24am
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Normally those "green boxes 3 ft square" are transformers setting on the ground for "underground power cables"... Not sure why they would have 4 in 1/2 mile. Is there a house by each box ? Normally you would feed a 7000 volt cable underground the the transformer, then drop it to 240 v to feed that house... then continue with 7000 volts to the next "box" and drop to 240v for the next house, etc... --- are the transformers spaced several hundred feet apart between the road and house, or are all 4 at the road side by side ?
------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: fixer1958
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 12:27pm
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One house, mine. I figured they may just be junction boxes, don't know. Never opened one, they have a lock on them. Opened one and the electricity police come and say means things to you.
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Posted By: fixer1958
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 12:28pm
| 500ft apart there about's, maybe more. |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 12:30pm
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Instead of digging a trench, maybe the bored a hole and pulled the power cable thru.. Might be they could only drill 800 ft at a time ? the "box" might just be a termination cabinet and not a transformer.. I have never seen a setup like your talking about. ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 12:34pm
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YEP... the lock on the cabinet is the same as the lock on the sub station.. Mostly for YOUR SAFETY.. Dont want to play around with 7000 volts... or 69,000 or above.. Some of the higher voltages can JUMP a foot or two if you get too close.. ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 12:41pm
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Maybe they thought that at some point the property may be subdivided and four more houses would be built along that stretch? ------------- D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446 |
Posted By: fixer1958
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 1:08pm
| I think it was one of those trenchers that chews through rock. Only have a few feet of dirt. I know because I moved the mountain of rocksalong that half mile. House wasn't finished when I bought it. Subdividing is not zoned in this part of the county |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 1:13pm
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Well thats an odd ball.. All i can think of is they are junction boxes and the guys were using up several short pieces of wire , instead of one long 1/2 mile run ? Is there a Transformer at your house to drop the HIGH voltage to 240 v or does that happen several hundred feet away ? ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: fixer1958
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 1:15pm
| No, just 1 at the pole at the road |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 3:38pm
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well that is odd... the one on the pole has to drop from 7000v ( or 13,000) down to 240 volts for your house.. 240 v can not run 1/2 mile... They must have put 1 or 2 of the "green boxes" as STEP UP transformers to get back up to 240 v... a couple could just be junction boxes i guess......... would be nice to know what they did and why ? Seems odd to drop to 240v when your 1/2 mile from the house.... and then need Boosters ?? ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: FREEDGUY
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 6:18pm
In my experience, those are transformers for "residential subdivisions" that have their electric supplied underground  . Thanks for the reply to you and all of the other posters !!My apologies to Steve, I failed to read down further to see the same reply
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fixer1958 wrote:Posted By: FREEDGUY
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 6:31pm
My first thought from his post made me think of a "future" subdivision that he's not aware of
 ?? |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2021 at 7:06pm
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nope... he said they are on HIS PROPERTY along the drive way. ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |