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The neighborhood has 12 homes, 13 utility poles, and 7 transducers. I think the voltage is 7.2 kV (not sure). In some cases the secondary distribution lines (120v/240v) is run from pole to pole as a way of getting closer to the house before it drops down to the home. It normally runs on it's own line just below neutral.
In one case the secondary power line is the only line below the high voltage line. You can either say the neutral line is missing or someone wound the (120/240) line around the neutral. The span is about 80'.
It may have been like that for decades, but there is no way to be sure. It could be an unexpected side effect of a truck hitting one of the poles last year. I believe that this situation is dangerous should lightning strike.
Does anyone agree with me? Can I tell the Electric Utility that this situation is potentially dangerous? Or am I being paranoid.
The neighborhood has 12 homes, 13 utility poles, and 7 transducers. I think the voltage is 7.2 kV (not sure). In some cases the secondary distribution lines (120v/240v) is run from pole to pole as a way of getting closer to the house before it drops down to the home. It normally runs on it's own line just below neutral.
In one case the secondary power line is the only line below the high voltage line. You can either say the neutral line is missing or someone wound the (120/240) line around the neutral. The span is about 80'.
It may have been like that for decades, but there is no way to be sure. It could be an unexpected side effect of a truck hitting one of the poles last year. I believe that this situation is dangerous should lightning strike.
Does anyone agree with me? Can I tell the Electric Utility that this situation is potentially dangerous? Or am I being paranoid.
As a computer and electrical engineer working in power distribution, I can't agree with you. Neutrals will be protected from lightning strikes by surge arrestors at certain intervals (around here its every three poles.) If enough current faulted into a 120/240 line, the main breaker on the house would trip, protecting your house. Don't worry it s fine.
It is no big deal. Frankly, the bare line below the high voltage might not even have lightning protection as a primary function but might be being used as a type of messenger line to limit stress on the other cables. Lightning protection typically run on TOP of any high voltage lines. In any event, lightning choosing to strike on wires below high voltage wires, when there is an easy path to ground within 40' would be a one in a million chance. Unless your area has more than half-a-million lightning strikes within 300 yards, you are over-cautious.
It seems kind of unlikely the situation is as you describe. If it were, the homes which didn't have a neutral would be getting a return to the transformer only through the ground (that is, the physical earth), which would result in voltages varying with load. That's pretty noticeable. Most likely that wire isn't the neutral.
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