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From Safety to Savings: A Heavy Construction Equipment Blog

If your business works with construction, you deal with a lot of heavy equipment. If you want advice on how to save money on your equipment, you should check out my posts. I plan to write about everything from hiring versus buying, to troubleshooting to reduce repairs, to handling repairs yourself. I also plan to write about other aspects of heavy machinery use such as safety. I ultimately hope that my ideas guide you toward creating a leaner, more productive, more efficient, less expensive, and more profitable business. My ideas are geared toward everyone from newbies to experts in the field of construction.

From Safety to Savings: A Heavy Construction Equipment Blog

How to Prepare Pole-Mounted Transformers for a Hurricane

by Fred Gutierrez

Pole-mounted transformers just make more sense than pad-mounted transformers for a number of reasons. They are less likely to be stolen or tampered with, and they don't take up a lot of ground space in areas where that space might be limited. There are some concerns to know and think about when it comes to pole-mounted transformers, though, and you might be concerned about them being damaged if a hurricane is supposed to be affecting your area in the near future. You cannot completely prevent problems with your pole-mounted transformers during a storm, but you can follow these tips so that you will be prepared.

Make Sure They are Mounted Properly

First of all, it's critical to make sure that the pole-mounted transformers are mounted securely to the poles that they are installed on. This should be done before the storm is scheduled to affect your area. Have a crew go around and check the brackets and other installation hardware to make sure that nothing is missing and that everything is attached as it should be. Rusty or otherwise visibly damaged hardware should be removed and replaced with newer, more secure hardware. This will help you make sure that your pole-mounted transformers are able to stay attached.

Ensure Poles Are Securely Installed in the Ground

Naturally, if the poles that the pole-mounted transformers are installed on are not installed securely in the ground, then they could be more at risk of falling over in the storm. Making sure that they are secure and adding and packing more dirt around them if they aren't are good steps to take before the storm.

Have Trees Trimmed

If there are any trees in the area near where your pole-mounted transformers are installed, then it's smart to have them trimmed before the storm hits. Then, you can help prevent loose limbs from falling and striking your pole-mounted transformers and potentially damaging them in the process.

Have a Work Crew on Standby

If your pole-mounted transformers are blown off of the poles or if the poles fall over during a hurricane, then you have to worry about the transformers being damaged and power being lost. If possible, it is a smart idea to have a work crew on standby to help deal with these issues promptly. These individuals should be properly trained in safely handling, repairing, and installing pole-mounted transformers. Of course, it will not be a good idea for the work crew to head out into a hurricane to deal with the problem, but knowing that your crew can head out as soon as it's safe can help you make sure that your transformers are restored and put back to use as soon as possible.

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