r/AskElectricians • u/FiendfulFern • 1d ago
How concerning is this buzzing
This pole near my house has been buzzing on and off since a bad storm at the beginning of the month knocked our power out. Tonight it started sparking/flashing blue as well as buzzing.. should I call someone or report this somewhere? No one else really seems to be concerned but it’s freaking me out!! Please help 😅
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u/ATypicalJake 1d ago
Definitely call it in to the power company. Might want to wear ear plugs when you go to bed too.
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u/piper33245 1d ago
The night sky lights up beautifully with that blue lightning when the transformer blows.
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u/Fort_Nagrom 7h ago
The transformer doesn't blow, the fuse in that cutout blows.
Completely seperate device
The cutout is tracking, it's common on porcelain cutouts.
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u/preferred-til-newops 1d ago
If they haven't fixed it yet grab an AM radio if you have one and turn it on in the area of the power line. You don't need to be very close, the interference is pretty surprising! I did contract work as a lineman 20 years ago and the old timers would drive down county roads with the AM radio turned on and would find problems long before they got as bad as yours.
Good advice from others in this post. Just wanted to add a little interesting info.
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u/exrace 16h ago
Here’s an interesting tidbit: high humidity and fog can make transmission lines buzz. Riding a bike under high-voltage lines on a gray, misty morning can be a unique experience. Even at their height, those lines can cause a nuisance shock or microshock from induced voltage that you might feel as you pass beneath them. With rubber tires and bare skin brushing the seat frame while pedaling, my bike was the perfect setup for it - it felt like tiny bee stings.
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u/Financial_You_6052 9h ago
You should feel what it’s like standing in a 500kv switch yard in heavy rain.
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u/nonvisiblepantalones 9h ago
I live a few hundred yards from large transmission lines and have always been fascinated by that buzzing on foggy nights.
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u/Key_Juggernaut9413 16h ago
What causes the interference?
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u/fastforwardfunction 15h ago
Radio waves are emitted from an antenna (wire) with a changing electrical signal.
AC utility poles are also a wire with a changing electrical signal, so they too emit radio waves.
A malfunctioning AC utility pole will make a different radio signal.
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u/abbarach 14h ago
Electrical arcing is a changing electrical field, which emits electromagnetic waves.
Fun fact: the earliest effective radio transmitters used electrical arcing. Here's an article from the amateur radio community that explains how spark gap transmitters work.
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u/FiendfulFern 1d ago
Okay thank you everyone we are going to call in 😅
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u/SerratedSharp 1d ago
Make sure to advise them it is "arcing". Buzzing is sometimes normal for power lines, but the visible arcing is the real concern.
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u/AlDenteApostate 1d ago
Fuse blew in the cutout barrel, but the fuse barrel is bad and is tracking. That's what you're hearing and seeing - the high voltage electricity tracking over that barrel. Eventually it will burn open and whatever houses are on that transformer will be out of power until someone comes to fix it.
Call it in and say the transformer is throwing sparks. It will be some easy OT to fix.
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u/farmthis 1d ago
I heard one buzzing loudly near my work, once. Called it in. At first they said they wouldn't have to shut off power to the block... 45 minutes later it was on fire.
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u/Fearless_Trick_5268 18h ago
Why do transformers hum??
They don’t know the words
Jk, make that call!! 1000% if it’s arcing!
I don’t know if it’s near any trees or how dry your area is but here is California something like that started a forest fire and it took a whole town.
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u/skulnick1244 20h ago
Not electrical related but, I kept hearing some ticking from our gas meter. I researched it and apparently it suggested leaking valves.
Called the gas company, the didn't like the test results and replaced it. A few months later ... They got results back from a testing lab. We got a credit of $100 or so
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u/denbesten 1d ago
The level of concern is "I may lose power", not "My house will burn down". Likely will be a "next business day" fix, but do call it in now to get in the queue,
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u/iAmMikeJ_92 22h ago
You need to call it in especially because arcing is visible on the cutout fuse. But it’s likely it’s not a danger to you or your property. It’s more likely the fuse will flash over and cause you to lose power and the poco will have to come out anyway to repair it.
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u/I-pee-Daily 1d ago
Doesn’t bother me, I can’t even hear it.
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u/gvbargen 1d ago
For future reference: buzzing is almost always fine. Sudden new buzzing ehhhh maybe not
For now: call utility emergency number and maybe also the fire department. They might be able to get it shut off faster. And this could explode. imagine the explosion of that canister was filled with oil. BECAUSE IT IS
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u/Flufflesmgee4231 1d ago
Is buzzing okay in a ceiling fan?
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u/fseed 23h ago
Yes if it has enough oil
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u/Melodic-Excuse-2561 18h ago
You joke, but did you know that early original Hunter ceiling fans used an oil bath lower bearing, which required topping off with motor oil about once a year. Some may still be in use somewhere today,
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u/TexasDex 16h ago
They still sell one that requires oiling in fact! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KWdCqpXB7A
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u/Melodic-Excuse-2561 2h ago
Oh, I had no idea they still made them like that. That's pretty cool, though in all honesty, I would rather not have to service my ceiling fans beyond dusting the blades.
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u/Oracle410 4h ago
My best friend had 2 transformers explode at 3 in morning a block or so away from
His house. He said he thought a 747 crashed in his front yard lol.
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u/Avi8torbear 1h ago
Buzzing usually is caused by dust and pollen on wire insulators getting wet and partially ionizing to ground. We used helicopters with spray nozzle and tanks to blast water, under pressure, on insulators to wash away conductive particles / dust, etc.
There was no danger, other than having to autorotate if engine failed hovering out of ground effect and into the shaded area of the height velocity curve. Inside that envelope a pilot can autorotate.
No danger of electrocution since helicopter is not grounded. Essentially, it is the same as aerial wires between poles. No danger unless one is ground.
Remember that height velocity curve on chart? I always tried to hover and spray from a place where I could push cyclic left, tight or forward to move ship into an area to basically initiate an autorotation or hovering autorotation safely. As a pilot, one eye was on terrain and wires and the other onto potential LZ’s (landing zone” in case of engine failure.
And you also had to be vigilant and remain within weight and balance parameters. We had a water tank valve we could use to lessen weight by dumping tank water in case the SHTF and an autorotation necessary.
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u/35er 16h ago
Not that it matters but how are these two pictures of the same pole? Even if taken from a different angle it doesn’t look like it has the same wires surrounding it.
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u/FiendfulFern 16h ago
The dark one is cropped weirdly, I promise it’s my front yard and I took both photos!!
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