All You Need To Know About A Utility Post

I am confident I don’t have to explain to you what a pole is. I think all of us have somewhere in the course of our lives been introduced to a pole of some kind, may it be running face first into one or using one in a constructing project. This whole discussion started when I decided to pay a visit to the home improvement centre in the area. Next thing I know, I’m standing in front of the poles for sale division, wanting to know why there are so many different types of poles available.

As everyone knows, there are a number of different things poles can be used for, one of these being distributing electrical power and energy to various areas of the globe. A utility pole can be used to support overhead utility lines as well as other public utilities, like cabling, transformers and street lamps. These poles are more typically referred to as street poles, power poles or hydro poles. Electric cords are routed overhead as an inexpensive way to keep the cables insulated from the floor and out of the way of people and vehicles. Can you imagine what it would look like if all these cables were merely thrown on the ground and left there? Obviously, these cables carry a high current of electricity and may be very dangerous, therefore, it’s safe to assume, that they’ll never just be thrown on the ground. That’s a relief.

Standing there, in front of the poles for sale department, I noticed a number of different types of poles, made from various kinds of materials like wood, metal, concrete and composites like fibreglass. They are used for lower voltage power transmission; higher voltage transmission lines are carried on steel transmission towers or pylons. Most utility poles are made from wood that’s treated with a kind of additive to safeguard it from rot, fungi and insects.

Utility poles are widely used to carry mostly two types of electric power lines: distribution lines and sub transmission lines. Distribution lines are known to carry and distribute power from local stations to houses and clients, hence the name. Distribution lines usually carry light voltage wires, while sub transmission lines carry high voltage wires. For economical and logical reasons, such as to save space, a distribution line is often carried on the same pole as a sub transmission line, but is mounted under the higher voltage lines. Telecommunication lines are also usually carried on the same poles that support power lines. Poles that are shared in this way are classified as joint use poles. However, these different types of lines and cables can also be carried by their own poles.

Utility poles and related structures are regarded by some to be a form of visual polluting of the environment. It’s been combated by placing power and telecommunication lines underground. However, burial of these lines are significantly more pricey and can even be more harmful. Therefore it is not really a common practice. Who would have know that standing in front of a poles for sale section of a local hardware store can spark a discussion like this.