# Flash, Bang, Lights go out... Lineman fixes it in 10 minutes. What happened? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2005, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513 "2005-01-13T05:49:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/1 "2005-01-13T05:49:13Z")
I was just as cool as a cucumber here, calmly clicking away with my mouse when I heard a relatively loud (for midnight) explosion outside and caught a big flash out of the corner of my eye. This was followed by immediate darkness, accompanied by the dying gasps of various electronic devices (my CO2 detecter gives a pitiful dying squeal as it goes). It appeared to me that the flash had come from a pole right outside my window. The fact that the lights were out on the corner, but not across the street, seemed to support this. I called up the electric company and they sent out a lineman with a bucket truck. He went up in his bucket, checked out one of those big round transformers, went down to get something, went back up, and ten minutes later the lights were back on. I’m sure that fellow does this precise task dozens of times a week and it is quite commonplace, but it never happened outside _my_ window. Anyone care to venture an educated guess as to what happened? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/2 "2005-01-13T06:11:14Z")
Probably a squirrel or a bird got into the connection for the 7200 V local distribution tap to the pole transformer. This exact thing happened outside where I lived in NJ a couple years ago. I know it was a squirrel because the critter lay on the ground beneath the transformer with a burn hole in its head and another one on its rear flank. I watched them do the repair - this was in broad daylight. The lineman installed a new connector on the 7200 V terminal on the transformer and used a long fiberglass grasping pole to plug the line back in. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/3 "2005-01-13T08:03:26Z")
The only other thing that might have happened was the primary fuse blew-they will sound like a gunshot when they trip. If that was the case, he’d have opened the fuse case, installed a replacement, and reclosed the primary. Critters or some such may have caused it, as **QED** observed. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/4 "2005-01-13T17:07:32Z")
I can’t imagine squirrels or birds were very active in the black of a drizzly chilly NJ night. The repair sounds about right, though; indeed I did see the fellow using a long fiberglass pole to do something. Those folks have serious cajones to be messing around with live powerlines in the rain. Got my respect, for sure. I called at around 12:10, the truck came by at 12:35, and the lights were back on by 12:45. Totally awesome. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/5 "2005-01-13T17:21:43Z")
OTOH, on a drizzly, chilly NJ night, a transformer probably looks like a nice warm hidey-hole to many critters. The fact that it’s already wet wouldn’t be a good thing for it’s long-term survival chances, either. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/6 "2005-01-13T17:56:58Z")
Your CO (I’m assuming you meant carbon monoxide, not carbon dioxide) detector is AC powered? –Looking it up, it seems many are indeed AC powered. Seems like an accident waiting to happen. The power goes out and the furnace fan stops blowing exhaust to the chimney. The CO instead fills the basement and things get worse from there. Its bad enough having the clocks flash 12:00. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/7 "2005-01-13T18:13:05Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Your CO (I’m assuming you meant carbon monoxide, not carbon dioxide) detector is AC powered? The ones that are AC-powered also have battery backups. They don’t rely on AC power as the sole power source. I’ve never seen one that didn’t. If there _was_ such a unit, I’d stay the hell away from it. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/8 "2005-01-13T18:28:21Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Your CO (I’m assuming you meant carbon monoxide, not carbon dioxide) I used to have a carbon dioxide detector but I had to get rid of it. Kept going off all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/9 "2005-01-13T18:28:51Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Probably a squirrel or a bird got into the connection for the 7200 V local distribution tap to the pole transformer. This exact thing happened outside where I lived in NJ a couple years ago. A few months back the power went out here for a hour or so. Turns out a skunk was nosing around a nearby transformer, and hit the jackpot. As it happens one of my co-workers, a volunteer fireman, was dispatched to the scene. He described the smell as “outstanding.” Mmm, burnt hair and skunk stink. He also mentioned that fried small animals were a frequent cause of power outages in the area, so I think you are right in attributing **minor7** ’s outage to this. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/10 "2005-01-13T18:31:18Z")
> [@QED](#): > > The ones that are AC-powered also have battery backups. One would hope but the OP refers the the dying beep it made soon after the outage. Maybe it _is_ a CO2 sensor for houseplants or beer brewing or something. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/11 "2005-01-13T18:35:19Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > One would hope but the OP refers the the dying beep it made soon after the outage. Yeah, that is worrisome. Maybe the battery needs to be replaced, or maybe that’s just the sound it makes to alert you that the power has failed and it’s now on battery power. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/12 "2005-01-13T19:35:52Z")
Yes, it was a CO detector (CO2 rolls off the fingertips easier), and no it doesn’t have a battery backup. As far as I could tell, the furnace shut down immediately as soon as power went off. It was just starting to get chilly inside when the lights came back on. Come to think of it, if the furnace kept the flames going after the blower cut off, then houses might be bursting into flames each time there was a power outage in colder regions. The pilot light remained lit, though, for similar safety reasons. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are rules somewhere stating that heaters must take long power failures in stride without gassing the occupants in the darkness or allowing pipes to freeze in an unattended building because of a mid-week blackout. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/13 "2005-01-13T19:48:37Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > …heaters must take long power failures in stride without gassing the occupants in the darkness or allowing pipes to freeze in an unattended building… I don’t see how the furnace could do both. If it is on, your pipes are ok but you’re gassed. If its off, the pipes burst but at least the CO is eliminated. What they probably do is make the gas supply failsafe so that the valve fails shut. The pipes may freeze but you wake up in the morning. A reasonable trade off IMO. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/14 "2005-01-13T20:51:26Z")
The pilot light remains lit, while the valve to the main burner shuts. Most likely, the valve to the main burner has a solenoid that needs to be energized to keep gas flowing. Some HVAC fellow will hopefully come in with the details. If it were not so, my house would not have been toasty warm this morning (and the 1978 vintage heater does indeed have a pilot light and no fancy relighting mechanism). ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/15 "2005-01-13T23:41:17Z")
And I took a picture. Here you go. [Busted-up electrical bits](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/minor7flat5/electrical-bits.jpg). Anyone wanna have a go at explaining what it is? It looks like some kind of insulator, but the black lump looks like carbon, possibly from the inside. Whatever it is, this stuff was all scattered on my lawn, waiting to surprise me in the Spring when I passed over it with the lawnmower. I was expecting to find a cooked squirrel, but, alas, none was around. Perhaps the fellow carried off the squirrel for his collection. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/16 "2005-01-14T00:08:18Z")
Yep, that’s an insulator. I guess there was a short to ground either through or along the surface of the insulator. Is it a high voltage line or one of the secondary lines off a 240 VAC transformer? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-bang-lights-go-out-lineman-fixes-it-in-10-minutes-what-happened/284513/17 "2005-01-14T02:29:54Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > The pilot light remains lit, while the valve to the main burner shuts. Most likely, the valve to the main burner has a solenoid that needs to be energized to keep gas flowing. Some HVAC fellow will hopefully come in with the details. > > If it were not so, my house would not have been toasty warm this morning (and the 1978 vintage heater does indeed have a pilot light and no fancy relighting mechanism). Without power to the house the control board in the furnace is dead. No voltage for the thermostat circuit, none for the fan, the safety circuit, etc. For furnaces with standing pilots, they remain lit, but all other functions stop without power.