# Gizmo on the neutral wire

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gizmo-on-the-neutral-wire/175472>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 15, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gizmo-on-the-neutral-wire/175472 "2003-05-15T16:50:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gizmo-on-the-neutral-wire/175472/1 "2003-05-15T16:50:04Z")

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I was standing this morning at the bus station which is located under a big three-phase set of high voltage lines. On the neutral wire, right by the tower, is a little _thing_ hanging on the wire. Like a small snippet of stiff wire attached at its center point.

The _thing_ is a stiff piece of wire perhaps 10-inches long (hard to tell at this distance), and has tear-drop shaped ends. It is attached at it’s centerpoint to the neutral wire, parallel to the wire itself.

```auto

Like this:

----------------------------
      o------|-------o  

```

Any idea what it is?

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**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gizmo-on-the-neutral-wire/175472/2 "2003-05-15T17:09:50Z")

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a) It’s not hanging on the _neutral_ wire, it’s hanging on the _earth wire_, which it there for lightning protection purposes.  
b) It’s a vibration damper, put there to damp oscillations caused by wind.