| PO Box 310 Battle Creek, NE 68715 (402) 675-2185 or (800) 675-2185 erppd@erppd.com |
S&L is testing ERPPD poles
As part of ERPPD’s continued commitment to provide the most reliable service possible, ERPPD has contracted with S&L Pole Testing, Inc., to inspect about 3,000 distribution poles this spring and summer. Many of the poles, which are scheduled for inspection, were last inspected in 1998 and 1999.
ERPPD began testing poles in the mid-1970s and completed the first inspection of the district’s 2,500 miles of line in 1995. The program has helped find weak links in the distribution system which, after completing any needed maintenance work, has resulted in fewer outages because of faulty poles. ERPPD’s present goal is to test enough poles each year to cover the entire district every 10 to 11 years.
This year, contractors will be testing poles in the following areas: north and east of Neligh, southwest of Neligh, and east and north of Elgin.
Testing occurs as follows:
1. Contractor crews check each pole’s age; they test any pole older than 15 years.
2. They dig down about 18 inches all around the pole.
3. The pole is “sounded” with a hammer.
4. The pole is drilled in four spots to check the core.
5. The pole is treated at ground level and all holes are filled with treatment rod.
6. Each pole is passed or rejected, and its condition recorded and reported to ERPPD.
7. A work order is made for ERPPD crews to replace every pole that is rejected.
