Power Failures

[equusmaximus]

     The last couple of days have made me very glad that one of our first purchases when we got this farm was a small (7800 peak watt) backup generator.

Last month we had the massive (2 day) blizzard that wreaked havoc throughout southwest Saskatchewan, and this weekend we had ice-buildup on the power lines.  The problems started around noon on

Comments

[equattraction]

I thought most of the power lines were under ground in Saskatchewan. If they weren't, they should have been. This seems to be the year of the fog! We have had lots of fog this year, too.

[equusmaximus]

There's a project in the works to bury a number of the lines, but as you can imagine, it's a slow process. They're starting with the oldest lines first, as those are due to be replaced anyway. They won't be burying all of the lines (the cost is just too prohibitive) but more and more are going underground.

Individual farm owners can also apply to have their overhead lines buried. The pole-mounted transformer will be moved onto a cement pad on the ground, the lines buried. The pole itself may be removed or left behind, depending on the land-owner's wishes. The details are available here if you're interested.