Skip to content
 
If you can read this, either the style sheet didn't load or you have an older browser that doesn't support style sheets. Try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page.

(BBC)   Before demolishing your decommissioned power station, it might be good to, y'know, make sure it's fully disconnected from the rest of the grid first   (bbc.co.uk) divider line
39
    More: Awkward, 2016, 2017, power station, Site owners RWE Power, site of the former coal, electricity moments, Didcot A's 375ft, exclusion zone  
•       •       •

7449 clicks; posted to Main » on 18 Aug 2019 at 8:45 AM (4 years ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Copy Link



39 Comments     (+0 »)
View Voting Results: Smartest and Funniest
 
Carter Pewterschmidt [TotalFark]  
Smartest (8)   Funniest (6)  
2019-08-18 8:43:12 AM  
Pfft, that's like telling me to close all my files before taking a USB stick out. You're not my supervisor!


/Seems badly run. Four workers were killed a couple of years ago at the same site while demolishing the place.
 
blodyholy  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 9:01:33 AM  
I understand Midsomer Murders to be a television show, yet the article writes as if it were a locale. Huh?
 
LewDux [OhFark]  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (46)  
2019-08-18 9:03:03 AM  
media3.giphy.comView Full Size
 
Prof. Frink [BareFark]  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 9:03:23 AM  
Why bother decomissioning it first? If you're gonna destroy it and take it off-line, "destroying it" also serves to take it off-line no?
 
Prof. Frink [BareFark]  
Smartest (2)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 9:03:49 AM  

LewDux: [media3.giphy.com image 345x252]


Yup, came for this.
 
blodyholy  
Smartest (5)   Funniest (1)  
2019-08-18 9:05:25 AM  

LewDux: [media3.giphy.com image 345x252]


Thank you for getting that out of the way early on. I giggle like a child every time I see that.
 
mrmopar5287  
Smartest (3)   Funniest (2)  
2019-08-18 9:09:15 AM  

Carter Pewterschmidt: Pfft, that's like telling me to close all my files before taking a USB stick out.


Life is too short to safe eject.
 
BitwiseShift  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 9:16:58 AM  
Nuclear power plant don't have this problem.  Is there still a thing called "radioactive electricity"?
 
TomTudbury  
Smartest (8)   Funniest (1)  
2019-08-18 9:25:57 AM  
This story, for some reason, reminded me of:
Crispy Copper Fries
2014 Darwin Award Winner
Confirmed True by Darwin
darwinawards.com
darwinawards.com
"Winner of the 2012 Hide And Seek Tournament."
(19 May 2014, Arizona) The mummified remains of a man discovered in a Tucson manhole tell their own poignant story. In May the manhole was opened to investigate a fluctuation in electrical power. According to records kept by Tucson Electric Power the manhole had not been opened in the past five years, so the team that entered the underground high-voltage vault was quite surprised to find the dessicated remains of a man slumped near cut copper wires. In his shriveled hand was -- can you guess? -- a bolt cutter.
Crime pays so little, and costs so much. This nominee not only failed and fried but also, nobody noticed, making his death both stupid and sad. An autopsy confirmed the obvious conclusion that electrocution was the likely cause of death. The date of death was set at somewhere between one and two years previous to the discovery.
 
jtown  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 9:38:13 AM  
tboake.comView Full Size
 
OlderGuy [TotalFark]  
Smartest (7)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 9:39:29 AM  
Power station was not 'hot'...  vibration from the explosion shook something loose on the nearby pole, causing a short  and flashover.  Meh.
 
CluelessMoron [OhFark]  
Smartest (4)   Funniest (1)  
2019-08-18 9:48:28 AM  

blodyholy: LewDux: [media3.giphy.com image 345x252]

Thank you for getting that out of the way early on. I giggle like a child every time I see that.


I'm always impressed at the amount of work put into that.  Shading, shadows, motion blur and everything.
 
thespindrifter  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 10:12:58 AM  

OlderGuy: Power station was not 'hot'...  vibration from the explosion shook something loose on the nearby pole, causing a short  and flashover.  Meh.


I was thinking possibly induced voltage? A properly aligned series of copper cables and a magnetized bit of metal being blown through a collapsing coil because of the blast could have created ambient current. The next question is how did it then jump closed switches?

Your idea is more plausible, but a collapsing coil is the core design of an EM pulse bomb.
 
jso2897 [TotalFark]  
Smartest (4)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 10:30:54 AM  

Carter Pewterschmidt: Pfft, that's like telling me to close all my files before taking a USB stick out. You're not my supervisor!


/Seems badly run. Four workers were killed a couple of years ago at the same site while demolishing the place.


It is almost as if a nation that was once intelligent has now become stupid.
It's hardly the only indication.
 
OlderGuy [TotalFark]  
Smartest (2)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 10:38:10 AM  

thespindrifter: OlderGuy: Power station was not 'hot'...  vibration from the explosion shook something loose on the nearby pole, causing a short  and flashover.  Meh.

I was thinking possibly induced voltage? A properly aligned series of copper cables and a magnetized bit of metal being blown through a collapsing coil because of the blast could have created ambient current. The next question is how did it then jump closed switches?

Your idea is more plausible, but a collapsing coil is the core design of an EM pulse bomb.


Generation ceased in 2013, the boiler room collapsed during demolition killing 4... if the station was still in the loop, which it would not have been, it would have taken out lots more than 29k customers..  fantasize all you want, but this was a simple 'something got shook loose' scenario.. also, per your 'explanation', why would you 'jump' switches that are already closed ?   And incidentally, large conductors are aluminum/ steel core, not copper in power / substations... too expensive, and would corrode excessively due to not being insulated in an outdoor environment.
 
OlderGuy [TotalFark]  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 10:43:12 AM  

jso2897: Carter Pewterschmidt: Pfft, that's like telling me to close all my files before taking a USB stick out. You're not my supervisor!


/Seems badly run. Four workers were killed a couple of years ago at the same site while demolishing the place.

It is almost as if a nation that was once intelligent has now become stupid.
It's hardly the only indication.


Nice to know that we aren't the only nation that fits that description... just sayin'...
 
CarnySaur [TotalFark]  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (1)  
2019-08-18 10:49:38 AM  
Hey, some like it hot.
 
Carter Pewterschmidt [TotalFark]  
Smartest (2)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 10:59:46 AM  

blodyholy: I understand Midsomer Murders to be a television show, yet the article writes as if it were a locale. Huh?


They called it "Midsommer Murders country". It's like describing the American south as "Dukes Of Hazzard country"
 
Weird Hal  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (10)  
2019-08-18 11:20:50 AM  
Before disconnecting a decommissioned power station to demolish it remember someone had to connect, commission and molish it in the first place.  Get that guy to help.
 
oldfarthenry  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (2)  
2019-08-18 11:25:02 AM  
I blame Brexit - or Brexelectric as it were.

/no, I don't
//just being silly
///sorry
 
OlderGuy [TotalFark]  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (1)  
2019-08-18 11:30:50 AM  

Weird Hal: Before disconnecting a decommissioned power station to demolish it remember someone had to connect, commission and molish it in the first place.  Get that guy to help.


Name is descriptive...   :o)
 
American-Irish eyes  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 11:32:45 AM  

TomTudbury: This story, for some reason, reminded me of:
Crispy Copper Fries
2014 Darwin Award Winner
Confirmed True by Darwin
[Link][darwinawards.com image 100x129]
[Link][darwinawards.com image 94x100]
"Winner of the 2012 Hide And Seek Tournament."
(19 May 2014, Arizona) The mummified remains of a man discovered in a Tucson manhole tell their own poignant story. In May the manhole was opened to investigate a fluctuation in electrical power. According to records kept by Tucson Electric Power the manhole had not been opened in the past five years, so the team that entered the underground high-voltage vault was quite surprised to find the dessicated remains of a man slumped near cut copper wires. In his shriveled hand was -- can you guess? -- a bolt cutter.
Crime pays so little, and costs so much. This nominee not only failed and fried but also, nobody noticed, making his death both stupid and sad. An autopsy confirmed the obvious conclusion that electrocution was the likely cause of death. The date of death was set at somewhere between one and two years previous to the discovery.


Damn, I hope they preserve the remains in a museum.
 
nytmare  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 11:42:40 AM  

BitwiseShift: Nuclear power plant don't have this problem.  Is there still a thing called "radioactive electricity"?


Nuclear fission heats water to produce steam.
Steam spins massive turbines which generate electricity.

But in this case, debris or dust from the demolition destroyed nearby transformers.
 
OlderGuy [TotalFark]  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 11:54:04 AM  

nytmare: BitwiseShift: Nuclear power plant don't have this problem.  Is there still a thing called "radioactive electricity"?

Nuclear fission heats water to produce steam.
Steam spins massive turbines which generate electricity.

But in this case, debris or dust from the demolition destroyed nearby transformers.


Nope.   Per the video, and the distance between the site and power pole, no dust or debris was involved.
 
Jimmy's getting angry  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 12:44:36 PM  

thespindrifter: OlderGuy: Power station was not 'hot'...  vibration from the explosion shook something loose on the nearby pole, causing a short  and flashover.  Meh.

I was thinking possibly induced voltage? A properly aligned series of copper cables and a magnetized bit of metal being blown through a collapsing coil because of the blast could have created ambient current. The next question is how did it then jump closed switches?

Your idea is more plausible, but a collapsing coil is the core design of an EM pulse bomb.


Know how I know your not an electrician or EE?
Closed switches transmit power. Open switches isolate.
The rest...ay carumba.
 
HighOnCraic  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (1)  
2019-08-18 12:55:36 PM  

CarnySaur: Hey, some like it hot.


Sounds like there was a problem with communication.

/Soul to soul!
 
OlderGuy [TotalFark]  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 1:14:37 PM  

Jimmy's getting angry: thespindrifter: OlderGuy: Power station was not 'hot'...  vibration from the explosion shook something loose on the nearby pole, causing a short  and flashover.  Meh.

I was thinking possibly induced voltage? A properly aligned series of copper cables and a magnetized bit of metal being blown through a collapsing coil because of the blast could have created ambient current. The next question is how did it then jump closed switches?

Your idea is more plausible, but a collapsing coil is the core design of an EM pulse bomb.

Know how I know your not an electrician or EE?
Closed switches transmit power. Open switches isolate.
The rest...ay carumba.


You know how you proved you are an idiot ?  Slowly read the bolded sentence and explain why you would 'jump' closed switches that could be conducting if there was power there, which there wasn't...  master electrician here, plus 5 years with Va. Power. While you are at it, consider that the power station was decommissioned in 2013, which means not tied to the grid in any form...
 
Jimmy's getting angry  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 1:26:59 PM  

OlderGuy: Jimmy's getting angry: thespindrifter: OlderGuy: Power station was not 'hot'...  vibration from the explosion shook something loose on the nearby pole, causing a short  and flashover.  Meh.

I was thinking possibly induced voltage? A properly aligned series of copper cables and a magnetized bit of metal being blown through a collapsing coil because of the blast could have created ambient current. The next question is how did it then jump closed switches?

Your idea is more plausible, but a collapsing coil is the core design of an EM pulse bomb.

Know how I know your not an electrician or EE?
Closed switches transmit power. Open switches isolate.
The rest...ay carumba.

You know how you proved you are an idiot ?  Slowly read the bolded sentence and explain why you would 'jump' closed switches that could be conducting if there was power there, which there wasn't...  master electrician here, plus 5 years with Va. Power. While you are at it, consider that the power station was decommissioned in 2013, which means not tied to the grid in any form...


I wasn't relying to you sparky. I was replying to the guy who doesn't know what a closed switch is. You were correct that the station was not on the grid. His explanation was...out there.
/master as well. 30 years in the trade.
 
blodyholy  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 1:50:09 PM  

Carter Pewterschmidt: blodyholy: I understand Midsomer Murders to be a television show, yet the article writes as if it were a locale. Huh?

They called it "Midsommer Murders country". It's like describing the American south as "Dukes Of Hazzard country"


Ahh, I see, the context makes sense now.
 
Hugo Zorilla  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 2:54:59 PM  

CarnySaur: Hey, some like it hot.


Geraldine and Daffney agree.

/just watched that last night.
//mm had some dds
///3 from hell
 
SloppyFrenchKisser  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 3:05:33 PM  
A former girlfriend tried to decommission my power station with salt peter.
Silly girl.
 
cyberspacedout  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 3:24:57 PM  

nytmare: BitwiseShift: Nuclear power plant don't have this problem.  Is there still a thing called "radioactive electricity"?

Nuclear fission heats water to produce steam.
Steam spins massive turbines which generate electricity.

But in this case, debris or dust from the demolition destroyed nearby transformers.


They should have known there was more than meets the eye.
 
OlderGuy [TotalFark]  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 4:21:16 PM  

Jimmy's getting angry: OlderGuy: Jimmy's getting angry: thespindrifter: OlderGuy: Power station was not 'hot'...  vibration from the explosion shook something loose on the nearby pole, causing a short  and flashover.  Meh.

I was thinking possibly induced voltage? A properly aligned series of copper cables and a magnetized bit of metal being blown through a collapsing coil because of the blast could have created ambient current. The next question is how did it then jump closed switches?

Your idea is more plausible, but a collapsing coil is the core design of an EM pulse bomb.

Know how I know your not an electrician or EE?
Closed switches transmit power. Open switches isolate.
The rest...ay carumba.

You know how you proved you are an idiot ?  Slowly read the bolded sentence and explain why you would 'jump' closed switches that could be conducting if there was power there, which there wasn't...  master electrician here, plus 5 years with Va. Power. While you are at it, consider that the power station was decommissioned in 2013, which means not tied to the grid in any form...

I wasn't relying to you sparky. I was replying to the guy who doesn't know what a closed switch is. You were correct that the station was not on the grid. His explanation was...out there.
/master as well. 30 years in the trade.


55 years for me... apprenticeship from '64 to '68..  Lots of changes... ran across a functional FPE panel a couple of months ago... world record ?
 
I am Tom Joad's Complete Lack of Surprise [TotalFark] [OhFark]  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 4:42:39 PM  

OlderGuy: Jimmy's getting angry: OlderGuy: Jimmy's getting angry: thespindrifter: OlderGuy: Power station was not 'hot'...  vibration from the explosion shook something loose on the nearby pole, causing a short  and flashover.  Meh.

I was thinking possibly induced voltage? A properly aligned series of copper cables and a magnetized bit of metal being blown through a collapsing coil because of the blast could have created ambient current. The next question is how did it then jump closed switches?

Your idea is more plausible, but a collapsing coil is the core design of an EM pulse bomb.

Know how I know your not an electrician or EE?
Closed switches transmit power. Open switches isolate.
The rest...ay carumba.

You know how you proved you are an idiot ?  Slowly read the bolded sentence and explain why you would 'jump' closed switches that could be conducting if there was power there, which there wasn't...  master electrician here, plus 5 years with Va. Power. While you are at it, consider that the power station was decommissioned in 2013, which means not tied to the grid in any form...

I wasn't relying to you sparky. I was replying to the guy who doesn't know what a closed switch is. You were correct that the station was not on the grid. His explanation was...out there.
/master as well. 30 years in the trade.

55 years for me... apprenticeship from '64 to '68..  Lots of changes... ran across a functional FPE panel a couple of months ago... world record ?


My rental house still has an FPE Stabilock box. Couple at work too.
 
HighOnCraic  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 5:45:37 PM  

SloppyFrenchKisser: A former girlfriend tried to decommission my power station with salt peter.
Silly girl.


That woman of yours is a killer!
 
Desert Tripper  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 6:10:12 PM  

I am Tom Joad's Complete Lack of Surprise: My rental house still has an FPE Stabilock box. Couple at work too.


My mom's old house has a Stab-Lok panel. And the secondary panel has screw-in fuses! One of the Stab-Lok breakers started getting flaky a couple years ago and I was able to get a brand-new replacement off eBay. Great to have the intarwebs as a supply resource!
 
GaperKiller  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-18 7:15:20 PM  

OlderGuy: 55 years for me... apprenticeship from '64 to '68..  Lots of changes... ran across a functional FPE panel a couple of months ago... world record ?


The townhomes I manage are about 60% FPE panels. I look forward to the fire reports.
 
DarkVader  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-19 8:03:37 AM  

Desert Tripper: I am Tom Joad's Complete Lack of Surprise: My rental house still has an FPE Stabilock box. Couple at work too.

My mom's old house has a Stab-Lok panel. And the secondary panel has screw-in fuses! One of the Stab-Lok breakers started getting flaky a couple years ago and I was able to get a brand-new replacement off eBay. Great to have the intarwebs as a supply resource!


That was probably not a good idea.  https://structuretech1.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/FPE-Hazards-Revised-070525.pdf
 
OlderGuy [TotalFark]  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2019-08-19 8:59:44 AM  
FWIW, cleaning the contact points on any panel will cure overheating issues... SS wire brush on the bussbars and breaker contacts to remove the tarnish, with a dab of deox at each contact point.. IR scanner will show the difference..  safe is best.. look for color changes on the bussbars, and locate higher amp loads nearest the main breaker.  Really glad that split bus panels went out of style....
 
Displayed 39 of 39 comments

View Voting Results: Smartest and Funniest

Redisplay/refresh comments
This thread is archived, and closed to new comments.

Continue Farking

Want to see behind the curtain? Try

TotalFark

It's how we feed the squirrel

learn more | sign up

  1. Links are submitted by members of the Fark community.

  2. When community members submit a link, they also write a custom headline for the story.

  3. Other Farkers comment on the links. This is the number of comments. Click here to read them.

  4. Click here to submit a link.