Insulators...

Brynwood Needleworks - Electrical Insulators

We had a little excitement here this past week. We had a visit from the guys at the power company. A few days prior, a man stopped to check the power pole on our property that brings the lines from the road to the farmhouse, and he marked an orange "OK" on the grass. We figured it meant the power pole was good.

Nope. That just meant that it was okay to dig, and that there was nothing dangerous buried nearby. The pole, however, needed to be replaced, so a couple days later, two power trucks with lift buckets, a huge hole digger, and a new pole arrived on the scene.

The workers were unbelievable! Once the support wire for the pole was detached, that pole started swaying. They said that a good storm could have taken it down anytime, and that the below-ground portion was pretty much done. 

They dug the hole for the new pole, and immediately erected the taller replacement right next to the old sentinel (which they figure had stood there for nearly fifty years), and promptly moved the wiring over. In the process, they removed the insulators (in the photo above) and gave them to Handsome. 

 

They also asked if we wanted the poles, and they'd be happy to cut them up for us, too. Handsome came inside to ask me, and I said, "Sure! We can use them to create raised beds for a garden." I suggested cutting our pole (and a second one they also offered from down the street) into eight and two-foot lengths would be perfect. They did exactly that, and left them behind for us, too.

A day later, we used our larger tractor to move them to the west end of the Compass Barn until next spring. We'll figure out where we want to set them up, after we prep the ground for them. You know, removing grass, putting down a barrier, covering with pea gravel, and then placing the pole sections. I'll have fun over the winter planning what our garden will look like, and we can decide where we'll put it.

In the meantime, I can enjoy these insulators indoors. They're both heavy, and made of ceramic. I've never seen the style of the tall one before. There are two holes that run in opposite directions, through which the lines ran. There are two small chips in one side, but it's not cracked or otherwise damaged. I've learned that the manufacturer of that one is Locke. This is what I've learned about that one. It's pretty cool information.

 

The short one, is also heavy, and in perfect shape, so I'll set them out with the two other glass insulators that Shelly gave me shortly after we moved in here. It's a LAPP insulator, dated 1930. If it was installed commensurate with the date, that pole is older than fifty years!

 

I guess I have a new collection of memorabilia from the farm! It's going to be fun to learn about both of the insulators.