Preventing Animal Interference with Electrical Equipment

Animals come into contact with electrical equipment more frequently than you think! Squirrels, raccoons, birds, mice/rats, and even snakes could be the cause for some of your major power outages or interruptions. Some helpful prevention tips and what to do when this happens, can be found below…

How Does This Happen

Animals are curious and can often make their way into dangerous places without knowing. It is important to reduce the risk and put protection in place to prevent this from happening. Due to the warmth and the humming sounds coming from the electrical units, animals often mistake the equipment for a good habitat. If an animal chews on a cord or receives an electric shock from a piece of equipment, a hydro pole, transmission line, or anything else along the feeder line, it could cause a power outage or interruption, and even damage. Much like the electrical breaker system in your home, circuit breakers will automatically shut off the power when this occurs in order to protect the electrical grid. Within a millisecond the circuit breaker will turn back on and try to restore the power.

Mitigation and Prevention

It is extremely important that the mitigation strategies put in place by utilities abide by federal regulations to ensure animal protection. Mitigation and prevention strategies may differ across utilities due to the different environmental circumstances. Some of the preventative action’s utilities are taking include…

• Installing disks around insulators to prevent animals from touching ground parts of the electrical grid, where they can be electrocuted.
• Placing electrical equipment where animals cannot reach it.
• Installing fencing, or “critter guards”.
• Increasing vegetation management
• Insulate power lines and transformers.

Vegetation Management

Vegetation management not only reduces the risk of trees causing outages, but also limits the chances of wildlife coming in contact with electrical equipment and causing potential damage or interruption. By increasing tree trimming services and upkeeping with the growth of plantation around electrical equipment, animals and humans will be able to see the danger more clearly and stay safe! Branches and limbs of trees caught in powerlines could become live and electrocute animals nearby or in the tree. In order for all wildlife and plants to be protected it is essential to keep electrical equipment clear of trees.

What Can You Do to Help?

Keeping critters out of your home can be as easy as sealing up any entry or access points, or putting fencing around electrical equipment and other hazardous equipment animals could get into. It is also important to put protection in place for your furry friends inside your home. Your pets can still get into mischief and cause damage to your electrical system. Keep equipment out of reach and your pets out of rooms and spaces where there could be an electrical hazard. Another solution in case of emergencies, is to ensure you have a backup power source - make sure you know how to use it safely. This way you can be prepared for any unexpected outage.