Constant Power Outages

[NeilTheCop]

It's called a tree company, Neil.

The way LdiJ worded the reply, I took it to mean do it yourself.
Glad I'm wrong

 

[quincy]

The way LdiJ worded the reply, I took it to mean do it yourself.
Glad I'm wrong

adjusterjack said something similar.

If trees are kept properly trimmed from the start, they won’t reach the power lines to cause problems. Trees that grow under or near power lines also can be removed before they become a problem in a storm.

One problem we have in Michigan is an abundance of squirrels who electrocute themselves on transformers. Sometimes the charred squirrel-remains fall to the ground and power is restored immediately. Other times, the squirrel bodies must be located and removed manually to restore power.

 

[LdiJ]

A homeowner on a ladder waving a chainsaw near a 7,900 volt power line. What could possibly go wrong?
https://www.nj.gov/health/workplacehealthandsafety/documents/fatal-injuries/13nj074.pdf

I wasn't expecting that the homeowner would do it himself.

 

[stealth2]

Well, to be fair, I've had my youngest take some saplings down (but she IS chain saw certified!), but to trim trees as OP has described? That's a professional job. And since OP has elaborated that the trees are on county parkland? He couldn't get it contracted himself anyway.

 

[FarmerJ]

You posted $4000 damage due to frozen pipes that burst, flood damage caused by the water, motor damage to my heating system, food spoilage, < you could have drained your water lines , if your home has a hot water boiler you could have drained your boiler and those lines too as well as if your hot water tank after shutting off the gas to it or the electric unless you are on city water and sewer where you could have set a cold tap to a teeny thin line and let it run . Food spoilage , no electric co is going to reimburse you for that. where I live the power has been out at least 3 to 4 times more over the last 20 years than it was in the previous 22 years living in Minneapolis. Generators , yes they are nice to have but perhaps it may be time to look into another generator or perhaps a fancy one that sits on a concrete pad outside and comes on automatically with each power outage. If you feel your electric utility is not maintaining its lines well enough to reduce the outages then perhaps you should focus on your elected officials who can push harder on the utility companies.

 

[JohnSteed]

I assure you I have contacted everyone I could think of to complain about the problem. This includes my county legislature, the BPU, city council, the power company (duh), independent contractors, electricians, fire company, my wife and my mother. All to no avail. The underground wiring idea was discussed with the power company but they said I would have to foot the bill for the trenching which would cost many thousands of dollars which I can't afford.

I have already filed a complaint in small claims court. I have a court date. I was simply seeking any advice that might be useful in tackling this case. To the lawyers out there, don't power company have some sort of legal obligation to provide consistent power service to its customers??? (If not, I should open a power company, collect money from my customers and tell them "Sorry, due to acts of nature I cannot provide you with service" and not offer them service. Of course I would never do this, but that is what is essentially being done to me by my power company! I've been having consistent power outages for over 15 years now and the power company does very little to remedy the problem. Boo hoo to me, but that is why I am taking them to court.

I knew prior to filing a claim that this is an uphill battle. Everyone told me that I would never win against the power company. I examined the county court law records for cases filed against the power company and found very few, but nothing about them being negligent in providing consistent service. Please put yourself in my shoes for a moment and pretend YOU were going to court against this company. What would you tell the judge? If I get any help from this forum I promise I will post back the results of the trial (win or loose)l!

Thank you very much!

 

[JohnSteed]

You posted $4000 damage due to frozen pipes that burst, flood damage caused by the water, motor damage to my heating system, food spoilage, < you could have drained your water lines , if your home has a hot water boiler you could have drained your boiler and those lines too as well as if your hot water tank after shutting off the gas to it or the electric unless you are on city water and sewer where you could have set a cold tap to a teeny thin line and let it run . Food spoilage , no electric co is going to reimburse you for that. where I live the power has been out at least 3 to 4 times more over the last 20 years than it was in the previous 22 years living in Minneapolis. Generators , yes they are nice to have but perhaps it may be time to look into another generator or perhaps a fancy one that sits on a concrete pad outside and comes on automatically with each power outage. If you feel your electric utility is not maintaining its lines well enough to reduce the outages then perhaps you should focus on your elected officials who can push harder on the utility companies.

????? Oh come on! Who is going to drain their heating lines in the dead of winter??? I bet you most people would not even know how to do that! Besides, the power company promised to have power restored within 8 hours but they kept pushing out the estimate the more they had outages. I looked into one of those generators that go on automatically but they cost a small fortune which I can't afford. Even so, I am paying for electric service. The power company should not have so many disruptions in service.

 

[stealth2]

It's been my experience that utility companies will often provide rebates in the event of extended outages of service. (ETA: But you often need to ask...)

Calling everyone and anyone (and likely getting more irate with each call) is useless. Specifically, did you call the Department of Public Works and ask them about trimming back the relevant trees more frequently, more vigorously, more severely? They are the ones who do the work, so they are the ones to speak with. Your wife and mother? Useless.

 

[NeilTheCop]

I assure you I have contacted everyone I could think of to complain about the problem. This includes my county legislature, the BPU, city council, the power company (duh), independent contractors, electricians, fire company, my wife and my mother. All to no avail. The underground wiring idea was discussed with the power company but they said I would have to foot the bill for the trenching which would cost many thousands of dollars which I can't afford.

Not an immediate answer to your problem, but have you considered installing an off grid solar system?
A lot less expensive than having an underground cable laid.

 

[FarmerJ]

You wrote > don't power company have some sort of legal obligation to provide consistent power service to its customers???< there are many things that are beyond electric utilities control, cars /trucks that spin out or hydroplane into a ditch and break a pole so the wires break , that is beyond their control, storms that are so massive those are out of their control and as storms happen some times the damage area is so large the first priority becomes getting lines that service larger areas fix first so then later on smaller lines that feed residential streets can be fixed and in some cases feeder lines to homes being last. SO when you go to court if a Judge asked you what steps you took to prevent freeze up damages to the boiler / plumbing I suggest you repeat what you posted earlier > Oh come on! Who is going to drain their heating lines in the dead of winter??? < and just see how far that gets you with a judge. BTW perhaps you should use the links above and consult with a Attorney and ask a attorney why you didn't have a reasonable obligation to reduce the risk of damage to your homes plumbing /heating system by taking no action to drain the lines or find another temporary source of heat. During a winter outage here I have used a kerosene heater in the root cellar to keep the pipes for boiler and water from freezing and setting it on low and opening a window upstairs just a tiny bit to let fresh air in while it was running,

 

[not2cleverRed]

????? Oh come on! Who is going to drain their heating lines in the dead of winter??? I bet you most people would not even know how to do that! Besides, the power company promised to have power restored within 8 hours but they kept pushing out the estimate the more they had outages. I looked into one of those generators that go on automatically but they cost a small fortune which I can't afford. Even so, I am paying for electric service. The power company should not have so many disruptions in service.

You might not know how to do it the first time, but by the 20th time it happens, you should get a little more self sufficient in order to mitigate your losses during the next (predictable) outage.

 

[NeilTheCop]

You might not know how to do it the first time, but by the 20th time it happens, you should get a little more self sufficient in order to mitigate your loses during the next (predictable) outage.

Buying a standby generator might not be a bad idea.

 

[not2cleverRed]

Buying a standby generator might not be a bad idea.

OP seems to think that's unreasonable.

 

[Zigner]

Please put yourself in my shoes for a moment and pretend YOU were going to court against this company. What would you tell the judge?

I'd start by apologizing for filing a frivolous suit when I know full well that the outages are caused by an act of God.

 

[JohnSteed]

Hello again! Thanks for all the "Free Advice" you folks have given! I would have replied back yesterday, but once again, my electric power went out! First time this year! Yeah!

Does anyone have any advice on what to say to the judge? Please! Thanks!