How long before my house will be destroyed?

[Anthony5]

When I returned from an overseas trip the other day I was welcomed by the following.

Obviously someone has crashed into the high voltage power pole opposite my house, and damaged it to the point that leans over dangerously.

The tensioning cable is broken as is the pole it self. The only thing holding it in position are the high voltage power cables. If it falls down it will destroy my perimeter wall and maids quarters which are right in its path.

At that time it will take with it the next pole, that is also opposite my property and which tensioning cable has given way already, and which is directly connected to my transformer on a pole on my property. That means it will as well pull over the pole with my transformer, and destroy it together with the gate and perimeter wall.

In short, if the pictured pole comes down, the damage to my property will run in the hundred thousands. I don't even want to think what will happen if the high voltage cables hit the maids quarters.

When I returned from my trip yesterday, the car that caused the accident was removed already, so it must have happened at least 1 day earlier.

Today still nobody from PEA around, so it will be a guess when and if they will bother to replace the pole.

What are my options if I have a lot of damages?

Will I get reimbursed by the insurance from a government agency?

I assume that I can go to the PEA office on Monday to inform them, however I would think they know already, and it is probably the same as if I report it to a brick wall.

Should I make a police report of this.

I really don't feel comfortable with this, because they way it looks is as if the pole can come down any minute.

[thequietman]

From your picture, one can clearly see the offending post is on the opposite side of the road. Even using just my eyes it's clear the height of the pole does not exceed the width of the road and therefore your wall is not at risk. The post also appears to be leaning left and forward, so if it does fall, it will miss your wall.

Agreed it is dangerous but I don't think you need to worry about it causing damage to the wall.

Are you a drama queen perchance.

[Anthony5]

From your picture, one can clearly see the offending post is on the opposite side of the road. Even using just my eyes it's clear the height of the pole does not exceed the width of the road and therefore your wall is not at risk. The post also appears to be leaning left and forward, so if it does fall, it will miss your wall.

Agreed it is dangerous but I don't think you need to worry about it causing damage to the wall.

Are you a drama queen perchance.

A road is 5 meters, I think a high voltage power pole is way over 5 meters high. How do you know it will miss my wall, since the wall is not in the picture.

I'm not really a drama queen, but this situation looks pretty scary, and I have such an idea that if it causes me a lot of damage, that I can pull my nose and pay for everything myself.

What you think would happen when the 20.000V? lines hit anything that is connected to my house power grid?

[daveAustin]

It'll trip out the sub station.

[saakura]

House destroyed and damage to your property will run into hundreds of thousands? The mind boggles.

Edited November 15, 2014 by saakura

[casualbiker]

There's been one sitting at that angle near me for 5 years.. no one bothers.. I have even seen the Electricity company putting new power cables on it!!!

[Anthony5]

There's been one sitting at that angle near me for 5 years.. no one bothers.. I have even seen the Electricity company putting new power cables on it!!!

I think there is a difference between a pole at an angle and one that is cracked at the bottom. Did you take a close look at the last picture?

[Anthony5]

House destroyed and damage to your property will run into hundreds of thousands? The mind boggles.

Really? I take it that you have never build a house then.

Only the roof from the maids quarters was 100.000

Transformer, which will without doubt come down together with the pole connected to it, is 350.000.

[Jip99]

So you have been back a couple of days and have not contacted PEA ? No one in your family has contacted PEA ?

I have always found PEA to be quite efficient.

Surprised you haven't reported it to the police.

Contacting PEA and the police might be more constructive than taking photos.

[NanLaew]

Do you want odds or what?

Who knows what PEA will pay for any damage, if anything.

Best you be front and center at your local PEA office at 8 AM on Monday with pictures and a map.

No... forget the map. Just bring your electric bill. They'll work it out from there.

Oh yes, make sure that they are aware that a third-party broke the pole in the first place. I reckon you would be even more upset if they raced out there, had a new pole planted by noon and then handed you the bill.

[raro]

I would report it to the PEA to ensure that there is a record. If no action taken after a couple of days report it again and then get a lawyer involved.

If that thing falls down, regardless of the house, it can hit a car, motorcycle, whatever and 20,000 volt will toast you.

[raro]

One post slagging off the OP has been removed.

This is a dangerous setting.

[Anthony5]

So you have been back a couple of days and have not contacted PEA ? No one in your family has contacted PEA ?

I have always found PEA to be quite efficient.

Surprised you haven't reported it to the police.

Contacting PEA and the police might be more constructive than taking photos.

I came back on Friday, I don't have "a family" in Thailand, and I had assumed that the event probably happened a few days ago already so that PEA would be around later yesterday or today,.Today is Saturday and PEA offices are closed.

In the OP I asked if I should contact the police, as I have actually no idea if it is their business or not.

Is this acceptable to you?

[Anthony5]

Do you want odds or what?

Who knows what PEA will pay for any damage, if anything.

Best you be front and center at your local PEA office at 8 AM on Monday with pictures and a map.

No... forget the map. Just bring your electric bill. They'll work it out from there.

Oh yes, make sure that they are aware that a third-party broke the pole in the first place. I reckon you would be even more upset if they raced out there, had a new pole planted by noon and then handed you the bill.

I would think they must be aware of the event, because looking at the damage of the pole and the car parts laying around, it's obvious emergency services must have been involved.

Don't they report to government agencies in case of such a situation?

Anyway, I will be at the PEA and orbotor offices with the pictures first thing on Monday.

[casualbiker]

Do you want odds or what?

Who knows what PEA will pay for any damage, if anything.

Best you be front and center at your local PEA office at 8 AM on Monday with pictures and a map.

No... forget the map. Just bring your electric bill. They'll work it out from there.

Oh yes, make sure that they are aware that a third-party broke the pole in the first place. I reckon you would be even more upset if they raced out there, had a new pole planted by noon and then handed you the bill.

I would think they must be aware of the event, because looking at the damage of the pole and the car parts laying around, it's obvious emergency services must have been involved.

Don't they report to government agencies in case of such a situation?

Anyway, I will be at the PEA and orbotor offices with the pictures first thing on Monday.

If you look on your electric bill there is an emergency number. Maybe call that if you think it's coming down. From your pictures it looks like the internal metal is intact so should be ok for a bit. Just a question. Did the maid not call about it?

[Anthony5]

Do you want odds or what?

Who knows what PEA will pay for any damage, if anything.

Best you be front and center at your local PEA office at 8 AM on Monday with pictures and a map.

No... forget the map. Just bring your electric bill. They'll work it out from there.

Oh yes, make sure that they are aware that a third-party broke the pole in the first place. I reckon you would be even more upset if they raced out there, had a new pole planted by noon and then handed you the bill.

I would think they must be aware of the event, because looking at the damage of the pole and the car parts laying around, it's obvious emergency services must have been involved.

Don't they report to government agencies in case of such a situation?

Anyway, I will be at the PEA and orbotor offices with the pictures first thing on Monday.

If you look on your electric bill there is an emergency number. Maybe call that if you think it's coming down. From your pictures it looks like the internal metal is intact so should be ok for a bit. Just a question. Did the maid not call about it?

In Thailand you can build a maids quarters, finding a maid to occupy it is a completely different story.

Thanks for the tip of the emergency number, though I have such a vague presumption that they will not understand much English.

[AYJAYDEE]

#1: following an arc of radius=pole length puts the pole just inside the wire and will not reach the edge of the picture so wont hit the wall

#2: the power lines are strong enough to keep it from falling to the ground.

[neverdie]

A shocking situation to find yourself in Anthony. I hope you can contact a bright spark at the electricity office to help you resolve the issue.

[cooked]

I would get up the pole as near as I dared to the wires, attached a rope there and attached the other end of that rope to one of the coconuts as tightly as possible. The post is being partly supported by the cables and it looks unlikely to me that it will move again in the near future.

[CraigSchuler]

Mai pen rai.....If it falls over and wipes out your house, worry about it then.

[CharlieH]

#1: following an arc of radius=pole length puts the pole just inside the wire and will not reach the edge of the picture so wont hit the wall

#2: the power lines are strong enough to keep it from falling to the ground.

Correct and assuming it didnt snag on any of those palm trees before reaching the ground, which you cant quite see from the angle of the pic.

Also, given the tension on the cables, if it broke at the base, there is a good chance the base would swing inward making the arc even further from the house.

[David48]

Looking on the bright side ... if the Maid is rather attractive, and her retreat, which you claim is in danger of being hit, it would be an excellent opportunity to show her your good heart and invite her closer to you until the problem is resolved.

That is assuming that you don't have a Thai Wife because you haven't mentioned her yet.

If you have said Thai Wife then let her simply deal with it.

Oh ... how CharlieH assesses the situation is the best guess at what would happen ... I used to work in the industry.

The qualifier is that the HT wires are securely attached to the insulators ... which is a fair assumption as they have not separated yet.

[AYJAYDEE]

Looking on the bright side ... if the Maid is rather attractive, and her retreat, which you claim is in danger of being hit, it would be an excellent opportunity to show her your good heart and invite her closer to you until the problem is resolved.

That is assuming that you don't have a Thai Wife because you haven't mentioned her yet.

If you have said Thai Wife then let her simply deal with it.

Oh ... how CharlieH assesses the situation is the best guess at what would happen ... I used to work in the industry.

The qualifier is that the HT wires are securely attached to the insulators ... which is a fair assumption as they have not separated yet.

except that if the pole fails at the base, the reinforcing steel in the concrete will not rupture but will simply bend and anchor the pole to the concrete still buried in the ground

[NancyL]

I would get up the pole as near as I dared to the wires, attached a rope there and attached the other end of that rope to one of the coconuts as tightly as possible. The post is being partly supported by the cables and it looks unlikely to me that it will move again in the near future.

Do you seriously think it's a good idea to recommend that the OP secure that unstable pole himself -- with live electrical wires attached to it?

[MJP]

I would get up the pole as near as I dared to the wires, attached a rope there and attached the other end of that rope to one of the coconuts as tightly as possible. The post is being partly supported by the cables and it looks unlikely to me that it will move again in the near future.

Do you seriously think it's a good idea to recommend that the OP secure that unstable pole himself -- with live electrical wires attached to it?

I think the OP should stand well clear and make a phone call to the electric board.

[HeijoshinCool]

I would get up the pole as near as I dared to the wires, attached a rope there and attached the other end of that rope to one of the coconuts as tightly as possible. The post is being partly supported by the cables and it looks unlikely to me that it will move again in the near future.

.

Yeah, that's the first thing I thought of: climb a concrete pole that has been structurally compromised and bears a few volts of electricity and tie a …. never mind.

EDIT: Is this kind of activity where you got your member name?

Edited November 16, 2014 by HeijoshinCool

[Jip99]

So you have been back a couple of days and have not contacted PEA ? No one in your family has contacted PEA ?

I have always found PEA to be quite efficient.

Surprised you haven't reported it to the police.

Contacting PEA and the police might be more constructive than taking photos.

I came back on Friday, I don't have "a family" in Thailand, and I had assumed that the event probably happened a few days ago already so that PEA would be around later yesterday or today,.Today is Saturday and PEA offices are closed.

In the OP I asked if I should contact the police, as I have actually no idea if it is their business or not.

Is this acceptable to you?

It is your life, do what you wish.

You are the one who lacked the wit to make immediate contact with the authorities and needed an internet forum to discover that there was an emergency number.

[harrry]

A shocking situation to find yourself in Anthony. I hope you can contact a bright spark at the electricity office to help you resolve the issue.

Yes I am sure they will put some light on the matter without you having to turn up the heat too much or someone there may have the power to do something and turn on their emegency services.

[neverdie]

A shocking situation to find yourself in Anthony. I hope you can contact a bright spark at the electricity office to help you resolve the issue.

Yes I am sure they will put some light on the matter without you having to turn up the heat too much or someone there may have the power to do something and turn on their emegency services.

Harry, are you trying to make 'light' of the matter ?

[harrry]

A shocking situation to find yourself in Anthony. I hope you can contact a bright spark at the electricity office to help you resolve the issue.

Yes I am sure they will put some light on the matter without you having to turn up the heat too much or someone there may have the power to do something and turn on their emegency services.

Harry, are you trying to make 'light' of the matter ?

Of course not. I am merely trying to point out that in order to ensure that Work is done on this Energy conserving probem it is important to fully understand the laws of Newton which do apply in this country. A body remains at rest unless acted on by an outside force.