[mythtv-users] US to postpone analog TV death

[Brian Wood]

On Tuesday 27 January 2009 13:24:24 Brad DerManouelian wrote:
> On Jan 27, 2009, at 12:20 PM, Brian Wood wrote:
> > Underground utilities cost a lot more to install and maintain than
> > overhead
> > ones. Ask the average person if they are willing to pay more for
> > their house
> > to have utilities underground and guess what they will say.
> >
> > They can be a bear to maintain, especialy in areas where it snows a
> > lot. Try
> > finding one of those little  pedestals in a bunch of snowdrifts.
> >
> > Of course in L.A., where it rarely snows, you have to use a torch
> > (american
> > meaning) to kill all of the black widows in the pedestal before you
> > can
> > safely work.
>
> Do you have numbers to back that up? I suspect it's expensive to
> replace down wires and possible more insurance money for workers to
> climb poles than to dig. I wonder if long-term there is actually cost-
> savings in burying the wires where people can't easily get to them
> with cars, kites, lightning, ladders, etc.

Back when I worked in the CATV industry we figured about $14,000 per mile for 
overhead construction, and 2 to 3 times that for underground, if the area was 
not yet built up. Multiply that by another 2 or 3 if you have to go through 
already built housing. Most people just do not understand that even if it is 
in your yard, a utility easement is not really "yours" to do with as you 
will.

We ran into one person who didn't like the looks of the metal pedestal in 
their yard, so they "camoflaged" it, took us hours to find it.

Long-term costs I don't really know much about, but I do know that it was a 
real PIA to maintain underground plant. You had to cross fences, fight dogs 
and go through all sorts of hassles to even get to the plant. Driving up to a 
pole with your bucket truck is easy by comparison.

Kites, ladders etc. might be a problem, but so are backhoes, gardeners, post 
hole diggers, gophers and sprinkler installers. Digging up underground plant 
in the winter when the ground is rock-hard is no fun either. You would not 
believe the number of ways people find to destroy underground plant.

Anyone who has to actually work on the plant prefers overhead. Something you 
can see is always easier to get at than something hidden.

-- 
beww
beww at beww.org