Common causes of power interruptions

Common causes of power interruptions

Every year, Western Power invests millions of dollars to improve the electricity network.  However, no electricity system is 100 per cent reliable.  Common causes of interruptions include 

• Car accidents 
• Storms, high winds and lightning strikes 
• Trees  
• Debris and vegetation blown into powerlines 
• Wildlife (birds, possums etc) 
• Willful damage and vandalism 
• Bush fires 
• Pole top fires 
• Overloads
• Faulty wiring or meter box 
• Planned Interruptions

Preventing power interruptions

You can help prevent power interruptions by:

• keeping trees and shrubs clear of powerlines.
• dialling before you dig to ensure you don’t dig through live electrical cables and other underground infrastructure. 
• reporting any vandalism or suspicious activity around powerlines and other power infrastructure to Western Power
• discouraging people, whenever you can, from throwing anything over powerlines (this is considered vandalism) as this can cause power interruptions to whole suburbs

Momentary interruptions

Sometimes interruptions last only a few seconds.   If, for example, a branch blows across a powerline but then falls to the ground, an automatic 'recloser' will turn the power off, wait a few seconds and then switch it back on. 

Sometimes the recloser has to do this two or three times before the fault is cleared.  If the problem is more serious and the wire has been damaged, power will stay off until our crew can locate and repair the problem.

Although momentary power interruptions can be annoying, they are preferable to longer interruptions.