What's this?

[TonyDuell]

Wouldn't covering the photocell turn the lamp on?

[bobsterkent]

Lucy Columns are used in street furniture, you often see one planted by the side of the road before a speed camera is installed etc. Its a convenient way to bring the supply to a safe point.

[Refugee]

I found one of those photo cells many years ago.
I would not see the need to cover the sensor in order to test the lamp.
The one I have got has a photo resistor about the same size as a TO3 transistor connected in series with a ceramic resistor attached to a mechanical thermostat.
All you need to do is pull the fuse in the end one and allow the resistors to cool down and they will come on for a couple of minutes when power is restored.

[Lancs Lad]

Further on to my saga, the lamp post wasn't working that same evening after I found the fuse. And neither was the next one down the road.

Yes! I know it's taken me a week to go outside and have a proper look, but I just assumed 'someone else' would report it! Bad citizenship on my part, I know!

Anyway, when I did finally go and have a look, it would seem some idiot had removed the inspection cover and pulled out the fuse. God knows why! So I thought I had better report it myself, because obviously live terminals are exposed. So now, I'm waiting for the local council out-of-hours team to come and do a repair.

I just wonder why my particular lamp column was tampered with. There are about four dozen along this road. And would the fuse being removed from this one, interrupt the supply to the next lamp along? Are they wired and fused in pairs?

It's all most intriguing! I can't wait till the maintenance lorry turns up to see what happens!

I've taken a couple of pics.

[Lancs Lad]

The four yearly inspection interval caught my eye!

These new-fangled LEDs must be very reliable.

[Hunts smoothing bomb]

Originally Posted by Lancs Lad

I just wonder why my particular lamp column was tampered with. There are about four dozen along this road. And would the fuse being removed from this one, interrupt the supply to the next lamp along? Are they wired and fused in pairs?

Hi, no they are not fused in pairs, the cut out (as they are called) holds the fuse which plugs into the carrier (in the base of the column) and usually has a Philips screw in the centre holding it in place preventing accidental removal. Each fuse/cut out is for that column alone.

Cheers

[evingar]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

Lucy's was a big ironworks on the canal just outside the centre of Oxford. They made all kinds of street furniture, fuseboxes etc. All flats now, but I think the company lives on elsewhere.

At "the day job!" we have RMU's (11KV) made by Lucy - it's a relatively new installation (this century), so I guess they have a relatively "heavy" manufacturing facility somewhere still.

[Lancs Lad]

Thanks, Lee.

I just wonder why the next column further down isn't working? The inspection cover doesn't appear to have been removed, or even disturbed, on that one. Very odd!

Maybe the actual removal of the cut-out from 'my' column caused the next one down to blow.

Anyway, I reported it at 4:30 pm yesterday, but the repair crew still haven't turned up - it's Saturday lunchtime now!

[Lancs Lad]

It's has surprised me how much difference it makes when a couple of street lights aren't working - and makes me realise how we take street lighting for granted.

There are only fields across the road at the front of my house (see pic - from front bedroom window) so obviously there are no lamp columns on that side of the road. It's quite disconcerting how pitch dark it is outside. Looking out of the front windows at night into total darkness seems very odd, and yet exciting at the same time!

Is it true that once upon a time, decades ago, street lighting didn't stay on all night? I seem to remember reading somewhere that the lights went off at midnight.

[Station X]

Originally Posted by Lancs Lad

Is it true that once upon a time, decades ago, street lighting didn't stay on all night? I seem to remember reading somewhere that the lights went off at midnight.

They go off a midnight in the side road where I live, but not on the through road it leads to. It's all down to councils cutting back on spending.

It's not a problem. There are few pedestrians about after midnight and there's generally light from other sources such as moon light and front door security lights.

[broadgage]

Originally Posted by Maarten

2.6W puzzles me a bit. It wouldn't be the actual power consumption of a LED lamp.

The 2.6W is not related to the wattage of the lamp or other load that is intended to be connected.
It refers to the maximum continuous dissipation that the fuse holder can handle, from full load losses within the fuse link itself.

When current passes through a fuse, there is a small but real voltage drop within the fuse, and this voltage multiplied by the full load current is the potential dissipation within the fuse holder and base.

In this particular case of a 25 amp fuse, a maximum voltage drop of just over 100mv is implied., since 0.1 volts multiplied by 25 amps is 2.5 watts, or slightly less than the stated maximum 2.6 watts.

The maximum wattage loss in the replacement fuses SHOULD be specified by the manufacturer.
In practice, for a single street light the load will be very small and the wattage dissipated in the fuse will be minute.

[broadgage]

As already said, normally each street light has its own cut out, mounted in the base of the column, and connected to the main nearby.

There are however exceptions.
A footpath may have street lights along its length, linked one to another by small cables installed for the purpose, there being no main along most footpaths.

In that case, the FIRST street light will be connected to the nearest main in the usual way.
The first light may then have TWO CUTOUTS. The first one with say a 25 amp fuse will protect the incoming supply, and the second one with say a 6 amp fuse will protect the light in which it is mounted.
Subsequent lights will have the supply cable looped into the supply side of a cut out, and the lamp connected via a 6 amp fuse in this cut out.
Any faulty light will then only blow the relevant 6 amp fuse.
The 25 amp main fuse in the first column will only blow if the cable is damaged.

[Lancs Lad]

Thankyou so much for all that info, broadgage, it's all fascinating stuff!

The incoming supply definitely isn't looped out again. There's just one black SWA cable coming up into the column

[Lancs Lad]

Well, it's New Year's Eve.

I reported the potentially dangerous street lamp fault (exposed live wiring) to the local council over 72 hours ago.

Guess what? Nothing has been done. It beggars belief, doesn't it?

[AC/HL]

Have you got any insulating tape? A few times round the lamppost is better than nothing. Don't go near the wiring though!

[Lancs Lad]

I know, AC/HL, Bill, I did wonder about doing that, but worried it might draw even more unwanted attention to it. I've only got some bright yellow insulation tape, and I reckon black would be safer (less noticeable)

[Refugee]

Now that it has been reported just leave it alone. If you do anything to it you might get blamed if something nasty happens.

[Lancs Lad]

Yes, Refugee, I agree. I'm not going to touch it. With all the wind and rain we've had recently, the electrics are sure to be very wet.

Happy New Year to all. This is my first post of 2019!

[Lancs Lad]

Quick update, still not fixed!

Reported it ten days ago, and absolutely nothing has been done

Is this usual practice?

[AC/HL]

Last time I reported a street light (Bradford) it was fixed fairly quickly, but there may be many factors involved, if you're worried, report it again.