Electric Box Caches

[4wheelin_fool]

I find it a bit odd that caches get archived for using small nails, as well as being buried, to the point of fake sprinkler heads being disallowed due to land manager perceptions, but caches hidden among live wires are fine.

At the very least, I would think a cache hidden among live wires would call into question whether the CO really has adequate permission. But are there really so many caches hidden among live wires that Groundspeak needs to specifically mention this situation in the guidelines?

 

I haven't seen this supposed plague of caches hidden among live wires. Fake junction boxes, fake wall plates, various magnetic caches placed on the outside of transformers or control boxes, caches under lamp post skirts... sure. But among live wires? No.

I've found 2 in such places. Both were voluntarily archived by the owner when others objected. Another one was brought up in the forums here, and not archived for the longest time despite a few NAs. Eventually it was, however. I have another one on my watch list right now.

[4wheelin_fool]

I find it a bit odd that caches get archived for using small nails, as well as being buried, to the point of fake sprinkler heads being disallowed due to land manager perceptions, but caches hidden among live wires are fine. Putting aside the electric company's perception, what about the public's in the event of injury? Keep in mind that I'm not talking about fake junction boxes, wall plates, or keyholders on the outside of transformers, which I think are fine. I'm talking about caches hidden among live wires. Common sense would say its a bad idea.

 

You've been around long enough to know the answer to that. Nails in trees, etc. have caused actual problems with land managers refusing caches entirely in their parks. No real-life situation has occurred with fake electrical equipment.

 

Nails in trees, ect. have never killed anyone. So, perhaps we should wait until someone gets injured ?

 

By the way, I think that most of us agree with you about caches hidden amongst live wires (or even wires that appear to be live) but that really is not what the thread is about, from the way I read it. The OP is referring to fake electrical outlets and such. No live wires there.

 

Once cachers believe that geocaches could be hidden among live wires after they find one, then looking for the fake caches may lead them to not only open live equipment, but continue to root around in the process. I cannot think of a single reason why a cache could be considered okay to hide around live wires. Currently most cachers do not associate live wires with geocaches. However once they do, the fake stuff will start to cause the perceived problems mentioned in the OP.

Edited December 1, 2012 by 4wheelin_fool

[+Don_J]

Caches made to appear like electrical equipment are fine most of the time. It's the ones hidden amongst live wires that I find stupid.

 

The public should not be able to access live wires. If I find unsecured electrical equipment, I report to to the electric company, Bureau of Street Lighting, Public Works, etc. It's a danger to everyone, not just geocachers.

[+Don_J]

Electrical devices installed by qualified professionals are quite safe to the general public.

 

Not always

http://seattletimes....1882_dog30.html

The writer of that article is a moron. There was no electricity left inside that dog. Electricity doesn't stay anywhere, except in batteries or in a capacitor, and then, it better be DC. A dog is neither battery nor capacitor, and most street lighting operates on 277 or 480 Volts AC. If the would-be rescuers of the dog received electrical shock by touching the animal, it was quite clearly still in contact with the junction box in the sidewalk. It's very possible the box in the sidewalk was plastic, but had a metal (usually brass) cover, and it also quite possibly filled with water which could have possibly caused the cover to become energized, but may not have tripped a ground-fault device, which all lighting exposed to public areas SHOULD be equipped with. However, when the dog came in contact with the cover and received the shock, IF there were a GFCI, it should have operated before electrocuting the dog. Even though the enclosure was mounted in a concrete sidewalk, the voltage on the cover should have been relatively insignificant with respect to ground unless it was incredibly dry weather. One part of the article talks about the cover on the sidewalk, the next talks about a nearby lamp post. What did they do, prop the dog against the post while trying to resuscitate him? Something VERY fishy with this, and sounds to me like a moron told another moron something, and it got REALLY screwed up by the time it hit the papers.

 

The point that "electrical devices installed by qualified professionals are quite safe to the general public" is a generically good statement, and we in the electrical industry would like to believe that, too. However, I must point out there are varying degrees of professionalism, experience, and quality of installation, all of which could have resulted in that dog storing electricity. Other factors will include quality of the devices and wiring. ANYTHING can fail to operate. I don't buy all I read in that article. I would point very squarely back at the city for taking ownership of the lighting system without first inspecting it, 100%, especially in a place where public exposure to it would increase the city's liability risk.

 

By the way, I'm an electrical engineer with well over 30 years experience in industrial services including power generation/distribution. If that dog was storing electricity, I want a whole pack of 'em to connect between my meter and distribution panel. I've never seen electric dogs. Eels, yes, dogs, no. Then again, it could have been RoboDog, or perhaps the T4000 version of the Terminator. Doginator. Not trying to make light of the girl's loss of her dog, but definitely taking a poke at a stupid reporter.

 

Note that in the City of Los Angeles, none of the 480v historic concrete street lights that were installed in the 1920's and 30's have any sort of circuit breakers on them, much less GFI. In August a car sheared off one along with a fire hydrant, and two women were electrocuted, when they rushed into the energized pool of water to render aid. Five others were injured when they attempted to help the women. I have seen these poles with the covers missing and reported them. The last thing I would consider doing is sticking my hand inside.

[+Maconb]

I found one yesterday where somebody set a meter base beside a Power line pole. it had wires atatched to the lugs and a nano laying on a lug. It was crazy if somebody would tell me how to upload an image on here I'd share it.

[knowschad]

Once cachers believe that geocaches could be hidden among live wires after they find one, then looking for the fake caches may lead them to not only open live equipment, but continue to root around in the process. I cannot think of a single reason why a cache could be considered okay to hide around live wires. Currently most cachers do not associate live wires with geocaches. However once they do, the fake stuff will start to cause the perceived problems mentioned in the OP.

New TOTT:

 

[knowschad]

I found one yesterday where somebody set a meter base beside a Power line pole. it had wires atatched to the lugs and a nano laying on a lug. It was crazy if somebody would tell me how to upload an image on here I'd share it.

 

The image has to first be uploaded to a website somewhere. You can simply upload it to one of your hides (if you have any... haven't looked) or to a photo hosting site like Photobucket. Once you have the URL, use the "Insert Image" icon on the toolbar. It will prompt for the URL.

[+OZ2CPU]

>It was crazy if somebody would tell me how to upload an image on here I'd share it.

 

put it on any of the free webbased open picture share sites,

and post a LINK to it here.

unless you got a webpage ?

I just normally upload geo pictures I want to share in this forum to my webpage/geocaching

you click the insert image, and put in the full link to the picture

[+Gustav129]

So even though I have never said this in my life.... Think about the children.

That should be the parents job, not the cache owners. Caches aren't required to be safe.

 

Permission issues aside...they ARE NOT DANGEROUS.

 

A daycare center near my house has a ground-mounted transformer box inside their fenced play area.

No toddlers have been fried to date.

 

If they ARE so dangerous, why do they place them around in accessible locations where any jacktard can walk up and get zapped? Wouldn't the liability insurance skyrocket requiring something be done to prevent all these un-necessary barbeque incidents?

As far as a pad-mount transformer goes they are pretty safe to be around. I have installed and worked on quite a few of them. Only saw one on fire.... Not a good night. And they are supposed to have at least two locking mechanisms on them so yeah they are pretty safe. But "Uncle Joe's wood shed" that Uncle Joe wired up himself because he "seen it on that show" might not be the safest form of electricity.

Huh? I thought the discussion was about hiding caches on electrical equipment, not Billy Bob's wired up chicken shack. How many Uncle Joe's wood sheds do you have near you that have caches on them?

 

Sounds like a delicious hot wing restaurant! LOL I think I might have some decals made and slap on the side of my race car...

[+JohnCNA]

I found this one somewhat unnerving. See the cache?

 

Here it is....

[knowschad]

I found this one somewhat unnerving. See the cache?

 

Here it is....

Yeah, I *almost* hid one in an old defunct electrical panel like that once, but I realised that, although it obviously hadn't been used for years, and would have shorted out long ago from rain and snow if it had any live wires, that it still would have bothered some people, so I passed on it.

[4wheelin_fool]

I found this one somewhat unnerving. See the cache?

...

Here it is....

 

Well, the wires are obviously dead.

 

It probably would be interesting to make the cache a bit bigger, and put one of these in it...