Comedy Gold . Eircom Assets

Sponge Bob

Eircom assets and assumed decrepitude vs international benchmarks .

Eircom ducts last 20 years vs international norms of 40 years
Eircom poles last 15 years vs international norms of 30 years

Eircom copper is not like any other copper either .

all here

http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg0911a.PDF

Comreg are having a laugh , sorry I mean a 4 month consultation , about this which will not report for 6 months afterwards as they survey the highways and byways analysing creosote dispersal patterns for the rest of the year.

Eircoms secret regulatory weapon is that Comreg forgot to analyse Termite Damage and thereby invalidated the consultation in its entirety .

eircom is an Australian company after all and the top management know more about bush tucker than Comreg ever will. My lips are sealed on where the termites escaped into the wild ....east of the Shannon somewhere allegedly.

So keep yeer eyes peeled for them critters on sunny days !

crawler

Termite Watch - Day 1

watty

The ESB once claimed a decently creosoted pole could last 75 years!

They are only recently replacing some in use since 1922. The eircom estimate was 8 to 15 years and RGL is 30.


Concrete ones last worst.
Steel Middle
Creosoted wood best.

Except when current stock is used, the new ones can't use Creosote. It gives badgers cancer or something.

The prevailing use of creosote in the United States is to preserve wooden utilities/telephone poles, railroad cross ties, switch ties and bridge timbers from decay. It is registered with USEPA for this purpose. [..] Due to its carcinogenic character, the European Union has banned the sale of creosote treated wood and requires that the sale of creosote be limited to professional users.

Googling suggests that the replacement preservative the poles last 25 to 30 years and the creosoted ones have 40 to 50 year life in North America.

Termites

Globally, termites are found roughly between 50 degrees North & South, with the greatest biomass in the tropics and the greatest diversity in tropical forests and Mediterranean shrublands

Must be Global warming if we are getting them here The mediterranean shrub lands of Waterford?

clohamon

Eircom and ESB get their poles treated at PDM who include this useful information.

There are many instances of Creosoted Timber structures and Wood Poles still giving good service after 100 years in ground contact. In Ireland, the E.S.B. have used 1,250,000 pressure creosoted Transmission Poles in the Rural Electrification Scheme since 1947 and replacement has hardly commenced: Over 100,000 poles erected prior to 1947 are still in use. Eircom have over 1,000,000 Creosoted Telegraph Poles standing in Ireland and of these more than 100,000 installed prior to 1930 are still giving good service.

rahtkennades

There are many instances of Creosoted Timber structures and Wood Poles still giving good service after 100 years in ground contact. In Ireland, the E.S.B. have used 1,250,000 pressure creosoted Transmission Poles in the Rural Electrification Scheme since 1947 and replacement has hardly commenced: Over 100,000 poles erected prior to 1947 are still in use. Eircom have over 1,000,000 Creosoted Telegraph Poles standing in Ireland and of these more than 100,000 installed prior to 1930 are still giving good service.

Wow! If nothing else, PDM should think about some built-in obselescence in their poles! 60 years + is a long turnaround time!!

clohamon

Irish termite nest.

Fogmatic

I'm a bit confused. Eircom Australian?
Er...could that explain why their infrastructure isn't designed to withstand rain?