Transformer Power Horn Fix

Keeping on top of all the issues at a beach resort is not always an easy task. The elements take their toll on everything, there is constant wind, radiation from the sun, salt water in the breeze, wildlife and humans in the mix.

A few months back I posted about 2 snakes that shorted out the lightening fuses at our transformer next to my farm. A while back we lost power again there was a huge noise like an explosion and something told me I should check the transformer. This time a bird shorted it out and was fried on top of the transformer.

When the Electric Company of Ghana engineers came out to fix it they pointed out that we had a leak of the oil on the top of the transformer. They suggested that we get it fixed as soon as possible because if it rained and any water got into the transformer that it would wreak the whole thing.

This leak was around one of the power horns, a ceramic insulator where the high current wires go into the transformer. When they came out to fix it they found that, that particular power horn had a crack on it which was allowing for the leak.

We had to replace the whole power horn and they also replaced some of the electrodes on the top and bottom of it which are meant to help push a lightening strike or grid overload past the power horn and to the ground.

This line from the power line had been having a problem before where if the wind starting blowing well it would swing and hit the lower tension wire of a parallel running lower tension line. It made me wonder if these constant issues could have caused the crack in the power horn.

In the end they got it fixed up for us, even though I protested that it should not be at our cost it was. Since the transformer is owned by the resort. I argued that they have other customers on this transformer and that when they pay they pay to ECG and they don't pay to us.

My protests were in vain and common sense is not so common we had to foot the cost even though they went and took the part from Government/company inventory. This is just the way it is sometimes. TIA this is Africa.