Would this worry you?

[climbsomemore]

I'm not sure I understand your comment about the ties. I can assure you that the conductor on the far left is not in a tie on the insulator, but it resting on the metal arm.

Mark

Noted (bifocal suck). It needs a new tie. Hendrix (spacer cable) has been popular for a long time--- heavy trees an stuff like this don't trip it out. You could toss log chain over this and not short the line out. The old spacers and ties were glorified rubber bands... they break

[rob8210]

Aww heck 9 months is nothing. I know of a spot that was like that for a couple of years. Even better, I was on a storm in Vermount where we found 2 phases of a 3 phase line twisted together, no reason for it . The birddog said it probably had been that way since the line was built, some 20 years earlier!!!

[Hebrew]

We use this cable and construction in my neck of the woods.The insulation is made for things like this.It should be fixed but won't cause a trip or anything even if rain falls,at least not what I have seen here at home.that bracket is very strong,have some here that have been around in excess of 20 years.

[reppy007]

Looks like the neutral is mounted on what we call a swing shoe used on angles.My mistake.Once I noticed a jumper tied in to an insulator like the one pictured.....It wasnt really a big deal or nothing but the jumper was energized with 19.9 volts......not seen here.....but I saw it and it never cause any problems....never

[Trouble1]

The messenger is grounded, but it's not a neutral. I have seen it used as a neutral before, but I don't think it was intentional.

Anyway, that's typical Nstar construction. Never trust spacer cable. Most of the time it works the way it's supposed to, but every now and then it doesn't. Guys pull it in too tight and then the expansion/contraction from weather ruins the insulation. There are plenty if spacer runs around here that are visibly cracked and places where it chips off instead of peeling off like its supposed to. I've seen it burn down from the exact situation in the picture. The ground to the messenger is a couple inches from the bolts on the C bracket. I've seen the pole blow a hole through the side to the ground once that bracket becomes alive.

I've heard the words "Oh don't worry, it's spacer" from people too many times when they are unwrapping it alive(stupid) or a tree is on it or when you have a situation like in the picture. I've seen a twig across messenger and an insulated phase blow fuses multiple times.

It will burn down one day. I bet they sent a troubleman out there and he wanted to take an outage, which was denied and that was the end of it. Now someone will have to go out in the middle of the night in the rain when it burns down.