How Does That Work?

Guy wires provide strength, stability

Ever notice a wire stretching diagonally from the ground to high on a utility pole?

That skinny line performs an important job when it comes to delivering reliable power to customers throughout OPPD’s service territory.

A guy wire is a tension cable that helps balance and stabilize tall structures against rough weather.

Guy wires (also known as guy ropes, guy lines, or guys), provide  support for utility poles, radio towers, ship masts and even tents.

How they work

Utility poles are buried deep in the ground and are strong enough to stand on their own, barring extreme weather conditions or a major impact. Guy wires help support the weight of power lines, which exert a downward and sideways force in certain weather conditions near the top of poles.

One end of the guy connects to a high point on the pole. which supports the weight of the overhead power lined. From there, the tensioned guy wire slopes downward and away from the pole to an anchor point in the ground that helps hold it in place.

Guy wires are especially important near dead-end anchor poles, where a long, straight section of wire ends or turns another direction. All the force exerted in the direction of the power lines on one side needs to be balanced with a force in the opposite direction, which guy wires help provide.

Protecting the public

Guy wires usually have fiberglass strain insulators near the top that extend below any energized equipment to help prevent any harmful electrical voltage from reaching lower stretches of the line that are easily accessible to the public.

At the lower end, where the cable enters the ground, a yellow plastic reflector sheathing makes guy cables more visible so that passers-by and vehicles are less likely to run into them.

“Properly guying our overhead power lines is an essential step in maintaining a safe and reliable electric system for our customers during all weather conditions,” said Justin Denton, Senior Engineer in Distribution Engineering.

Different styles

Not all guy wires are the same.

Some extend directly to the ground. But in urban areas with limited space, others may only span across a road to a separate wooden pole, where there is more room to install a guy wire to the ground. This design is less common, but useful in tight areas to keep guy wires out of the public’s way.

Some poles have multiple guy wires for heavier loads. They come in a variety of sizes, carefully designed to support the full weight of an overhead line.

Guy wires are just one tiny part of the network that OPPD uses to deliver power to your neighborhood, but the role they serve every day remains as important as ever.