The $100K Problem You Didn’t See Coming.
- nextleveluav
- Aug 21
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 4
One weekend as a Troubleshooter I recall System Operations radioed out a locked-out re-closer. I recognized the reclosure number and that it had operated multiple times over the past week. After hours of tracing overhead primary across the Texas Hill Country, my peers found the culprit: a lightning strike had left “B” phase wedged into a crack in the pole. Blue skies, no storms for a week—yet multiple recloser operations had occurred days leading up to the lockout.
On another occasion, a simple "power quality" order snowballed into a costly cascade of events. First I found a phase out, and then a full crew was sent to assist due to equipment failure. Once on-site, we discovered a brand-new three-phase padmount transformer had been single-phasing so long it had failed completely. That required yet another crew to replace it. Anyone familiar with three-phase pad-mount change-outs knows how time-intensive and costly the process is. And all of it—caused by one burnt jumper on the overhead distribution lateral.
Utilities that calculate the fine details during "lessons learned" sessions, know exactly how much these types of events cost. A troubleshooter "truck roll" might run $250–$300+ an hour (loaded benefits), while a full crew is closer to $1,000 per hour—before overtime. Add in materials, overtime, and a new three-phase transformer, and that one burnt jumper easily cost the utility upwards of $100,000.
Where Next Level UAV Makes The Difference
Routine circuit patrols with drones can prevent situations like these before they cascade into bigger issues. Whether it’s a post-storm assessment or annual checkups, an eye in the sky is foundational.
The hard truth: at the end of the day, people are human. Even the most experienced crews make mistakes—it’s part of the job when working in severe weather conditions. As you know, necessary switching occurs during storms to isolate damaged equipment and provide maximum safety for the crew performing the work. It is common that solid blade switches are not closed properly or even worse they picked up fault current (3000+ Amps) damaging the contacts of the switch. At Next Level UAV, we know these scenarios occur and look for indications like discoloration or abnormalities during thermal inspections. Our inspections are backed by almost two decades of energy delivery experience: DOL Journeyman Lineman, Troubleshooter, and Distribution Operator. We’ve seen the worst of the worst, and specialize in spotting the needle in the haystack.
When every detail counts — you can trust Next Level UAV to deliver inspections that protect reliability, reduce costs, and keep the customers lights on.
Have a great day!
Chris White | Founder of Next Level UAV
How frequently would you say your organization performs reoccurring circuit patrols?
0%Quarterly
0%Bi-annually
0%Annually
0%Every 2-5 years
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