Metal – Wood – Concrete – Composite
For new installations or when supplementing existing infrastructure, there are four choices for pole material. Much depends upon budget and particular environments. For example, metal poles are made from steel or aluminum. Steel is less expensive, but can oxidize more than aluminum. In all cases, poles must be designed for the specific environment. Steamboat Ski Resort can see sustained
winds exceeding 100 mph while Mount Peter may see maximum winds of only 60 mph. Wooden utility poles are the least expensive and have the added advantage of being available from many utilities that may help with installation. Two new materials are
concrete and composites. These are usually priced between metal and wood. There are not many concrete poles used at ski areas. Concerns include potential spalling (crumbling) concrete and snow chemical incompatibility. Many composite designs incorporate “breakaway” technology because they are mostly used on roads. Breakaway poles are designed to snap if impacted by a vehicle. A skier wouldn’t impact this sufficiently, but high winds can inadvertently cause these to fail. Always get a warranty of use as well as a guarantee on the function. When
ordering poles, be aware of the grade and size. Wooden utility poles have different diameters for different loads . Make sure the source for poles is aware of the load requirements.
Electrical Many slope lighting systems share electricity with snow-making. This usually involves tapping off of 480V 3-wire, 4-wire, and even 5-wire. These are described in layman’s terms as: a. Two 277V hots and a ground b. Two 277V hots, a ground, and a neutral c. Two 277 hots, a 277V “wild leg,” a ground, and a neutral. Modern lighting ballasts (drivers) can be auto-sensing on the input side to range from 110V/120V to 277V. If 480V is available from snow-making circuits with two 277V hots, a ground and a neutral, 277V fixtures can be configured to use one 277V hot, the ground, and the neutral . Warning: Do not install fixtures requiring a hot, neutral, and ground with only the hot and ground. Although it will operate, abandoning the neutral is dangerous. If the ballast is not auto-sensing , care must be taken to keep wire runs (lengths) within voltage operating parameters to avoid undervoltage that can overheat the ballast. Check voltages every 100 feet (30.48 meters) to ensure proper voltage is available. Long runs may require a transformer.
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