5 Ways Birds Can Disrupt Your Power Supply

In order to keep power running in your home or business, it is important to keep electrical systems such as substations, utility poles, and overhead lines protected from bird interference.

While small birds resting on a power line is often seen as harmless, birds of prey and flocks of birds can affect your power supply in a variety of ways. Luckily, Critter Guard offers several products to help minimize power outages caused by birds. Check out these common ways birds can disrupt power in your area.

1. Birds Attract Predators that Can Disrupt Power

Birds perch on electrical wires to avoid predators, but some predators will go to extremes to hunt their prey. These predators such as raccoons, cats, and snakes can damage electrical systems and cause power outages while pursuing their prey.

2. Nests Built in Substations Can Lead to Damage

Birds often build their nests in and around substations. This behavior can lead to frequent power disruptions and outages due to nesting materials being dropped, larger birds contacting live conductors when flying in and out of the nest, and predators bridging insulators when in pursuit of their prey.

3. Collision with Power Lines Can Lead to Electrocution and Outages

When perched on a power line or transformer to look for food, birds of prey such as hawks, storks, vultures, and eagles can often cause power outages due to their large wingspans connecting with electric wires and conductors. Other large, less agile birds such as cranes, herons, and pelicans can collide with electrical systems when flying at low altitudes, leading to electrocution of the bird and power outages.

4. Birds Can Damage Utility Poles

In addition to damaging power lines and substations, birds can also destroy wooden utility poles. Birds such as woodpeckers are prone to pecking on critical wooden utility poles, causing structural failures and damage, which can potentially lead to power disruptions and blackouts.

5. Accumulated Bird Droppings Can Cause Insulator Flashovers

Birds are also one of the major causes of insulator flashovers due to their semiliquid, conductive droppings. The accumulation of bird droppings over time can lead to insulator flashovers and power disruptions.

Protect Your Power with Critter Guard

At Critter Guard, we pride ourselves on providing quality products that prevent power outages caused by birds and other critters. Our product, BirdBloc, helps to prevent birds of prey and flocking birds from perching or nesting on critical electrical equipment. To learn more about our humane wildlife control products, contact us today!