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[Lee Douglas]

This happened here in Spokane this week, presumably from aging pavement heaters. It electrocuted a guys dog, but this could have just as easily been a small child or someone slipping on the ground and completing the circuit.  Anyway, I thought it might be of interest to this forum in particular.

https://www.kxly.com/news/stray-voltage-kills-dog-walking-on-downtown-spokane-sidewalk/1005129764

 

[Mike Sokol]

IIRC, a year or so ago a young girl was injured or maybe even killed from a sidewalk junction box that the city electrician had unbonded from ground on purpose. The electrician said he was tired of resetting the circuit breakers every time it rained and the junction box filled up with water.

[John Fruits]

I do wonder about the poor word choice for the linked article,  especially since the poor dog wasn't a stray...…..

[Tim McCulloch]

IIRC, a year or so ago a young girl was injured or maybe even killed from a sidewalk junction box that the city electrician had unbonded from ground on purpose. The electrician said he was tired of resetting the circuit breakers every time it rained and the junction box filled up with water.

City of Salina, Kansas.  Not sure what the final outcome was but City was doing a song and dance about who was responsible for maintaining the installation that was on a city easement (sidewalk planter).

[Stephen Swaffer]

It seems improbable that low voltage (120-240 V) sidewalk heaters could create enough of a voltage gradient to electrocute a dog-though I suppose with wet paws in direct contact with the pavement it might not have taken much?

[Tim McCulloch]

It seems improbable that low voltage (120-240 V) sidewalk heaters could create enough of a voltage gradient to electrocute a dog-though I suppose with wet paws in direct contact with the pavement it might not have taken much?

How conductive is dog urine?  Just guessing that the pup was doing or had done what dogs do... and if he stepped in the wet spot.

It's unfortunate for the dog and his human and very fortunate that it wasn't someone's kid.

[Jason Glass]

It seems improbable that low voltage (120-240 V) sidewalk heaters could create enough of a voltage gradient to electrocute a dog-though I suppose with wet paws in direct contact with the pavement it might not have taken much?

Heaters pull a lot of current, so it's easily possible that merely a few volts could kill a large animal that was unfortunate to complete the circuit while it was under such a load.

[Craig Hauber]

It seems improbable that low voltage (120-240 V) sidewalk heaters could create enough of a voltage gradient to electrocute a dog-though I suppose with wet paws in direct contact with the pavement it might not have taken much?

Never heard of a "sidewalk heater"  is is something buried in the slab?
Around here that would have to be one serious heater -and it would cause ice buildup around it when any runoff from the heated area hit the -20F not heated area.

As an aside, does anybody know if ice is conductive?

[Chris Hindle]

Never heard of a "sidewalk heater"  is is something buried in the slab?
Around here that would have to be one serious heater -and it would cause ice buildup around it when any runoff from the heated area hit the -20F not heated area.

As an aside, does anybody know if ice is conductive?

Hi Craig.
Up here in the Great White North, Montreal division, a plan was floated a couple of years back for putting sidewalk heaters in the slab while doing a re-model of a major downtown street. (Keeping in mind that these things are usually done by the lowest bidder..)
The idea was finally shelved due to a bit of research of other cities that had done it in the past.  It consumed a but-load of electricity, and seemed to work nice for 2 or 3 seasons before starting to break down. You really want to bust up a sidewalk to replace an element ? No, I didn't think so.
Actually, I'm kinda surprised. Our current administratin is quite car/bike friendly, and anti-car.
Chris.

[Mark Cadwallader]

The driveway out of Fire Station #1 in my town has a large and long heated pad. The main boiler for the large municipal building, of which the fire station is a part, supplies the heat for the pipes in the pad. No electrical elements to burn out and replace.

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