OBJECTIVE

 The main objective of the project was to replace worn out electrical equipment which
caused recurring faults in the Taung area.
 Another aim of the project was to inspect service meters and check if they were bypassed
or not
INTRODUCTION
Electrical equipment failures account for millions of Pula’s in damage and lost business every year
and as this country’s electrical infrastructure continues to age the problem is going to worsen.
Hartford (2013) states that more than two-thirds of electrical system failures can be prevented by
a routine preventive maintenance program. The failure rate of electrical equipment is three times
higher for components that are not part of a scheduled preventive maintenance program as
compared with those that are.
Botswana Power Corporation took measures to reduce equipment failures by maintaining their
L.V overhead lines in Taung (and around Gaborone). The maintenance of the L.V line was also
done because of recurring faults in times of adverse weather (windy and rainy).
The maintenance of the L.V lines included:
 Pole inspection
 Replacing worn out jumper cables
 Replacing worn out L.V insulation piercing connectors
 Replacing damaged miniature circuit breakers
 Cutting tree branches growing into the line
 Replacing damaged pole mounting and pole caps
 Service meter inspection

EQUIPMENT USED
 Step ladder
 Low voltage insulation piercing connectors
 Pole cap
 Pole mounting
 Saddle and nails
 30mm cable

PROCEDURE
The first thing done at the site was to inspect the area where work was going to be done then fill
out the JSA (Job Safety Assessment) document accordingly. After filling the JSA pole inspection
was done using sounding method to determine if it was safe to work on, if it was safe a closer
inspection of the electrical equipment was done and the worn out cables, connectors and miniature
circuit breakers were replaced.

RESULTS AND DISSCUSSION

The replacement of jumper cables, L.V insulation piercing connectors and miniature circuit
breakers resulted in reduction of faults occurring in the Taung area. This agrees with the findings
of Hartford (2013) who stated that more than two-thirds of electrical system failures can be
prevented by a routine preventive maintenance program.

CONLUSION
The objective of the project was met as the worn out electrical equipment was successfully
replaced “and the recurring faults were reduced??”

RECOMMENDATIONS
 Increase the frequency at which maintenance is done. Upon inspection it was noticed that
some equipment had not been changed since installation which was done approximately
20 years ago. Maintaining equipment once every three years intervals may be beneficial
 Replace the rotten poles before moving to another area (e.g. Taung to Tshweneng).
Maintenance cannot be carried out on a rotten pole which means that worn out equipment
is left on the system and this may lead to electrical faults occurring despite maintenance
having been done on other poles.