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Our nation has vast reserves of natural gas, enough to easily meet domestic needs and have enough for limited sales overseas. Along with being part of the president’s plan to help the world shift to cleaner fuels, exporting liquefied natural gas will create thousands of jobs and provide a major boost to our economy.
Underground power lines in the Dominion service area are buried at depths specified by the National Electrical Safety Code. In general, buried power lines carrying up to 600 volts must be buried at least 24 inches deep, and lines carrying between 601 and 50,000 volts must be at least 30 inches deep, although there are variations on this rule. Landscaping or excavation work in the area can change ground conditions after a power line has been installed and alter its depth. If your family is considering a digging project, always call Miss Utility at 811 to have utilities marked before digging, to allow time for all the utilities to be marked, and to obtain a positive response from Miss Utility.
Yes, underground power lines are indeed possible, and are in place all over the country. But putting power lines underground is very expensive. The cost varies according to the type of the line and the geographic location, so I can’t provide an exact dollar amount.
A lightning strike can carry up to 100 million electrical volts. That’s as much electricity as is contained in about 8 million car batteries. A shock of this size can disrupt the body’s electrical signals, and stop the heart and brain. For tips on how to stay safe in a lightning storm, check out our site’s lightning safety section here.
Those green power boxes are called transformers, and their function is to reduce the high voltage of the electricity that travels from power plants along distribution wires so that it can then travel safely along service wires to homes and businesses. Transformers contain equipment that is very dangerous to touch. That’s why they have warning signs on them. You could get electrocuted by touching the equipment inside them. This is why you should tell an adult if you ever see one that is damaged or unlocked. As a rule, it’s much safer to play far away from them.
There are some strict national guidelines stating required heights for overhead power lines above streets, sidewalks, alleys, roads, properties, and driveways. The National Electrical Code (NEC) is the organization that determines acceptable clearances for power lines to keep people from contacting them.
Natural gas is formed very slowly, deep inside the earth. Over millions of years tiny plants and animals that have died and decayed are buried by mud, sand, and silt, and the forces of heat and pressure inside the earth turn them into natural gas. Certain types of rock formations underground allow the natural gas to form and collect.
Metal itself cannot electrocute you. However, metal is a good conductor of electricity, which means it allows electricity to flow easily through it. Electricity is a form of energy carried by moving electrons, which are particles that orbit the center of an atom. The electrons in the atoms of metals are only loosely attached, so electricity can travel through them easily. That’s why, in order to protect yourself from electric shock, it’s so important to never put a metal fork in a toaster, to stay away from metal fences and poles during a lightning storm, and to keep metal ladders away from power lines.
Yes, natural gas pipes do have to be grounded to protect them from stray electrical currents. Damaging electrical currents could come from buried or shorted electrical wires, static electricity, or even nearby lightning strikes. Any of these sources of electricity could create a spark that could damage a metallic pipe and potentially ignite the natural gas it carries.
There are several possible explanations for your shock. One is that you were actually “shocked” by a splatter of hot oil jumping from the pan as you put in the chicken. The body would respond in the same way to this as it would an electric shock, by jerking away. Another possibility is that if you live in an older home, you might have become electricity’s easiest path to the ground, due to your contact with the sink. For an explanation about this, read my earlier response to Dixie who asked a similar question about getting shocked by touching the stove and sink simultaneously. A third possibility is that if your range is electric, it might not be grounded properly. I’d advise your family to have an electrician come and check the circuit to the stove as a precaution, because if the grounding is bad, then operating the stove could be an electrical hazard.
Natural gas is called “natural” because when this type of gas was first discovered, it was a naturally occurring gas substance originating from the earth, and it could be used directly from the ground in its natural state without any processing. Today, gas utilities process natural gas by removing water, sand, and other compounds so that when the gas is delivered to your home it will burn as cleanly and efficiently as possible. And in its natural state gas has no odor, so that’s why companies like Dominion add a harmless but stinky chemical to it; the odor helps people smell a leak that otherwise, in the gas’s natural state, doesn’t smell.
Never, ever grab or even go near a fallen power line!
If you were to touch a fallen power line, electricity would travel through you. You could be seriously hurt or even killed by the electric shock. Electricity from a power line can stop a person’s heartbeat and/or breathing, and it almost always causes terrible burns inside and outside the body. People who do survive power line contacts often spend months or years recovering from the burns, and can also suffer permanent nerve damage, chronic pain, sleep disorders, seizures, and other symptoms.
Always stay away from a fallen power line and anything it is touching, and immediately call 911 to report it.
Never attempt to hang from a telephone wire or any type of utility line!
In addition to the obvious safety risks associated with falling, there are wires on the utility pole, such as electric power lines, that could electrocute you. Electricity is always seeking a path to the ground. If you were to touch a wire and the utility pole (or a tree branch) at the same time, the electricity in the wire would travel through you on its way to the ground, causing a serious or fatal shock.
The safe distance for avoiding shock hazard from overhead power lines can vary with weather conditions, because the amount of moisture in the air affects electricity’s ability to travel through it. So your best bet is to always stay as far away as possible from power lines. Never climb a tree that has a power line going through or near it, or use a ladder or any long-handled tools near a power line. If you ever see a fallen power line, stay far away from the line and anything it is touching.
Electrical systems have been evolving to become safer over the years. In the past, a building’s wiring system had just two wires that fed electricity to and from the wall outlets, making a circuit or loop. (The “hot” wire brought it in from the fuses and the “neutral” wire carried it back out to the fuse panel.) A person could interrupt this circuit and get shocked by touching the metal of the stove and sink edge. The shock would occur because both metal and the water in a person’s body are good conductors of electricity—the electricity would be drawn to the metal and to the person standing on the ground, because electricity is always seeking a path to the ground. (Hence the expression “grounded.”) Nowadays, there is a third wire used to ground buildings’ electrical systems, so that a person can no longer become the “grounding” mechanism!
Vehicles that run on natural gas instead of gasoline are called natural gas vehicles (NGVs). There are about 110,000 NGVs on U.S. roads today and over 12 million worldwide. NGVs are a popular transportation choice because they run cleaner than other vehicles. Compared to gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles, they produce much lower levels of pollutants and cost less to maintain. Also, natural gas costs, on average, one-third less than conventional gasoline at the pump.
Electricity for Virginia comes primarily from coal and nuclear energy, and also from natural gas, oil, and renewable resources. Dominion’s electric generation facilities produce about 27,600 megawatts of efficient electric power. Our fossil-fueled power stations use coal, natural gas, and oil to generate the electricity provided to our customers. Our nuclear stations have attracted international attention for their innovative programs, achievements, and efficiency. We also produce electricity using wind, biomass fuels, and water (also known as hydropower). Dominion uses this wide variety of energy sources to enhance our system’s reliability. This guards against major problems that might be produced by economic, environmental, or technical problems that could arise with a single energy source.
Stored energy (also called “potential energy”) is the energy in matter due to its position or the arrangement of its parts. For example, a coconut hanging on a palm tree has stored energy because of its position suspended in the air. When the coconut drops from the tree and falls to the ground, its potential energy is converted into energy in motion (also called “kinetic energy”). Another example that illustrates the difference between these two types of energy is a twisted-up rubber band used to fly a toy airplane. The rubber band contains potential energy that is converted into kinetic energy when it untwists and turns the propeller.
If your stove is truly all-electric, gas does not come to it. However, if your stove is “dual-fuel,” then it uses both electricity and natural gas. In a dual-fuel stove, the oven uses electricity and the stovetop burners use gas.
It’s good that you are asking about the safe thing to do. Please ask your parents or guardians how they would like you to handle this situation.
You are correct to wonder about the safety of your gas stove flame; however, it is not the heat of the flame that makes it unsafe. A stovetop flame is unsafe when flammable objects—like papers, potholders, paper towels, or toys—are left nearby where they could catch on fire. To prevent this happening, keep flammable items well away from the stove, and never allow the flame to be bigger than the bottom of the pot or pan that is used on it.
The balloon that you saw was probably only touching ONE power line. Just like a bird can stand on a power line and not get shocked, a balloon can touch a single power line without getting burned. This is because it is easier for electricity to keep flowing through the line than to go through the balloon. Trouble happens when a balloon touches two wires at once, in which case electricity will flow from one wire to the other through the balloon and burn it up. (However, if YOU touch one power line while you are in contact with the ground, you will be shocked!)
The balloon could also catch fire if it touches a tree or power pole while it is touching the power line. In these cases the balloon provides electricity with a path to the ground. This is why you should never try to get a balloon, kite, toy plane, or any other object that is stuck on a power line. Whether the object is touching one power line or two, if you touch the object, you will provide electricity with a path to the ground and you could be seriously shocked or even killed.
Power lines are securely attached to power poles with special connectors so they don’t fall or break. However, in rare cases of extreme wind or heavy snow, a power line can come down and the electricity in it can shock or burn anyone or anything that touches it. This is why it’s so important to stay indoors during and after bad storms, and why you should always stay far away from fallen power lines and call 911 to report them.
Power lines carry electricity. If you touch a power line with a part of your body, or even with something you are holding like a kite or a ladder, electricity will leave the power line and flow through you, giving you a serious electric shock. You could be badly burned or even killed! Always play far away from power lines and never touch one with your hand or with any other object.
Shoes hanging on a power line don’t get burned for the same reason that birds standing on a power line don’t get shocked: they don’t give electricity a path to the ground, so electricity stays in the line and does not go through them. But if the shoes were to touch a power line and a power pole at the same time, they would provide a path to the ground and would get blasted with electric current. It wouldn’t be pretty! By the way, if you ever see someone throwing shoes up onto a line, tell them to stop! The shoes can damage the power line, or someone trying to get the shoes down could be seriously shocked or even killed.
A natural gas flame burns hotter than a campfire. In general, cooler flames appear yellow, orange, or red, while hotter flames look blue or white. (While flecks of orange in your gas flames are okay, if the flame is yellow, large, and flickering, the appliance may need a safety adjustment by a qualified repair person.)
Yes! An electric eel uses chemicals in its body to manufacture electricity. A large electric eel can produce a charge of up to 650 volts, which is more than five times the shocking power of a household outlet.
The ancient Chinese were the first to discover underground deposits of natural gas. In 600 BC, Confucius wrote of wells 100 feet deep yielding water and natural gas along the Tibetan border. The Chinese piped the gas to where it was needed through long, hollow bamboo stalks.
Neither! In the wires of an electrical circuit, the electrons are always jiggling around. When a circuit is closed to run an appliance or a light bulb, the electrons jiggle a lot and travel through the wire. When the circuit is open, all the electrons just jiggle where they are—kind of like running in place.
Ben Franklin’s famous key did give off an electric spark. But lucky for Franklin, the kite was just drawing small electrical charges from the air. If the kite had been struck by lightning, Franklin would have been killed!
