Faults on Vector equipment
Report faults to equipment
Spotted low hanging or downed lines, cable exposure or damaged/faulty equipment
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Vector owns the lines, poles and equipment up to the point of supply, which is usually the isolating fuse located either on the boundary of your property or on the pole nearest your property.
You can help us keep our network and the community safe by reporting low hanging or downed lines, cable exposure or damaged/faulty equipment.
Vector equipment faults can be caused by:
Lines or cables being hit
Any damage or denting of a cable or pipe could seriously impact its integrity or shorten its lifespan. Keep everyone at least 10 metres away and if you smell gas call Vector on 0800 764 764.
Clashing lines
In high winds, power lines can clash together, making bright flashes, loud bangs and possibly power surges and outages. Keep everyone at least 10 metres away.
Vehicles hitting power poles
If a car has hit a pole and brought down the power lines, the safest way to avoid electric shocks is for the occupants to stay in the car until help arrives. They should only try to get out of the car if another urgent situation, such as fire, forces them to evacuate. If they must leave the car before help arrives, they need to jump clear, being careful not to touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Keep everyone at least 10 metres away.
Faulty private electricity service line or equipment
The property owner owns the service line between the point of supply and the meter. If a fault is found to be on the service lines or equipment, then the repair and cost of the repair will be the responsibility of the property owner. Residential customers receive three free non-network call outs per year. After three non-network call outs a charge may apply. Commercial customers may be charged a call out fee by their energy retailer.
Noisy or open equipment
A pillar or transformer on the street may be making a loud noise or is open. Keep everyone at least 10 metres away.
Items on lines
If you tangle an item or see any items on a power line, never try to remove it yourself.
What you need to do
- Call us on 0508 832 867 if:
- Overhead lines are on the ground or hanging low
- a pole is damaged, leaning and/or on the ground
- Vecgtor equipment is noisy or open
- lines are clashing
- Call fire service on 111 and us on 0508 832 867 if:
- your electricity meter is on fire or sparking
- overhead lines or underground cables are hit - and call 111
- Call your energy retailer if:
- you have an issue with a meter or a hot water relay
- Call an electrician if:
- there is a problem with your electricity service line
Hitting an overhead line or underground cable
Any damage of cables could seriously impact its integrity or shorten its lifespan. For cable damage, keep all people well away from the area and call us immediately:
- Treat the cable or overhead line as live - jump well clear and get back at least 10 metres
- Evacuate the immediate area
- If you are in a machine, stay there
- If you are at serious risk from another hazard, such as fire, and must leave the machine, jump well clear. Do not touch metal surfaces, or the machine and ground at the same time
- Leave damaged cables exposed for us to fix
- Call emergency services immediately on 111
- In the event of an electric shock, don’t touch the victim until you are certain the source of the electricity has been removed. Call 111.
FAQs
The Auckland region has a mix of both overhead and underground power lines. 55% of customers have power lines underground in front of their properties. All new developments in the region have power lines underground as the site works for construction and road building typically provide easy and cost-efficient access to install the lines.
However, some areas have overhead power lines because:
- Undergrounding costs up to 10 times more per kilometre than overhead power lines
- Costs are especially high in areas of Auckland built on hard volcanic rock which is common in central Auckland.
- In rural areas, undergrounding power lines is prohibitively expensive given the lower population numbers per kilometre.
The cost of undergrounding ultimately ends up with consumers, which is why we still use overhead power lines in some cases. They’re affordable and easy to repair when something goes wrong. We use the technology that’s best for each area so we keep the costs down for our customers.
Wouldn't undergrounding all power lines prevent outages?
Unfortunately, faults still occur on underground electricity cables that result in outages. These can happen when:
- Contractors or DIYers hit underground electricity or gas cables
- Underground cables are more resilient to tree damage but can still be damaged by storms if trees are uprooted.
Underground faults may also take longer to find. A field crew may spend hours digging up sections of a road before identifying where the issue lies.
- Switch off any machinery and remove any ignition sources
- Evacuate the area and move at least 20m away or until you can no longer smell gas
- Call the fire service on 111 and then Vector on 0800 764 764
- Leave any damaged pipes venting to atmosphere and do not re-enter the area for any reason
- In the unlikely situation a fire has ignited, leave it to burn and do not attempt to extinguish the fire. Emergency services are on their way