Balloons and power lines shouldn’t mix

Balloons are still causing problems for Imperial Irrigation District’s power customers.

“We had a pretty significant outage on Saturday at our electrical switching station in Coachella,” said IID spokesman Robert Schettler. “Because of Mylar balloon contact there, we had 961 people without power at 4:26 a.m. for a little less than an hour.”

Metallic-coated Mylar balloons filled with helium can wreak havoc on the grid. The metallic coating on conducts electricity and can cause a short circuit or power surge when in contact with the lines.

IID said this can lead to large-scale power outages, melting of electrical wires and fires, leading to possible injuries and property damage. In addition, outages caused by balloons can result in significant inconvenience for residents and businesses.

To reduce the risk of outages and potential injury, IID offered the following tips to safely and properly handle Mylar balloons:

• Never release a Mylar balloon outdoors.

• Keep Mylar balloons away from power lines.

• Use balloon weights.

• Never use metallic ribbon with metallic balloons.

• Always deflate metallic balloons and dispose of them properly when no longer in use.

Persons who see a Mylar balloon that has contacted a power line, should keep themselves, their equipment, and all other items and people at least 20 feet away and report it by calling IID at (800) 303-7756.

Always assume power lines are energized, the utility said.

-- Tom Bodus, tbodus@

ivpressonline.com