Sparking power pole

[haux 6]

A power pole that's used to carry electricity across a river is sparking and smoking. I noticed the smoke when viewing it from far away, and when I zoomed in, I saw sparks. My city has enough power to cover its consumption, and I haven't gotten any messages or notices about power. Why is this happening? Is it bad? Can I fix it?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

A power pole that's used to carry electricity across a river is sparking and smoking. I noticed the smoke when viewing it from far away, and when I zoomed in, I saw sparks. My city has enough power to cover its consumption, and I haven't gotten any messages or notices about power. Why is this happening? Is it bad? Can I fix it?

Underfunded power plant. Often happens if you have a waste to energy plant in the mix and set its funding to zero. Just fix the funding.

[x493x 446]

Never seen that before, it's interesting, been playing for a while and I still don't know everything.

[haux 6]

Ah. I've got the waste-to-energy plant with funding to zero to get rid of garbage for free. You know, that way to beat the system. Will the pole continue sparking and smoking with no effect, or will it eventually get destroyed?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Ah. I've got the waste-to-energy plant with funding to zero to get rid of garbage for free. You know, that way to beat the system. Will the pole continue sparking and smoking with no effect, or will it eventually get destroyed?

It may eventually ignite adjacent structures. I'd try to get rid of the power poles or fix the power plant's budget.

[bombcar 12]

You can also use SFBT Garbage Shipping instead of the zero funding plant. More expensive, but more fair, too.

[SC4BOY 20]

Ah. I've got the waste-to-energy plant with funding to zero to get rid of garbage for free. You know, that way to beat the system. Will the pole continue sparking and smoking with no effect, or will it eventually get destroyed?

It may eventually ignite adjacent structures. I'd try to get rid of the power poles or fix the power plant's budget.

I use these plants at zero funding all the time and have no problems.. neither fire nor "sparking poles". I have had the sparking poles on rare occasion, so this suggests to me that whatever the issue is, it doesn't relate directly to the 0-funded trash burner.

[Cob92 360]

Your power line maintenance budget is too low.

[eggman111 8]

I get this often, and I'm not too sure why. My hunch is that it has to do with the amount of current running through the wires.

It doesn't appear to be caused by an underfunded power plant as I get it even when my power plant's current capacity is above the total usage (and it happens even without Waste-to-Energy plants set to 0 funding).

I also doubt it's a power line maintenance budget item, because I never lower it below 100% (default).

Also, I've never had a fire break out at the power line pole (and this has gone on for years and years in-game). I don't generally have power poles right next to buildings, though, so maybe that's it?

I appreciated Bombcar's link to the garbage shipping.

[cogeo 960]

"Power Line Maintenance Budget"? There is no such a thing. The effective Power Line Maintenance Budget is the average of the funding percentages of your power plants. Your power poles will be sparking if this is set below a certain level.

Funding the W2E plant to zero is a cheat anyway (you get garbage disposal for free). And Maxis allowing this, doesn't make it less of a cheat. Better refrain from building additional power plants in the city (or its neighbours), instead fund it normally and sell the extra power.

[DavidB_ 83]

Actually, I always use the Black Hole waste disposal plants (usually v1), because it has virtually unlimited disposal capacity and a fair maintenance cost. I've always had trouble with landfills and w2e plants, so I eventually gave up, used the landfill eraser and built the Black Hole plants!

Black Hole waste v1

Black Hole waste v2

Landfill Eraser

[Wraner 335]

Why not use the PEG garbage dump. The thing that just dumps it all off of the edge of the map!

Power poles have died to me, I use the less noticeable powerlines that run under water.

[DavidB_ 83]

Why not use the PEG garbage dump. The thing that just dumps it all off of the edge of the map!

Power poles have died to me, I use the less noticeable powerlines that run under water.

What if there's a giant monster, living down in the abyss, hating all the trash which is tossed into his home, who would rise against the sims living up top?

Yeah, that would be strange, but I prefer the Black Hole systems. Plus, the edges of my cities are often very developed!

[Jamesrules90 133]

PEG's garbage thing is a shipping yard which dumps it over the edge of the boat.

[TheHaso2011 152]

Your Problem is very STrange But i would Suggest What A noonymoose Suggested