PECO has completed its annual inspection of more than 1,800 circuits and more than 10,000 miles of aerial electric lines across the service territory as part of the company’s maintenance and reliability improvement program. PECO invested more than $600,000 to perform the inspections, which began in January 2011.

The program includes a visual examination of PECO’s aerial electric system throughout the service territory for issues such as broken cross arms, damaged equipment and sagging lines. Infrared cameras also are used to identify potential equipment malfunctions before they occur by recording the temperature variations within a piece of equipment while it is in operation. Equipment and lines in need of repair are identified and reported throughout the inspection process and prioritized for repair based on the severity of the issue.

“Preventative maintenance programs, such as the inspection of our aerial electric equipment, help to identify potential outages before they occur and improve the performance of our entire electric distribution system,” said John McDonald, vice president of Technical Services. “The continuous monitoring, inspection, repair and replacement of equipment on our system are crucial to ensuring that our customers receive the safe and reliable electric service they expect.”

These inspections are part of PECO’s overall preventative maintenance program, which includes regular inspection of equipment on the electric system, including manholes, underground cables, transformers, substations and other electrical equipment.