Obstruction Lighting Services, LLC., teamed up with Drake Lighting at the end of October to replace a tower lighting system in Edgefield, SC. The USAntenna tower at Luke’s Bridge was struck by lightning and required an urgent replacement of the Tower Lighting System.
“Drake’s Dual Obstruction Lighting system created a smooth replacement for our technicians,” said Larry Barber, owner of Obstruction Lighting Services, LLC. “The LED Flash heads and markers are much smaller, lighter, and considerably more energy efficient than the older incandescent lighting systems. The LED system will reduce energy costs and increase system longevity,” says Barber.
Drake Lighting’s products are warrantied. The Beacon and Side Marker are both covered for five years after installation. Those were big selling factors for USAntenna, according to Eddie Esserman, co-owner of USAntenna.
Replacing the Unit
The first step of installing the new Drake Lighting System is doing a safety inspection of the crew’s equipment and climbing harnesses. Then a visual safety inspection of the safety climb and the self-support tower. The team unboxes the system laying each component inspecting for any damage and photo documenting all the arial equipment’s serial numbers.
Work on the ground is also a critical component of the installation. Removing the decommissioned equipment and mounting the new controller sometimes requires adjusting the H-Frame to secure the new lighting controller. While that exchange occurs, the climber moves up the 300 ft tower, detaching the old cable from the tower, and plans where the new mono conductor cable will be attached to the tower leg.
With the old markers, beacon, and old cabling removed, the technician on the ground sends up the new markers, beacon and cable. “Drake Lighting’s lightweight LED upgrade made it easy to move up the tower,” explains Barber. Once secured to the tower, the technician on the ground runs the cable through the existing underground conduit to the lighting controller. Once all new mono cable lines are terminated, the controller is powered up and the system is tested per Drake Lighting’s requirements. “Drake’s Lighting Systems come with very detailed installation manuals and wiring schematics that make installation simple” says Barber.
The Drake Lighting design requires only one cable containing two wires that run up the tower to the beacon and marker, instead of the average multiconductor. The power supply and controller are located on the ground, making it the simplest retrofit on the market.
“Our exceptional technicians are the reason why Obstruction Lighting Services can be a part of this new technology, it’s amazing how much easier the process has become for them with the upgrades offered by Drake Lighting. I’m looking forward to working with their team and equipment on future installs,” says Barber. “Obstruction Lighting Services is thankful to USAntenna for entrusting OLS with installing the new Drake Lighting System. We truly appreciate the business and personal relationships built with the USAntenna team.”
For more information about Obstruction Lighting, LLC, or installations in the Southeast, email [email protected].
For information about the LED lighting kits from Drake Lighting, click here.
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