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Originally Posted by injuneer
Ntl switch sites & hub sites have diesel engines but there have been instances where they didn't start on mains fail. (usually due to lack of regular routine maintenance, the power staff are stretched to the limit). BT have also had engines that don't start/catch fire for the same reasons I expect!
If power fails to an ntl cabinet they usually bring in a petrol genny which keeps the neighbours awake all night, until someone decides to pinch it. The batteries wouldn't last more than a couple of hours assuming they were in good nick anyway.
Maintenance & engineers are dirty words to corporate bean counters. We don't install or sell anything so are viewed as non-productive. Happens in most companies unfortunately. Nothing lasts forever but doesn't last at all without maintenance.  |
I can agree with injuneer here, the condition of the batteries at cabints these days are an unknown quantity. ntl employed small teams of technicains to carry out preventative maintenace at cabinets after it was noted that these cabinets were not being looked after and batteries were failing. These guys were checking battery capacity, locks, hinges and generally sort out any maintenance issues, these positions were made redundant a few years ago as another cost saving exersize.
The ups/battery back up for nodal cabinets was also shelved about 4 years ago, before the project got off the ground, but not before they had an agreement with suppliers to supply x amount a month.
The standby generator maintenance in my old region was taken over by the broadcast guys, generators had failed to start due to lack of maintenance. Many of ntl's switch sites were built with battery back-up an ups to cope with the equipment put in the sites early on, as they have added extra equipment for new services and customers the ups/batteries and indeed air conditioning have not been upgraded in the cost saving excersizes.
Many of the later built hubsites do not have standby generators, so if a complete hubsite loses power the batteries will only last an hour os so at most. In this situation it could mean tens of thousands of customers lose broadband and TV service all for the sake of some cost saving 4-5 years ago.
Money was tight long before chapter 11 for things like generators, air conditioning and battery back-up, out of 10 hubsites fed off the Cardiff Headend, three of them have no standby generators!
The air conditioning situation means that some large site could lose one air conditioning unit and the entire site cooks, there was wiring and floor allocation from day one for additional units as equipment racks were increased, but they saved cost by not upgrading, one unit failing now can be the straw that breaks the camels back.
Every new piece of equipment that they put in a hubsite or headend, such as all this lovely new VOD equipment is adding to the potential problem.