This Valentine's Day, remember: Shiny balloons and the power grid do not mix

The News Journal

Your love might get a surge of emotion from those shiny balloons proclaiming your love on Valentine's Day.

But Delaware's power grid will get a surge of a different kind if they escape and hit an electric line.

"We’re asking all 'lovebirds' this holiday season to take care when handling their heart-shaped mylar balloons," Delmarva Power said this week. "The coating on the balloons can cause issues with power lines and damage equipment."

Delmarva Power isn't the only power company that's warned customers about mylar balloons. SRP Connect in Arizona has also had a problem with them.

In fact, spokesman Timothy Stokes said, untethered balloons cause hundreds of unnecessary service interruptions in the U.S. annually.

Delmarva Power itself is impacted about 10 times each year, with service to nearly 1,000 customers disrupted.

The balloons' metallic properties can cause a surge of electricity that shorts out equipment and can lead to power outages and fires, according to experts.

And it's not just shiny pouches of gas. Other foil coatings and snack wrappers can do the same thing.

On a blustery day last spring, a potato chip bag flew into a Delmarva Power facility in Salisbury, Maryland, and knocked out service for nearly 2,600 customers, according to the power company.

If you do plan on buying a balloon on Feb. 14, Delmarva Power has a few tips:

Always keep balloons tethered and attached to weights.
Properly dispose of foil-coated balloons by puncturing them to release helium that otherwise could cause them to float away.
If your grip does happen to slip, NEVER touch a power line or attempt to retrieve a balloon that is entangled in an overhead power line.

For assistance retrieving errant balloons, call Delmarva Power at 800-898-8042.

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Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.