Electrical Mast Poor Installation

Apart from the obvious uplifted shingles caused by the mast, is this type of installation acceptable? Should it have additional supports above and is the bending of the conduit here okay?

Looks to be performing adequately from this angle, assuming the bend in the conduit is a purposeful bend and not damage. Can’t tell for sure on that though.

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It’s ugly but the utility hooked it up so one can assume that they approved it. Looks like the sparky made an offset to get away from the overhang edge. The telephone/CATV drop is not permitted on the electrical mast.

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Is that NEC? I see that almost every time

NEC 230.28

Where a service mast is used for the support of service-drop conductors, it shall be of adequate strength or be supported by braces or guys to withstand safely the strain imposed by the service drop. Where raceway-type service masts are used, all raceway fittings shall be identified for use with service masts. Only power service-drop conductors shall be permitted to be attached to a service mast.

Check with your AHJ to see if there are exceptions made in your area.

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Probably the same provider duplicating their mistake over and over. :smile:

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Good work is rare around here

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We see it here too. Typically around here mast services are on single level ranch houses so attaching the CATV or telephone cables to the eve makes the cable clearance too low. Simplest solution is to go on the mast but that creates a violation that no one seems to care about.

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Please define “too low”. What is the standard (Code) for this (low voltage wiring) height?

The telephone and CATV companies have standards that they follow so you would have to ask them what defines too low. Certainly a ranch style home with an 8’ high overhang probably isn’t going to give them the proper clearance across a driveway or the even the road.

The installation of this mast is improper by any standard I know other than hillbilly or redneck (BTW, I do like both groups of people themselves). If the mast is to support the weight of the service drop, it must be rigid, not PVC and cannot be supported with the C clip brackets screwed into siding as shown. The only and cheapest way to correct this without redoing with metal conduit is to install an eye bolt into the framing and transfer the load of the drop onto it. The mast CANNOT support the weight of the drop as shown. It is already flipping in the wind like an Indian snake dance.

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Looks like 2" Rigid Metal Conduit to me not PVC. 2" RMC is the minimum accepted size around here for a mast supporting the drop.

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Easy
image

Seriously though, from one utility co.
image

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@chall20 was the conduit plastic or metal?

It was metal. Plastic is rare for this application around here.

If that is indeed metal, it needs better support using u-bolts or similar clamps approved by the utility, such as:

This is barely holding it in place:
image

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I asked you as your comment was worded as if you had a definitive answer.

Thanks for the link.
I asked the question because on my home, (2.5 story Victorian), the service drop runs over the driveway and connects to the home at about 20 feet, whereas the telephone cable runs over the side yard at approx 9-10 feet. (Fiber comes in underground).
I didn’t recall ever seeing anywhere an actual stated height for communications, but know there must be, and have only heard opinions as to what it ‘probably’ was.

2022-05-04_153433

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Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to imply that I knew the actual height. I was just citing an example of why you may see quite a bit of these installations even though they violate the NEC.

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No worries, that is why I asked the question.

Assume nothing! :wink: