[QUOTE] Observation : Electrical.
Overhead Service Drop.
Utility splices are taped. Missing splice insulators.
Phase A and B cables sheathing worn.
Weatherhead anchorage pulling out.
Bent mast.
Mast has been painted. Suspect: Mast Corrosion.
Detached mast wall anchor.
Suspect" SEC roof clearance.
PoCo SEC have been updated. Entrance cable might be for 60 amp service.
Just my 2 cents[/QUOTE]
There is no mast. The SE cable is flexible and is slightly bent. I don’t see the weatherhead pulling away.
Splices are commonly taped in my area without any additional protection or insulators.
Your picture is not good enough to tell, but I might call out the electrical tape on the SE cable junction. This tape often is sun damaged, and with winds can short out creating what we in California call a devastating wildfire event. You might call it something different where you are.
I not sure why a contractor would install one wiring method over another if there is no physical damage potential. I know that some guys just hate SE cable. Personally for aesthetic reasons IMO the much smaller SE cable looks better than a 2" PVC pipe running up the side of the house.
One thing that you didn’t mention is the connectors. I teach inspectors to familiarize themselves with the local utility company’s standards. Most, probably all, utility companies have their standards posted online. They include diagrams of requirements. You should be able to readily identify the components that your utility company uses or requires.
As for this particular installation, there is so much wrong with it that I am confident that no electric utility company would have connected to it.
Can someone help me understand why the clearance in the question only needs to be 8’ above a flat roof instead of the 10’ like what would be needed from a deck?
Also, what constitutes a “Guarded or Isolated” Roof?
Well, considering the question did not mention roof deck or pedestrian traffic and was not guarded or isolated (foot traffic), I would have chosen 8’.
Let’s answer his questions:
A flat roof (not a deck that people have drinks on) will almost always have some foot traffic. Often for HVAC maintenance etc. A guarded roof section prevents foot traffic by isolating an area with a guard or fence. (often you will see a hazard or safety sign attached to these guards)
A roof deck (which people hang out on) has pedestrian traffic which means the general public or tenant. The service wire must be 10’ above them so they cannot reach up and touch it like stupid people do.
That’s a sneaky one and really makes you think about each of the words in the question. The OP should definitely not feel bad about getting tripped up on that one! Thanks for clarifying it for us all Brian!
I haven’t done a ton of flat roofs. That’s the kind of stuff I’d most likely catch, maybe not the exact height ones though. Do you make it a point to take measurements of the heights or do you only take a measurement if it appears very low?
Honestly, I do not take any measurements. I eyeball it. If it is suspect I say so. If it obvious, I say so. This was my exact verbiage.
Suite 1716 & 1720, the 120/208v electrical service drop near the mast had exposed/bare service wire with evidence of arcing or overheating to include scorched or burnt sheathing. Additionally, the service drop did not have adequate clearance from the roof or metal gutters. Exterior conduit and ground/bond wiring had loose, missing or rusted fasteners.
Remember, I am in Minnesota… Snow, Ice, high winds, sub-zero winter temps! Did they really think that thin crap wrapped around the drop was really gonna do anything long-term?
You betcha’ they got a piece of my opinion when I wrote the entire service drop up hard!
So, when a roofer leans against the (continuous) parapet wall (cap) and gets “fried”…they were warned!
