The graphic you posted contradicts your statement about “no direct mast connection” where it shows the drop connected directly to the mast. It also notes that no guy wires are required if the mast is 5’ or less.
1 Like
Likely explained myself poorly. It happens.
I will chase down the code.
1 Like
Interesting.
I always thought that the length of the overhead between the mast and the pole would be the determining factor for a guy wire due to the weight and swaying during high wind conditions.
I concur.
I’ll get there. Give me some time. Busy working on projects.
Electrical service masts are solely for supporting electric utility conductors and should not be used for attaching other types of cables like television, telephone, or cable wires. The National Electrical Code (NEC) and Canadian Electrical Code prohibit non-electrical cables from being attached to service masts or raceways.
I was a contract NESC inspector for a large electric utility in Oregon for 13 years before starting home inspections last year. While construction is per NESC code, the companies up there have to answer to the PUC’s (Public Utility Commission) guidlines when it comes to state regulations (which can differ from code) and timelines for repairs. In Oregon, the utility owns everything up to the splices at the weatherhead (gooseneck), including the point of attachment which could be a house knob, j-hook, or even a direct attachment to the mast. This was also consistent with limited work I did in Washington and California for other utilities. Not only did they own the equipment up to the connectors, they were also responsible for keeping vegetation cleared back from the lines to prevent rubbing and clearances to the point of service (road, driveway, yard, point of attachment, driploops). Depending on the clearances measured we could grandfather them or assign a priority which determined the amount of time the utility had to correct the condition before the PUC got involved. That’s not something we as home inspectors need to be concerned with.
When it comes to dealing with homeowner’s questions and providing suggestions, which I did all day every day, tread lightly. Only linemen are qualified to make decisions on what needs to be fixed and how it needs to be done. That being said, anything portion of equipment the utility owns you believe to be under 10ft (never measure it) I would bring to the homeowner’s attention and recommend contacting the utility for correction. If any portion of the line is under 8ft, that is considered “public space”, I would write it up as a safety issue that should be addressed as soon as possible. When a company finds out that their line is that low and someone is injured or killed after them having been notified they’ll be dealing with serious legal issues that they’d rather avoid and will make it a priority to correct the issue. As far as vegetation, most utilities have a form on their website that allows you to report vegetation issues on your property along the lines. In my experience, it doesn’t matter how many times the homeowner filled those out, nothing was ever done. I would just recommend an arborist clear around the lines and never suggest that they could do it themselves because it puts you at a huge liability.
Maybe I went on a little too long but when I saw this post I got excited to reply since it was right in my wheelhouse.
5 Likes
Very good information, it is up to others if they want to take the time to learn. Thanks.
2 Likes
Not the best example but it will due until I return.
Ontario Electrical Safety Code – Bulletins 2022.
Bulletin 6-9-4
Attachment of overhead service conductors
Rules 6-112, 6-116, 75-406
You would think so. Many utilities use the size of the raceway and the amount of mast above the roof in determining whether or not guy wires are needed.
1 Like
Did Xcel force you to change your meter over to a "smart meter " Lon?
They did to me last summer. Funny thing is power was never interrupted at the house and it only took them a few minutes. My wife was working from home that day (online remote work) and said the lights nor her computer even flickered. The only reason she knew that someone walked up to the door was the way my lab started barking. When she went to see what the fuss was all about, she noticed a tag taped to the window on the door that said the swap was completed.
If the meter enclosure has a lever bypass you wouldn’t lose power even for a second. They open the cover, pull the bypass handle and change the meter. Ive heard that some people were giving the utility workers a hard time because for some reason they didn’t want the smart meter.
1 Like
The first two times they offered it, I declined. As they say, 3rd time is a charm, at least for them, since they said I didn’t have a choice in the matter.
I don’t think I have seen the inside of a meter box with a bypass in it. Good to know. Thanks for the info.
Why? Did you get rid of your cellphone, microwave oven, TV, wifi, bluetooth devices and stop traveling by air?
What ya worried about? Biden / Harris isn’t POTUS!!
1 Like
Because at the time it was still an option, they were remotely cutting power to homes during peak usage times (heat of the day in the summer & evenings during winter) without warning. Kind of like rolling black outs. It caused quite the ruckus with consumers.
Since my wife worked full time from home at the time, we couldn’t have something like that happen. Thanks to the pandemic, many in my immediate area were in the same boat. Now they have gizmos that will turn off your furnace or AC during those times without affecting the rest of the house that are the option.
Funny thing is, my house was the first one built in the final phase of the subdivision. Every house in that phase has a different POCO than the rest of the subdivision. The rest of the neighborhood has never had to deal with any bs from their POCO like we have.
Each electric utility company has its own guidelines. They will usually have a maximum drop length and will base requirements on that maximum drop length. Maximum drop lengths typically range from 100’ to 200’.
The maximum height of a mast before a guy wire is required is typically between 30” and 36” for residential services. The required mast diameter typically ranges from 1” to 2.5”. The height at which a guy wire is required is usually also related to the mast diameter.
Some utility companies keep things simple. They may specify a maximum Hight above the roof line and a minimum conduit size. Others, such as DTE, will have a range based on the usual variables.
I’ve worked with many electric utility companies through out the Great Lakes region in the course of doing fire investigations. In my experience, the maximum mast height is usually in the 30” to 36” range for residential services with RMC conduit sizes usually from 1” to 2”.
Tri-Plex has a very high tensile strength, so a large tree limb falling on a service drop will almost certainly do a lot of damage regardless of the location of the guy wire or the mast diameter.
You mentioned wind load and tri-plex weight. Wind load isn’t usually much of a concern. Wind load is much greater than most people probably realize, but the tensil strength of tri-plex is also much greater than most people realize.
1 Like
Yep. Just learned something new. Thanks for sharing Robert! Next time I find a meter box mounted before the service is connected, I will have to go snooping.
Around here a contractor for Xcel usually will mount that box when the service is connected, meter is installed, and an anti tamper tag with a serial number locks it all up, all in the same day. Sometimes the builder’s electrical contractor will mount the meter box in advance of the service install.
1 Like