Electrical Protection

[iajonesy]

My son is going to be doing some work for me next week and he will be very close to my electric service mast. Is there anything I can do to keep him safe from the service entrance? Is there any sort of insulated blanket to put over the mast head?

He will be very close to the power supply and we can't cut the power to the house because my wife has an in-home daycare.

I would appreciate any help or ideas. Thanks.

Mike

 

[dB*R]

Best advise is to get the utility to disconnect the incoming power and verify zero energy state. It is not worth the risks. Bring in a genset if you need to supply critical loads in the house.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Best advise is to get the utility to disconnect the incoming power and verify zero energy state. It is not worth the risks. Bring in a genset if you need to supply critical loads in the house.

Sound advice for sure.

 

[Jlarson]

Ask your POCO to come out and place blankets and/or line hose over the drop to protect the workers.

 

[sberry]

Best advise is to get the utility to disconnect the incoming power and verify zero energy state. It is not worth the risks. Bring in a genset if you need to supply critical loads in the house.

Where do you guys come up with this? Where you learn to do this kind of work?

 

[sberry]

I am not telling you to do this but here is how it would be done. First we would look and see if the live conductors had insulation or covers and the general condition of the incoming wire. Old ones may have been taped and many have been known to come loose after years. Then we would toss a mat over it to keep from brushing up against it.

 

[unslow1]

We used to just secure a thick piece of cardboard over it. If we tried to call a utility every time we we worked near one we would never get anything done. They take forever to do anything around here.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Ask your POCO to come out and place blankets and/or line hose over the drop to protect the workers.

This is pretty common, many if not most utilities will provide rubber blankets or covers.

 

[CNGsaves]

OP . . . . what "work" being done close to service mast ??

Is this roofing related . . . or installing Dish antenna for TV . . . or what ??

Very uncommon to bother PoCo to shutoff power or borrow blankets/mats for such minor items.

Now if you're doing total remodel or reconstruction of roofline, then I can see going to trouble of getting PoCo involved.

Provide details of what all being done around the service mast as I step around, over and under my service mast wires several times a year while cleaning gutters !!

 

[wyliesdiesels]

OP . . . . what "work" being done close to service mast ??

Is this roofing related . . . or installing Dish antenna for TV . . . or what ??

Very uncommon to bother PoCo to shutoff power or borrow blankets/mats for such minor items.

Now if you're doing total remodel or reconstruction of roofline, then I can see going to trouble of getting PoCo involved.

Provide details of what all being done around the service mast as I step around, over and under my service mast wires several times a year while cleaning gutters !!

Ive done so much work near service masts with NO issues.

Im curious why the OP thinks he can get zapped as the conductors are insulated.

 

[shamrock12]

Insulation will degrade over its lifespan. Exposure to the elements such as direct sunlight, winds (whipping/flexing effect), snow/rain, cold/hot conditions all will cause the insulation to harden and break down over time. I've seen tons of service drops with partial exposed conductors because the insulation have cracked from these conditions and fell off. Another thing to watch out for is the rubber insulation tape on bugs (which connects POCO conductors and landowner's service conductors) which will break down over time too. Also, we never can assume that the POCO have properly taped up all the bugs completely.

 

[tfi racing]

Better have the poco come in and shut off the power to everyone within a five mile radius of your project to ensure there is no risk of electric shock,after all,one can never be too safe...

 

[Stuart in MN]

For some reason people like to joke around and act tough about electrical safety, but it's simple and easy to take a few basic precautions and it doesn't make you any less of a man.

 

[joe_padavano]

I'm certainly not suggesting that one not take precautions around live electric wires, but what exactly are we talking about here? If this is the service drop to the meter on the house, it is 220V insulated wire. Touching the insulation is no different than touching the 220v cord on an electric dryer. Do you put rubber blankets over that cord every time you put clothes in the dryer?

Obviously one needs to inspect the wiring first to verify that the insulation is in good shape. If it isn't, that's a different problem. This isn't 10,000 volts from the high tension wires. A little common sense goes a long way here, and if one isn't comfortable with the quality of the insulation on the wiring, go ahead and take further measures, but these wires are no more (and no less) dangerous than other 220 wires inside the house.

 

[sberry]

Insulation will degrade over its lifespan. Exposure to the elements such as direct sunlight, winds (whipping/flexing effect), snow/rain, cold/hot conditions all will cause the insulation to harden and break down over time. I've seen tons of service drops with partial exposed conductors because the insulation have cracked from these conditions and fell off. Another thing to watch out for is the rubber insulation tape on bugs (which connects POCO conductors and landowner's service conductors) which will break down over time too. Also, we never can assume that the POCO have properly taped up all the bugs completely.

This, some sense here is in order as is some basic observation.

 

[Jlarson]

Doesn't matter if its just 240 volts. If you are a contractor OSHA requires you protect your employees from it, shut down the power, protective grounds or guarding.

According to OSHA the main cause of electrocution for roofers is the structure's service drop.

 

[Mustang51js]

Look at the wires,if there's no exposed lugs then no reason to be worried. If there is then some electrical tape will take care of it. If you have a fiberglass ladder you can actually touch each wire by itself and not get shocked. When I do a service I disconnect and reconnect wires to the house by myself without gloves,as long as your cautious you will be fine

 

[Mustang51js]

Better have the poco come in and shut off the power to everyone within a five mile radius of your project to ensure there is no risk of electric shock,after all,one can never be too safe...

What about the people past 5 miles lol, better off shutting down the continent as to not get any back feed

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Personally, I work around electricity daily and would have no concern with being near them or having my wife or kids working within a few feet of them (with supervision). If you are not standing on a conductive surface, wearing wet tennis shoes or keeping one hand on the metal mast for balance there is very little risk - this is only 120v to ground. I WOULD however treat them as bare, live wires regardless of the condition of the insulation and be certain I didn't touch them with my body or any remotely conductive tools. You can't be sure of the insulation without testing and you never know when the tape will fall off a splice.

 

[tfi racing]

What about the people past 5 miles lol, better off shutting down the continent as to not get any back feed

****!Didn't think of that-thank you for all the lives you potentially saved today!