What kind of company fixes power line damage...

[jthg]

So... anyone here know what kind of company does this stuff and how I can find a good one?

Basically a storm 2 days ago caused a small branch to fall onto the power line running from the pole to the side of my house. The power line's fine, but it tore an attachment (a pretty heavy-duty-looking one) and ripped the line off the side of the house (it runs along the side to the back of the house).

The power company basically says that they don't fix anything from the attachment point on. Since it's a power line, it seems like I should be looking for an electrician, but nothing electrical is broken and the power line is nicely insulated. The actual work is putting a new attachment onto a brick wall.

Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[BigToque]

So the line is still physically connected to your house, but not not secured to the house?

If so I would imagine you could secure it yourself, but I'm sure any licenced electrician could re-attach it as well.

I'm surprised that the power company isn't responsible for everything right to the breaker in your house (although I don't know anything about this)

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

an electrician will still do it.

 

[BlackTigers]

Call the city and bitch up a storm. They'll have it fixed for you, since it sounds like the power company should fix it - I would think.

 

[arkcom]

DIY

 

[jthg]

Yep, we still have power. The line is just dangling really close to the ground.

 

[jthg]

Hm, I considered doing it myself, but I have no idea where to get the part (the current one is horribly bent). The power company says that all I have to do is put in a new attachment and they'll hook the line up to it. That brings in the question of where do I get a standard power line attachment that the power company will be willing to hook their line onto.

I would also need a huge concrete drill. The bolts going into the wall are 1/2".

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: jthg
Hm, I considered doing it myself, but I have no idea where to get the part (the current one is horribly bent). The power company says that all I have to do is put in a new attachment and they'll hook the line up to it. That brings in the question of where do I get a standard power line attachment that the power company will be willing to hook their line onto.

I would also need a huge concrete drill. The bolts going into the wall are 1/2".

did you ask the power company as to where you can get that attachment from ?

 

[jthg]

Originally posted by: gsethi
did you ask the power company as to where you can get that attachment from ?

For some reason, that didn't occur to me when I was talking with them. I'm going to call them again on Monday.

(or maybe I can take a hammer to the existing one and save some money. It probably costs $50 just because it's special...)

 

[Eli]

Call an electrician. This isn't rocket science. They'd be the ones who install it on a new house.................

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

messing with the secondary drop to your home is not smart. it is live voltage and would likely kill you if you don't know what you are doing.

 

[jthg]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
messing with the secondary drop to your home is not smart. it is live voltage and would likely kill you if you don't know what you are doing.

Well, it's completely insulated at the attachment point. Besides... its only 120V, not like 240V in some countries You're safe if you make sure that you always fall away from the power source in case you're paralyzed...

Anyways, I'll start calling around on Monday.

Thanks for the replies.

Edit: Actually, what I said is wrong. Since the power coming into a home is 3 phased, you could potentially get 240V.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: jthg

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
messing with the secondary drop to your home is not smart. it is live voltage and would likely kill you if you don't know what you are doing.

Well, it's completely insulated at the attachment point. Besides... its only 120V, not like 240V in some countries You're safe if you make sure that you always fall away from the power source in case you're paralyzed...

Anyways, I'll start calling around on Monday.

Thanks for the replies.

Wow.. lol..

Not even sure how to address this post. I'm sorry, but it's dripping with stupidity and has soiled my shoes.

1) I don't care if the insulation is 500 feet thick. If it's cracked, you're dead.

2) It is not "only" 120V, it is 240V, and it will most likely kill you if you come into contact with it.

3) Even if it was "only" 120V, you would be stupid to work on live circuits.

Edit:

4) Household AC is not 3 phase.

 

[jthg]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: jthg

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
messing with the secondary drop to your home is not smart. it is live voltage and would likely kill you if you don't know what you are doing.

Well, it's completely insulated at the attachment point. Besides... its only 120V, not like 240V in some countries You're safe if you make sure that you always fall away from the power source in case you're paralyzed...

Anyways, I'll start calling around on Monday.

Thanks for the replies.

Wow.. lol..

Not even sure how to address this post. I'm sorry, but it's dripping with stupidity and has soiled my shoes.

1) I don't care if the insulation is 500 feet thick. If it's cracked, you're dead.

2) It is not "only" 120V, it is 240V, and it will most likely kill you if you come into contact with it.

3) Even if it was "only" 120V, you would be stupid to work on live circuits.

Edit:

4) Household AC is not 3 phase.

Oh, so it's split phase?

I would seriously consider doing it myself if it was 120V.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the risk of dying to a crack on the insulation of a 120V line is less than the risk of dying while doing something like snow boarding.

Originally posted by: jthg
You're safe if you make sure that you always fall away from the power source in case you're paralyzed...

This was mostly meant to be a joke, but looking back on it, I guess I put it in there because I think it's somewhat true. Sure, I agree that you could die from 120V. There's risk in everything we do. Do you know what the actual likelyhood is?

 

[FallenHero]

Originally posted by: jthg

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: jthg

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
messing with the secondary drop to your home is not smart. it is live voltage and would likely kill you if you don't know what you are doing.

Well, it's completely insulated at the attachment point. Besides... its only 120V, not like 240V in some countries You're safe if you make sure that you always fall away from the power source in case you're paralyzed...

Anyways, I'll start calling around on Monday.

Thanks for the replies.

Wow.. lol..

Not even sure how to address this post. I'm sorry, but it's dripping with stupidity and has soiled my shoes.

1) I don't care if the insulation is 500 feet thick. If it's cracked, you're dead.

2) It is not "only" 120V, it is 240V, and it will most likely kill you if you come into contact with it.

3) Even if it was "only" 120V, you would be stupid to work on live circuits.

Edit:

4) Household AC is not 3 phase.

Oh, so it's split phase?

I would seriously consider doing it myself if it was 120V.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the risk of dying to a crack on the insulation of a 120V line is less than the risk of dying while doing something like snow boarding.

Originally posted by: jthg
You're safe if you make sure that you always fall away from the power source in case you're paralyzed...

This was mostly meant to be a joke, but looking back on it, I guess I put it in there because I think it's somewhat true. Sure, I agree that you could die from 120V. There's risk in everything we do. Do you know what the actual likelyhood is?

Volts dont matter. How many amps are flowing through it? Thats the more important question.

 

[jthg]

Originally posted by: FallenHero
Volts dont matter. How many amps are flowing through it? Thats the more important question.

I think that's just a technicality. Current scales linearly with voltage. Given a certain amount of resistance (the resistance of your body), voltage and current are pretty much interchangeable when talking about what it does to your body.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: jthg

Originally posted by: FallenHero
Volts dont matter. How many amps are flowing through it? Thats the more important question.

I think that's just a technicality. Current scales linearly with voltage. Given a certain amount of resistance (the resistance of your body), voltage and current are pretty much interchangeable when talking about what it does to your body.

you CLEARLY have no business messing with electricity. You probably shouldn't even plug in your own toaster.

you've never heard the adage "It's not the volts, it's the amps"?

hell, there is even an instance where a man was killed by a 9 volt battery.

 

[mozirry]

either DIY or call insurance to have someone do it for you. This happened to me. Deductable was $1000, damage was $450 if repaired professionally.

Siding was aluminum FTW, reshaped and hammered back in place for nothing.

 

[jthg]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats

Originally posted by: jthg

Originally posted by: FallenHero
Volts dont matter. How many amps are flowing through it? Thats the more important question.

I think that's just a technicality. Current scales linearly with voltage. Given a certain amount of resistance (the resistance of your body), voltage and current are pretty much interchangeable when talking about what it does to your body.

you CLEARLY have no business messing with electricity. You probably shouldn't even plug in your own toaster.

you've never heard the adage "It's not the volts, it's the amps"?

hell, there is even an instance where a man was killed by a 9 volt battery.

Ok, so it's one adage and a story you heard.

Care to actually explain why what I said was wrong?

 

[Jeff7]

Grab an uninsulated 120V wire sometime and let me know how it feels, assuming you survive.

I've felt a shock already from an ungrounded computer case while I was standing barefoot on a concrete floor. I tested the voltage with a voltmeter. 5V.

I can also feel the buzz from touching a 9V battery's terminals.


There's also a reason they have GFCI protection at certain outlets. If human skin didn't conduct electricity well enough to be a danger, those things wouldn't be there.
And those have a 15A or 20A breaker. If you touch the mains, the power company won't even notice.
I've been sent links on Youtube of video of some electrical failures. Power lines can arc to the ground for hours before they're shut off. You'd be roasted to a crisp before your next of kin would be able to dial 911.

 

[misle]

As a former power company employee, I can say that you don't know what you are talking about and definitely should call an electrician asap.

Your secondary drop (going from the transformer to your house) is single phase 240V.

Voltage doesn't matter. As little as 10 milliamps can kill you.

Rules are different from area to area. In my area, if a branch pulls your house knob out, you are responsible for removing the debris, and the power company will install a new house knob and reattach the line.

One hour north of me, (same company), you have to hire an electrician to reinstall the house knob and line. If necessary, the power company will disconnect/reconnect the line for safety.

So, call an electrician.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: jthg

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats

Originally posted by: jthg

Originally posted by: FallenHero
Volts dont matter. How many amps are flowing through it? Thats the more important question.

I think that's just a technicality. Current scales linearly with voltage. Given a certain amount of resistance (the resistance of your body), voltage and current are pretty much interchangeable when talking about what it does to your body.

you CLEARLY have no business messing with electricity. You probably shouldn't even plug in your own toaster.

you've never heard the adage "It's not the volts, it's the amps"?

hell, there is even an instance where a man was killed by a 9 volt battery.

Ok, so it's one adage and a story you heard.

Care to actually explain why what I said was wrong?

I work in construction. I am quite aware that here have been many instances where workers have been shocked by high voltage/low amperage and survived, while many others have been killed by 120v or 220v/high amperage circuits. The current is the important part. You can have a Van DeGraff that has millions of volts and very very little current and it's equivalent to a static shock (which is also very high voltage). The drop coming into your house obviously has PLENTY of current.

It only takes 100mA to KILL you. The drop coming into your home likely has 200A or more.

Go ahead, be stupid and kill yourself to save $200....

 

[Eli]

Dude, seriously, hire someone to do this. You seem to think you know more than you do, and that's the worst and most dangerous kind of stupid.

Harsh words I know, but its true. Hire a professional.

Edit: The rub with volts is that it takes a certain amount to pierce the resistance of your skin, which is fairly high in most places.

Nobody has ever been killed by a 12V automotive battery, for example, and if they were it was a freak accident... Or they were getting freaky. :Q

Make no mistake about it, 120V is plenty of voltage to pierce through the resistance of your skin. If you are grounded, current will flow, and it will more than likely kill you.

 

[jthg]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Grab an uninsulated 120V wire sometime and let me know how it feels.

I've been shocked several times by 120V. I've also been shocked by several hundred volts of static electricity. Yes, it hurts.

Originally posted by: Jeff7
I've felt a shock already from an ungrounded computer case while I was standing barefoot on a concrete floor. I tested the voltage with a voltmeter. 5V.

I can also feel the buzz from touching a 9V battery's terminals.

You must be really, really sensitive. I can only feel 9V with my tongue.

Originally posted by: Jeff7
There's also a reason they have GFCI protection at certain outlets. If human skin didn't conduct electricity well enough to be a danger, those things wouldn't be there.
And those have a 15A or 20A breaker. If you touch the mains, the power company won't even notice.

Human skin does conduct electricity, it's just on the order of megaohms. You don't need full amps to die, 120V pushes current through your body on the order of a milliamp.

Originally posted by: Jeff7
I've been sent links on Youtube of video of some electrical failures. Power lines can arc to the ground for hours before they're shut off. You'd be roasted to a crisp before your next of kin would be able to dial 911.

As in arc through the air? 120V isn't nearly high enough to do that. Are you talking about high-voltage (like 10kV) lines?

 

[biggestmuff]

Dude, do it yourself. What can go wrong!?