Unless you have buried power lines, your house will have no electricity without the service drop.
The service drop is the key element that funnels all of theelectricityinto your home.
If your home does not have a service drop, it is supplied by similar cables running underground.
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What an Electrical Service Drop Does
All electricity to your home comes through the service drop.
If the service drop goes down, allpower in your homewill shut off.
Fallen service drops are extremely dangerous since they carry enough electricity to power an entire house.
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Do not approach a fallen service drop.
A standard service drop includes three cables, or conductors.
Contact your local power company, as service in your area may vary from this table.
Electrical Service Drops vs.
When the lines are underground, they are referred to as a service lateral rather than a service drop.
The lines are also out of view and eliminate the danger of accidental contact with ladders or vehicles.
One mile of underground line costs about $24,000.
An overhead line can cover the same distance for about $18,000.
Rural overhead lines are the norm.
Buried power lines typically need enough population and density to make them worthwhile to install.
If any element is missing or broken, it must be fixed.
For example, a severed drop may have been repaired but not the supporting strain relief cable.
The system would need to be taken offline again and the cable re-attached to the home.
Electrical Cables
Three insulated cableslive, neutral, and groundrun from the power pole to the house.
In most homes, these cables provide 200 amp electrical service.
The cable supports the weight of the electrical cables, to relieve strain on the attachment points.
The open front of the weatherhead faces downward to keep out rain and snow.
The bottom end of the service mast connects to the home’s meter base.
These cables connect to the service drop cables near the outside of the mast.
The minimum height above areas accessible only to pedestrians, such as porches or decks, is 10 feet.
The minimum distance above a swimming pool is 22-1/2 feet.
When service drops are suspended above public roads, the lines must be at least 18 feet high.
However, homeowners are not allowed to work on any part of the utility’s service drop.
For one thing, the service drop belongs to the utility company, not to the homeowner.
For another, power in the service drop cables can be shut off only by the utility company.
If you have a problem with the service drop supplying your home, call the utility company.
Working Safely Around Downed Electrical Wires.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
From Overhead to Underground: It Pays to Bury Power Lines.FEMA
