Tree branches are touching my power lines!

Who’s gonna cut the trees around the power lines?

According to Excel Energy, the person who owns the land that the tree is on is expected to keep the tree branches from touching the power lines. That means that if your lines cross your neighbor’s yard and your neighbor’s tree needs to be trimmed, your neighbor is going to have to do the trimming. Or hire it out, which is what I would do.

Make sure whoever you (or your neighbor) hires is accredited by the power company. I’ve heard some horror stories. And don’t delay; a storm could blow the tree into the wire, and you could be blamed for power loss for your neighborhood.

Oh! And dry trees can catch fire!

That being said, the service drop (power line) belongs to the power company right to where it touches the mast. The mast is the thing on your house that the drop attaches to. BTW, the line “drops” down from the pole to your house. Thus, the term “drop”. The face of the mast is facing down, so water doesn’t flow in and find it’s way to the panel in the house. The loops of wire right in front of the mast are not leftovers. That wire is there for water to drip off of. Ready for a surprise? It’s called a “drip loop”!

Do you ever wonder how close to the ground power lines can get? Me neither. But that’s because I already know. 

Want to worry about something else? (Sure. Why not.)

The splices at the mast are covered with heavy duty black plastic, but the sun can ruin it over time. the bare metal is then exposed. Sure, it’s high up, but if you touch it with a ladder you would get a nasty surprise. So give a good look once in a while, and have damaged covers replaced when needed.