Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
snuffypots

covering of outdoor wires frayed

snuffypots
11 years ago

The covering of the wires that lead into my house are frayed but I have been told the wires are in good shape. It is only the covering that is bad. I would like to get the wires recovered. Is that possible? Also I do not know the terms to use when talking to an electrician about this problem. I hope someone can help me with this dilemma. Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: picture of wires

Comments (7)

  • kurto
    11 years ago

    If the wires are between the pole and your meter, it's frequently the responsibility of the power company to replace them (varies somewhat depending on the area). You can always call the POCO and ask them who is responsible. If the wire that's frayed is between the meter and your circuit breaker/fuse box, it's called a service entrance cable, and any qualified electrician will be able to help you.

  • petey_racer
    11 years ago

    NO wire or cable like this can be "recovered" if frayed. It MUST be replaced.

    The overhead drop from the pole to the house is the POCO's responsibility.
    The wires from the connection at the top, down to the meter, and from the meter to the panel, are typically customer responsibility.

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    "The wires from the connection at the top, down to the meter, and from the meter to the panel, are typically customer responsibility. "

    Very location dependent.

    In Virginia the POCO is responsible to the top of the meter box for residential service (or the bottom for buried service).

  • petey_racer
    11 years ago

    I understand that Brick, but I think that is a very rare case these days, which is why I said typically.

    It is safe to say, in "most" places the POCO stops at the taps.

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    One of the reasons the POCO's keep control of lines to the meter is because the NEC does not actually cover them since they are distribution wiring.

    While there are rules for weather heads and drops, they are not applicable to these items since they are technically POCO distribution equipment.

  • weedmeister
    11 years ago

    Snuffy: it would be nice to see where this wire goes in both directions. That is, some more pictures.

  • bus_driver
    11 years ago

    That is an SE cable. The outer covering has weathered away. It does not provide electrical insulating properties and never did. It is probably at least 50 years old. While new installations here require the property owner to supply and pay for everything including and after the weather head, that is a fairly recent event. Prior to that the POCO here supplied everything up to and including the meter socket and retained ownership of all those items. And they repair them for free. I do have one service with the SE cable in the condition in your photos. The insulation on the two insulated conductors appears to be fine. While the insulated conductors are more exposed to weather with the outer covering gone, the proximity of the line conductors to the service neutral is as it always has been. And the ends of the insulated wires projecting from the weather head are always exposed to the Sun anyway. I see no special hazard. Do all your neighbors want one like it-for the good looks?

Sponsored
Iris Design Associates
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars22 Reviews
Northern Virginia Landscape Architect - 13x Best of Houzz Winner!