Disconnecting utility lines

[mikecross23]

I have a very limby pine to remove in about 2 weeks that has two lines going into the house that touch the trunk. The city will take them down for me and put them back up, but only during the week. I work weekends. For them to come out on Saturday it would cost $80 hr. including drive time there and back! Heck no I won't pay that. If I have to I will reschedule and take a day off of my day job, but I'd rather just learn to take the lines down myself. I've heard of others doing it. Is it hard? Is it dangerous? Help me, I've never even looked at the connection that attaches the lines to the house.

Thanks,
-Mike-

 

[mikecross23]

I don't have the slightest clue. Guess I'll just reschedule and let the city work it's wonders. Wouldn't be a big deal to take a 1/2 day off to do this almost routine pine removal. Plus I'll get paid a double wamy by using vacation time for the 1/2 day off!

Brian, Forgot to thank you for the hiking boot link, thanks!

-Mike-

 

[Stumper]

Amen Brian! Cable is dead easy. Phone isn't bad but you do have to pay attention. I don't touch electric service-but I almost never have it dropped-it usually isn't hard to work around and light stuff can brush it without a problem Assuming you don't have brioken insulation, poor anchor at the house etc.

 

[Reed]

You've made the right choice if you're going to schedule it with the city.

Without high voltage certification - stay away from those lines. Don't even start on a tree without it and never discon the service without it. I remember a palm cleaning nine feet off a 4 kV city line - the frong the climber dropped went horizontal down and rested on the line - sending current into the tree, up thru his gaffs, and into his person. Freaky and deadly.

 

[Greg]

Mike,
Let the pros deal with the lectricity, but the cable and phone are easy. I keep some radio shack connectors in my truck so I just snip the cable and splice it back myself --it is really easy and only take about $2 in parts. The phone line is also easy, just have to get into the box on the side of the house and loosen 2 nuts that hold the 2 wires, one of which has a little juice running through it, not enough to hurt you, but it will spark. The biggest problem I have is usually getting the wires out of the straps on the house.
Greg

 

[treeman82]

Which lines are placed on a hook on the side of the house with a ring? We don't have overhead lines by my house, but I have seen that kind of attachment several times... just too bad I don't know what it is. Phone maybe?

 

[Treeman14]

I can't believe what I'm reading. Identifying wires should be as basic as tying a bowline. If you don't know the difference between phone, cable, and power, you shouldn't be anywhere near them at all. Electrocution is one of the major causes of climber deaths. Should it not be a priority to learn what you're looking at when you stare at those wires?

 

[treeman82]

I know that they aren't electric. I can tell the difference between those and other lines. But I don't know the difference between cable and phone lines if they aren't on the pole.

 

[TREETX]

I have to agree with 14 here. You need to know what you are around. You also need to know that the "insulated" service lines aren't always so insulated. The ones that take the power from the pole to the house. Steel support cable with black power cable around it. 2 weeks ago when we were raking up, my main help guy was carrying a borrowed ladder, roof access , when he came in contact with the drop. Sparks, white blinding sparks like someone welding. Raul was ok, the ladder was also touching the ground. I don't speak spanish, but lots of "pinche....." coming out.

I think 14 forgot to mention that more residential climbers are killed by electricity than utility climbers.

 

[monkeypuzzle]

Here is a cool site about a BIG crane and electricity. Look around and you shall find the "very graphic" pics of an electrocution.


Don't say I didn't warn ya!!!!! The pics are there to save your life.


http://pages.prodigy.net/djwires/djwires/crane.htm



go to main page.

 

[Reed]

That guy got cooked alright.

I've never seen that much crust from a feeder line accident, that facility looked like a transformer station, but should serve well to remind us ALL THE TIME about current. It's nothing to mess with nor is it predictable. Distance can be a conductor just as much as contact if conditions are right.

Lightning too is something to keep in mind when working - bravery or expeditious work can kill.

 

[TREETX]

Nice site. What a quote for the day. Maybe I should try telling that to a client.

The operator from Lampson here in these pictures,Ben Belknap,said :
"It's just a job, not something that gets your nut off or anything like that."

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

If it is a round cable molded to s steel messanger (support wire) it is cable. Most phome lines are flat, unless real old.

I've been told that the coating on the service drop is to be concidered a weather coating, not an insulator.

 

[ORclimber]

The electric service drops(triplex or TX lines) the ones with 2 black wires wrapped around a neutral are insulated like a big extension cord. But they commonly have breaks in the insulation from rubbing on something(like a tree) or age. If you create a circuit from phase to phase, or phase to neutral with something conductive(ladder, hooks, handsaw etc.) you should get a flash and pop. I've blown chunks of metal out of pull hook heads and seen melted handsaw teeth. How did that ladder look TreeTX? If a service drop is shorted it is possible some of the homeowners appliances will be damaged. A big percentage of electrocution deaths are from lower voltage lines like house drops.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

One time working in Minni Soda I had my line drapped across the service. As I reached over to another tree I got this big fat spark that freeked the daylights out of me.

 

[geofore]

lines

23 Go to an electric supply shop and ask to see their connectors. Where do electritions go for supplies? You can ask questions and get answers if they are not busy. Most firemen know the answers you seek, ask a fireman the difference between the lines. Pick up a book at the libarary and read up on this. Ask a Mechanical Engineer he would know. Sounds to me like you don't ask questions or do much reading up on this line of work. Your driving down the road and see a phone truck or cable co. truck, stop and ask one of thoses guys, they would know. Do not think you would come off sounding stupid asking stupid questions? Wanting to save your life by asking about something that could save your life is not stupid, in fact it is a smart thing to do. If you get the city guys to come out and take the lines down for you ask questions, don't just stand there, ASK questions. You don't ask you'll never know the answers you seek.

Do not play with the electric lines unless you are trained to do that.

Work safe Live long

 

[kf_tree]

what baffles me is ......if you can not identify if there electric, cable or phone....who did you call to drop them? one city agency does not touch the others lines. do you just call all 3 and see who shows up?

if it's just an electric house tap throw a rope over it to pull it away from the tree and work around it.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Schedule the with the power company to do a temp Disconnect.

take the phone off the wall hook and maybe the Catv too.

Cut the CaTv with a pole pruner if it a big PITA. I've done it with phone too. Many times if there is a gorunding connection on the outside wall you can disconnect both phone and CaTv with just a wrench, and not need calling for a reconnect.

With CaTv, I'v actualy had people say they got a better picture after they came and put a new line up .

 

[mikecross23]

I did the job yesterday morn. and I couldn't have asked for a smoother removal.

kf_tree, I did a drive by before I called the power co. There were 2 cables about 5 feet to the left of the trunk and 2 cables about 2 feet to the right of the trunk. I worked around the cables that were on the left b/c it was the neighbors power. The utility co. showed up right on time and I dropped the other cable running into the clients house which was for cable T.V. There wasn't anything to that, and w/ one side of the tree open for ropin', everything went well. I didn't even have to call the power co. to hook the lines back up b/c before I had the chance, the old timer pulled in the drive. I asked him how he knew when to come back and he says, "Been doin' this a while."

I worry too much and underestimate myself sometimes, this was cake. . . and it tasted good too!

-Mike-

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I wil usualy ask for permission to remove the neighbors utilities also. I had one we needed to wiat some extra time because the gent had a breathing device, they had to request a batery powered one for the few hours we would have the power out.

Cannot understand people who think it is more bother to shedule the temp disconect then working around the conductors

I tell the customer it will be cheaper for them.

One guy I worked for would always cut cable, he would call several days ahead and let the company know so they could set up an evening reconnect for the day of removal.