Power Line/Mulberry

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fishhuntcutwood

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Don't know if this fits in the Climbing forum, but I know y'all hang out in here, so....

I've got a small mulberry in my backyard, and it's got a limb over the powerline into the house. Is that power company territory, or am I responsible for everything off the main line?

The next question is this....and this is prolly a bumb one, but I've never dealt with power. How friggin dangerous is this? I can get to the main limb down below the powerline, and take it out. What's gonna happen when that limb touches the powerline? It is going to conduct and kill me? I mean, I can make one cut and the whole limb is out, but I'll have to wrestle it a bit off the powerline. And right now there's no problem. But with as fast as this tree grew last summer just since I moved in, it's hard to say how long it will be before it's all over the powerline and causing issues. I want to take it out now before it leafs out.

I know this sounds really friggin dumb, but man I hate to call someone out here for one cut that I can make myself. People die doing dumb stuff that they didn't think was dumb at the time. But it just seems so easy to take out myself.
 

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Tough to say; around here, it's technically the power companies' problem- but realistically, the homeowner ends up dealing with it if they want it done in their lifetime.

Tri-Plex is insulated (the bare wire is a grounded neutral). Use a fiberglass or dry wooden pole saw set, and you'll be fine.
 
That's a 220 volt service line consisting of a bare ground wire (also a support wire) and the two charged wires wrapped in 'weather coating'. They are essentially insulated, but the power company will insist that the coating is not insulation since otherwise they would be liable when it gets cracked or torn.

This means you can basically do whatever you like with the tree as long as you don't pull the wires down and don't actually grab hold of the wires. Consider them like a weather checked electric stove cord.

Anything on your side of the transformer (the big steel barrel on the pole) is your responsibility to maintain. The power company wouldn't allow that if it were so dangerous.
 
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OK, if I die, it's your fault! :lol::lol:
 
Odd; around here, the power company is liable for everything up to the meter.
 
If your here in Michigan, the power company doesn't touch it unless its touching the lines at the road. The home owners are responsible for anything near the line running to their house. There is a good chance you could call consumers energy and they can come out and drop the line for free, if thats who you have in your area, and than take care of the tree. You need to call a day in advance and tell them how long you'd like the line down for.
 
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  • #8
MasterBlaster said:
The most you have to (so to speak) worry about is damaging the weatherhead.
Click to expand...

What's a weatherhead? The post thing on my roof? I'm not worried about hurting the line. I mean, it's like three little spindly runners over the top of the line, and I'd clip those on the down side, so they'd pull off over the other side when I cut the main branch, which is maybe 2.5".

I just wanna make sure I'm not gonna weld myself to the concrete.

And yeah, I'm in MI, north of Gotham City in Harrison Twp. This don't warrant dropping any lines, and I don't want to cut the tree down. I'm just renting man! (I've gotta leave here in four years when I transfer...and I don't want to have sell a house in Michigan!)
 
You'll be fine, theres been quite a few times I've thrown ropes over a line and pulled it towards the tree or away to drop branches, you'd be amazed how much those lines move. And looking at the picture again, it doesn't look like anything thing that would remotely come close to tearing out the line.
 
good idea on pulling the line off before cutting it all off.

I've gotten zings from service lines; maybe it was when the AC kicked on or something.

In MA they manage to the meter? Cradle to grave, and all that huh?
 
Unlike the PRM where Erik lives ,here the service drop is the responsibility of the homeowner. Don't grab the lines but otherwise 'tain't no thang.
 
Just because it's their responsibility doesn't mean they are good about taking care of those things.

Erik, remember when you discovered what had fried Tony's spruce next to the office? Zing!
 
It's basically a big extension cord to your house. Buttt I never said that.:D

I think what Butch is referring to is the mast where it goes in to your house.
 
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  • #19
Yeah, thought about it, and may still. But like I said, this is one cut and just seems too simple to have to call someone when I've got four chains saws, and two nice handsaws in the garage.
 
You don't have to be too concerned ,that 240 volts isn't likely to nail you .Now that 7200 on the pole is something to be concerned about .:O
 
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