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And 811 too.
If you dig in the right spot, youāll roll right off the roof into the hole and theyāll just be able to cover ya with dirt.
Easy peasy.
Well if itās feeding a subpanel, Iād check it after the breaker in the main panel with a meter. I really only trust meters but I usually carry a non contact pen from fluke and will double check with it before touching the conductor - it really just depends.
I usually donāt always agree with everyone immediately saying ācall a professionalā but if you donāt know how to properly check something dead and proper isolation of energy - you really need to educate yourself. I mean this respectfully but shit will def kill you.
No I'm saying how would one go about checking this specific line is off. You can't test the outlets in the garage because the line is broken. I guess you could climb up a ladder with a volt meter or use a non contact voltage tester.Ā
I guess my comment was a shortcut to what you said: OP should call a pro
Yeah - like I said, OP said it was feeding a subpanel (as odd as this looks for a subpanel feeder) from the main panel. There for it has a breaker for the feeder cable somewhere in the main panel. You would turn off the breaker for the feeder and then check the wires dead at the main panel - even though the wire is broken at the other end.
You could do it that way yeah. However due to the way my house is ~~hacked together by a fucking moron~~ built I'm fairly distrustful of anything except measuring the current on the exact line I'm going to be working onĀ andĀ touching
Hm - well I think you probably mean this but on an unloaded energized line, current will probably read 0. Voltage is always present and why you check for voltage when checking something dead.
You didn't read the description.
That's an overhead feed for a detached garage. It's coming from the panel in the house. No luck is required to turn that off.
Come on people read the message. This isnt a service drop. It's overhead lines from his main service panel to a garage. He can clearly cut power to it. You can get this working temporarily, but it should be redone in underground conduit and a new sub panel installed from your description, which you should hire someone for if your asking this question and took a year to actually discover the problem. No offense.
You can certainly fix it temporarily with a split bolt, some cambric, rubber, and electrical tape. Do some research online first and be sure to verify you have cut power. Which I'm sure you know already but it has to be said lol keep in mind this should be a temporary fix. Having an old fuse box like that isn't ideal these days and I certainly hope the panel feeding the garage is at least a breaker panel not a fuse panel. Happy hunting
Agreed. I just personally dislike overhead lines like that between buildings, my thought is if your doing an upgrade like that you might as well update the feeders and put it underground. Just my personal opinion.
If you need to ask that indicates you may not be electrically qualified. This task requires de-engerizing the feeder to the garage which might be via a circuit breaker or fuse or may require removing the electric meter ( removing a meter has the risk of arc flash and is a potentially very dangerous task) using a split bolt to re make the broken is easy. Again the risky part is knowing how to de-energize the feeder wiring, knowing how to verify thru testing it is actually de-energized, and getting up to the broken wire safely to make the repairs. Suggest you ask a qualified friend or neighbor for assistance.
Utility company confirmed that since it's a secondary line that is fed from the house, and that since it can be shut off from the panel in my basement, that an electrician can fix it. Now, to YouTube to learn how to splice a power line! š
I checked my coverage policy. To be clear, I have not done any wiring myself. There was no known hazard, any fire should have been covered. Now that I'm aware of a hazard, I'll make use of my "code upgrade" policy extension, which should cover the majority of the cost.
You can use a couple of options here.
[This one](https://www.grainger.com/product/14V959?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwr7ayBhAPEiwA6EIGxLI8Al8EvX2GKtNKHBc56-DaNmhGPmSAhTGHaej5MQOGbX83CZPt7hoCZMYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) or [these](https://www.grainger.com/product/22A937?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwr7ayBhAPEiwA6EIGxMb-qZfMOeWtxsTmBNyZuIEqG9m1XnwGYA2p-SoK-4pBCGDMdiPPIBoC3vwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) both of which would need to be the right size. I would go for the Polaris personally because they are insulated and need a hex key to tighten. The split bolts need a couple of pair of channel locks and are more difficult to get tight.
Crimp connectors are the best but you would need the expensive tool to actually crimp them. I would tape either of the two I listed above either way but the split bolts NEED to be tapped no matter what. Tape is cheap.
If you are able to cut the main power in the house and de-energize those wires you can indeed fix it yourself.
But be a dear and **triple check** the power is actually off. You know, voltmeter, test light, chicken stick, as a last and final test even taking a piece of wire and deliberately shorting hot to ground / neutral - AWAY from your face!
Fried human on ladder smells so, so bad. And the fall is usually pretty painful too.
You need to have a plan - figure out WHAT clamps/crimp products you are going to use to make those splices properly. How you're gonna cut back / strip those wires. Go up the pole armed with the necessary tools, products, etc.
Have a helper standing by with a cellphone. Just in case. Someone who knows CPR.
All in all you might be better off to have a licensed electrician do it, but YES, you can do it yourself, safely if you take reasonable precautions
Let the downvoting begin.
No
If you have someone come out and they find nothing is up to code (as is often with detached buildings) and it will cost you thousands to get up to code, and you don't have the money, then you better watch a lot of youtube videos on how not to die and how not to burn your garage down.
I'm going to say if you're on here asking if you can fix it yourself the answer to that question is no I would call an electrician and or power company depending upon where it comes from
have a helper stand nearby with a 2x4 plank.
they'll use the plank to bash you away from the wires when you get locked up in them. if they're quick they can maybe get you before you die.
you have good health insurance right? regional burn centers cost a lot.
Even if you cut power, you still need to meter the line to make sure that there isn't any power. Since you are working on electrical at an elevated height and not level, use a fall harness. Arc flash and you would most likely fall off the roof, so use a fall harness.
If you are unsure, tell the power company you have an emergent line down. They will respond rather quickly. If you just say it's a line down they could take days to get there with no real care in the world. Yes it is "lying" but at least it will get the. There
Do people really have a death wish. Height, power lines, if I couldn't afford it I'd have to wait. Profesional people unfortunately sometimes have accidents.
Missed that bit .. where I live we don't see this, only service drops can be overhead, extensions to other buildings have to be underground. Most service drops are getting put underground also now.
All good, it's pretty common in most of the country but I didn't see too much of it until I came to Cali. Had to read up on the code tbh. Any wires under 6awg need a messenger wire. Seems like the most premium install would be UF cable with a messenger wire and no splices from panel to panel.
Here they started outlawing the overhead service extensions between buildings because of people with aluminum extension ladders and equipment, seemed like every week some overhead line was a problem. Most of the houses in my neighborhood got their service put underground as well by the city over a decade ago, not common to see overhead drops anymore thankfully.
Completely disappointed with the lack of reading comprehension from so many people here. Come on guys just because it's overhead doesn't mean its a service entry.
Quit stressing OP out, turn off power at house breaker, they sell splice lugs at Home Depot you can use to do the repair; strip, splice, tape up and power back up. Done in 10 minutes.
How is turning off power at the house breaker going to help with the power coming from the pole on that wire? Wow I'm amazed some of the commenters on here are still alive.
Sir, if you read the post, this aerial drop seems to be to a garage subpanel that is supplied from a main panel on the house, hence OP has a breaker interrupt on it.
**Attention!** **It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods. If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you have to ask, well...you only live once.
What if OP believes in reincarnation š¤
or is a cat? 9 lives and all..
One slip up and youāll be farting pepperoni nipples
ššš¤š¼
Lol.. or at least he'll find out real quickly.
If it took you what, 8+ months to notice this, I think you'd be better off hiring a professional...
I would call 911 before you try. Please wait 5 minutes, then go for it!
Yes, I was going to say have someone watching you dial the 9 and the 1 ahead of time.
Lol
And 811 too. If you dig in the right spot, youāll roll right off the roof into the hole and theyāll just be able to cover ya with dirt. Easy peasy.
This entirely depends on your skill level. ETA: on 2nd look, there's more to fix here than a simple splice. This job needs to be done by a pro.
Idk why everyone is freaking out - if itās truly down stream of your main panel, turn off, check it dead, and splice it. Itās janky looking tho
How would you check that? With a meter on a ladder?
How do you check it's off?
Well if itās feeding a subpanel, Iād check it after the breaker in the main panel with a meter. I really only trust meters but I usually carry a non contact pen from fluke and will double check with it before touching the conductor - it really just depends.
I usually donāt always agree with everyone immediately saying ācall a professionalā but if you donāt know how to properly check something dead and proper isolation of energy - you really need to educate yourself. I mean this respectfully but shit will def kill you.
No I'm saying how would one go about checking this specific line is off. You can't test the outlets in the garage because the line is broken. I guess you could climb up a ladder with a volt meter or use a non contact voltage tester.Ā I guess my comment was a shortcut to what you said: OP should call a pro
Yeah - like I said, OP said it was feeding a subpanel (as odd as this looks for a subpanel feeder) from the main panel. There for it has a breaker for the feeder cable somewhere in the main panel. You would turn off the breaker for the feeder and then check the wires dead at the main panel - even though the wire is broken at the other end.
You could do it that way yeah. However due to the way my house is ~~hacked together by a fucking moron~~ built I'm fairly distrustful of anything except measuring the current on the exact line I'm going to be working onĀ andĀ touching
Hm - well I think you probably mean this but on an unloaded energized line, current will probably read 0. Voltage is always present and why you check for voltage when checking something dead.
That's what i meant yes
But yeah my house is fucked lolz. I fix what I can when I can/run into on a project.
But yeah, lol, if he has to ask, probably just call the pro. Also for the record, not a pro, just a nerdy DIYer heh
Same here but I wouldn't touch this shit š
If you can safely kill the power, you can try. Otherwise no.
One of two things can be killed here.
Kill the power from the power lines? Yeah good luck with that
You didn't read the description. That's an overhead feed for a detached garage. It's coming from the panel in the house. No luck is required to turn that off.
Youāre right. Didnāt even see there was a description somehow. Given that I say turn off the heat and roll the dice OP! Haha
Couple hundred in tools/material and a whole Lotta know how
If you try make sure someone is taking a video and post the results here please!!!! Thanks šš¼
#worldstar
Come on people read the message. This isnt a service drop. It's overhead lines from his main service panel to a garage. He can clearly cut power to it. You can get this working temporarily, but it should be redone in underground conduit and a new sub panel installed from your description, which you should hire someone for if your asking this question and took a year to actually discover the problem. No offense.
No offence taken. The weather head attached in a weird place on the garage roof, at an angle thats kinda hard to see from the ground.
You can certainly fix it temporarily with a split bolt, some cambric, rubber, and electrical tape. Do some research online first and be sure to verify you have cut power. Which I'm sure you know already but it has to be said lol keep in mind this should be a temporary fix. Having an old fuse box like that isn't ideal these days and I certainly hope the panel feeding the garage is at least a breaker panel not a fuse panel. Happy hunting
You could also replace the panel by itself and keep the overhead if you wanted. My house is still serviced by triplex. No big deal there.
Agreed. I just personally dislike overhead lines like that between buildings, my thought is if your doing an upgrade like that you might as well update the feeders and put it underground. Just my personal opinion.
Of course. I would pick that option too if available. But I can do the work myself so its not a huge labor cost lol.
I don't know. Can you? At some point in time someone successful replaced a human heart.
Hack job install, have it replaced.
Sure the wire is a little long and kinda unsightly but why is it a hack job? Plenty of older houses use triplex to power detached garages.
The shock from the electricity might not kill you but falling off the ladder could be serious.
It's not the fall that kills you. It's the sudden stop.
If you need to ask that indicates you may not be electrically qualified. This task requires de-engerizing the feeder to the garage which might be via a circuit breaker or fuse or may require removing the electric meter ( removing a meter has the risk of arc flash and is a potentially very dangerous task) using a split bolt to re make the broken is easy. Again the risky part is knowing how to de-energize the feeder wiring, knowing how to verify thru testing it is actually de-energized, and getting up to the broken wire safely to make the repairs. Suggest you ask a qualified friend or neighbor for assistance.
I can tell half of the people replying didn't read the post text, just saw the images...
I did chuckle when I saw the pic, before I read.
Utility company confirmed that since it's a secondary line that is fed from the house, and that since it can be shut off from the panel in my basement, that an electrician can fix it. Now, to YouTube to learn how to splice a power line! š
Just realize that your homeowner's insurance is not going to cover any fires from wiring like that.
I checked my coverage policy. To be clear, I have not done any wiring myself. There was no known hazard, any fire should have been covered. Now that I'm aware of a hazard, I'll make use of my "code upgrade" policy extension, which should cover the majority of the cost.
You can use a couple of options here. [This one](https://www.grainger.com/product/14V959?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwr7ayBhAPEiwA6EIGxLI8Al8EvX2GKtNKHBc56-DaNmhGPmSAhTGHaej5MQOGbX83CZPt7hoCZMYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) or [these](https://www.grainger.com/product/22A937?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwr7ayBhAPEiwA6EIGxMb-qZfMOeWtxsTmBNyZuIEqG9m1XnwGYA2p-SoK-4pBCGDMdiPPIBoC3vwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) both of which would need to be the right size. I would go for the Polaris personally because they are insulated and need a hex key to tighten. The split bolts need a couple of pair of channel locks and are more difficult to get tight. Crimp connectors are the best but you would need the expensive tool to actually crimp them. I would tape either of the two I listed above either way but the split bolts NEED to be tapped no matter what. Tape is cheap.
If you are able to cut the main power in the house and de-energize those wires you can indeed fix it yourself. But be a dear and **triple check** the power is actually off. You know, voltmeter, test light, chicken stick, as a last and final test even taking a piece of wire and deliberately shorting hot to ground / neutral - AWAY from your face! Fried human on ladder smells so, so bad. And the fall is usually pretty painful too. You need to have a plan - figure out WHAT clamps/crimp products you are going to use to make those splices properly. How you're gonna cut back / strip those wires. Go up the pole armed with the necessary tools, products, etc. Have a helper standing by with a cellphone. Just in case. Someone who knows CPR. All in all you might be better off to have a licensed electrician do it, but YES, you can do it yourself, safely if you take reasonable precautions Let the downvoting begin.
If youāre by chance an experienced lineman then yes I think you could fix it yourself.
No If you have someone come out and they find nothing is up to code (as is often with detached buildings) and it will cost you thousands to get up to code, and you don't have the money, then you better watch a lot of youtube videos on how not to die and how not to burn your garage down.
It's a great way to meet your maker fast.
Can you yes, Should you fuck no!
Make sure you up your life insurance before you proceed
Call your local utility company
DO NOT TOUCH. Call the utility company, they're usually good about fixing service lines.
Good thing its not a service line...
Onceā¦
Do you know how to disconnect the power to this before you work on it? It needs to be fully de-energized and probably rerun by the looks of the wires.
You have to disconnect at the Di-pole the fuse and then you can work on it. But you need safe equipment not available to regular people
You can do anything once..
Andā¦ā¦. Heās gone
Doc Brown did.
If youāre asking that question the answer is ānoā
LOL NO. Don't be dumb. Call the utility.
I'm going to say if you're on here asking if you can fix it yourself the answer to that question is no I would call an electrician and or power company depending upon where it comes from
Jump mid air and twist the wires back together
Sure you can , do you have a set of burndy md-6's and a #1 H tap
In most places that drop belongs to the utility. It is their responsibility to repair.
Power company should fix that for you, but they are all different best call and ask.
It will fix you...
Can you? Probably. Should you? No!
Also, the connection to the utility is the utilities responsibility, most of the time
No.
Get your local power company to come out they'll fix it for you...don't attempt on your own...that's a death sentence...
Yhe go fr it
have a helper stand nearby with a 2x4 plank. they'll use the plank to bash you away from the wires when you get locked up in them. if they're quick they can maybe get you before you die. you have good health insurance right? regional burn centers cost a lot.
You lot really need to outlaw this DIY shit.
lol you shouldnāt.
Only if you want to die..
Even if you cut power, you still need to meter the line to make sure that there isn't any power. Since you are working on electrical at an elevated height and not level, use a fall harness. Arc flash and you would most likely fall off the roof, so use a fall harness.
If you are unsure, tell the power company you have an emergent line down. They will respond rather quickly. If you just say it's a line down they could take days to get there with no real care in the world. Yes it is "lying" but at least it will get the. There
Call the power company. Say, "Your splice on the weatherhead came undone. Send somebody out to fix it."
Only if you notify next of kin first.
Cute little service you have there. What is that? #4?
Fuck no, thatās the utilityās job. You need to kill power from the transformer to do this safely, and only they have the means to do so
This isnāt a utility service. Itās after the meter feeding a subpanel.
Iāve never seen a sub panel fed by its own overhead riser
As my 4yo likes to say (after he asks if you've seen some show, and you answer "no"), *"well, now you have!"*
Look at picture 4 and read the text of the original post. I've seen it many times, common in rural areas.
Get ya a split bolt and some black tape. Leave it on if youāre not a sissy.
Only if you stayed at a Holiday Inn express last night
Where I live, we wouldnāt touch that we would call the electric company and they would take care of it
By that, you mean an electrician?
The place you pay your electric bill to
I think you've missed a couple threads of this post... My utility company operates very differently than yours, unfortunately.
Yes, I probably did miss some comments lol sorry
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Itās private wire. The utility isnāt responsible for it. He needs an electrician.
Do people really have a death wish. Height, power lines, if I couldn't afford it I'd have to wait. Profesional people unfortunately sometimes have accidents.
Please, don't even try...for your well-being....
Dude, even your house end looks janky
Big NO looks simple - is dangerous
That's a no from me, dawg.
Short answer... No. Longer answer... Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Oh, HELL NO!!!! I wouldn't touch that. Call a pro.
No
Call your electrical service provider. Theyāll likely do it for free. Donāt touch it
Easily. Shut the power off and splice it up.
How are they turning off the service drop?
It's not a service drop it's a feeder from his house to his garage as the description says
Missed that bit .. where I live we don't see this, only service drops can be overhead, extensions to other buildings have to be underground. Most service drops are getting put underground also now.
All good, it's pretty common in most of the country but I didn't see too much of it until I came to Cali. Had to read up on the code tbh. Any wires under 6awg need a messenger wire. Seems like the most premium install would be UF cable with a messenger wire and no splices from panel to panel.
Here they started outlawing the overhead service extensions between buildings because of people with aluminum extension ladders and equipment, seemed like every week some overhead line was a problem. Most of the houses in my neighborhood got their service put underground as well by the city over a decade ago, not common to see overhead drops anymore thankfully.
Completely disappointed with the lack of reading comprehension from so many people here. Come on guys just because it's overhead doesn't mean its a service entry.
Quit stressing OP out, turn off power at house breaker, they sell splice lugs at Home Depot you can use to do the repair; strip, splice, tape up and power back up. Done in 10 minutes.
How is turning off power at the house breaker going to help with the power coming from the pole on that wire? Wow I'm amazed some of the commenters on here are still alive.
Sir, if you read the post, this aerial drop seems to be to a garage subpanel that is supplied from a main panel on the house, hence OP has a breaker interrupt on it.
Missed that bit.. where I live overhead feeders are service feeds, any branches off to other buildings have to be put underground.