• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

Where does the electric company's ownership end?

DaveNay

DaveNay

Klaatu barada nikto
Does anyone know where the electric company's ownership ends? Up to and including the transformer? Up to and including the meter base? I have always understood that they are responsible for the service up to the meter base, but I have heard some people saying that they are only responsible up to the transformer.

The reason I ask is because I have a couple of dead trees that are hanging over the power lines, but they are after the transformer and before the meter. I would like to have them trimmed by the power company before we get an ice storm this winter that causes the lines to be torn down.
 
Dave,
The answer depends on the Tariff the utility has with your states PUCO or equivalent. Around here on an overhead service usually the utility owns and maintains it. But since deregulation came in, I could own, install and maintain it. It's not easy to get them to trim a tree that affects just one household. Especially if the tree is not in an easement granted to them.
 
OhioTC18 said:
Dave,
The answer depends on the Tariff the utility has with your states PUCO or equivalent. Around here on an overhead service usually the utility owns and maintains it. But since deregulation came in, I could own, install and maintain it. It's not easy to get them to trim a tree that affects just one household. Especially if the tree is not in an easement granted to them.
Click to expand...

Is there and easy place that I might be able to look up those tariff's?

Yeah, I anticipate that I will have to do some convincing an wheedling to get them to do it, but it really is to their advantage to not have a service call in the middle of the winter (hell, they trim the shit out of all the trees all over town already!).
 
Once again, your area may differ. But here, on an overhead service, they own the service drop. I own the riser cable or pipe. They will give you the meter socket for you to install, but you maintain it. They own the meter.

On an underground service they own and maintain the underground cable, they give you the meter socket for you to install.
 
Mine starts down at the transformer on the pole. The underground lines to the meter base and the base are mine and my responsibility. As for getting the tree trimmed it varies with utilities. When I belonged to the Co-op they were great about trimming trees and even came out and dropped lines so we could log out big trees close to the places. They sent their guys out to climb and hooked ropes on the ones close to the overhead lines and help drop them. Up here it took 3 calls and a visit till they trimmed the trees they had agreed to trim when I put the new lines in. I showed them the original agreement and my receipt for $21 grand I paid them. Said if it is not done within 30 days my next stop was the PUC. They had a crew here in 2 days.
 
Good question! Here in Wisconsin, the power companies liability ends at the last power pole.
I had this scenario play out a few years ago. I was sitting at my computer on a windy Sunday afternoon, and BANG! the power went off. Well.. hell.. I looked out the window, and there was a tree in my yard that took down the power line that went from across the road into my yard. The cars going down the road had to run over the wire. When I called the power company, the lady was really insistent about WHAT LINE was down... and if it was the one from the house to the last pole - not gonna fix it. But this was the one going from that pole to the one across the road. Within 45 minutes I had power on again.

 
I just recentlly added another 200 amp service to my big shop . Here the power company only is responsable for the poles & line going to the transformer . I had to furnish the wire & underground pipe , dig the 120 foot trench & install the breaker & meter box on the building .

Then the electric company inspected & hooked up the line & installed the meter , But I am responsable for anything after the transformer from that time on , if any damage happens to the meters on my property its on my dime . I also have 2 seperate bills which sucks because of the double charge for basic service & fuel costs which has tripled in the last 2 years .

Here the power company subs out the tree line work & them folks flat butcher the trees for line access I literally hadto run them off my property the last time because they were going to take out 3 entire big trees . :hammer:

We also have 5 poles that run from the end of our drive to where the transformer is on the last one . 5 years ago an ice storm caused 3 of the poles to split causing them to lean rather bad & broke a couple of guy wires that suported our corner pole where the line turns down to our house . They only patched the cables back together & Spliced & splinted the split poles instead of replacing them at the time for an emergency repair .

I have tried since then to get them to fix it correctly with no luck & was told as long as they are still standing & no danger of the lines falling in normal conditions it will be at my expense to have them all replaced with new bigger & taller poles & I would have to foot the bill for all 5 poles as well as 1/4 mile of service cable . Needless to say I,m not very happy with our power company .
 
Last edited:
where I live in Ill. the power co ownes up to the meter but if the line from the pole to the house is on private property they will not trim the tree, they tell her home owner to trim them and if the line gets taked out them they will send someone out to rehang the power line, they figger that it is cheaper that way
 
DaveNay said:
Does anyone know where the electric company's ownership ends? Up to and including the transformer? Up to and including the meter base? I have always understood that they are responsible for the service up to the meter base, but I have heard some people saying that they are only responsible up to the transformer.

The reason I ask is because I have a couple of dead trees that are hanging over the power lines, but they are after the transformer and before the meter. I would like to have them trimmed by the power company before we get an ice storm this winter that causes the lines to be torn down.
Click to expand...

It goes right up to the monthly bill....:yum:
 
It depends on your utility here in my area of pa if you got underground in a development it is meter socket down stream , over head it is from the weather head down.

tom
 
I had my electric service upgraded recently here in NJ. My responsibility was to install a new panel in the house, the wire to the meter base, the meter base and the pip and weatherhead to above the roof. The electric company supplied the meter base that I installed and after inspection put the meter in and sealed it.

Hope this helps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top