How To Look At A House
McGarry and Madsen's home inspection blog for buyers of
site-built, mobile/manufactured and modular homes
What is an electrical service drop?
Thursday, December 2, 2021
A "service drop" is the set of overhead wires running from an electric utility’s pole to a house or other building. The service drop is installed and maintained by the local electrical utility. It is connected at the “service point” (shown at arrow in photo above) to the “service conductors” that run to the “service panel,” usually through a “service mast” that extends above the roof. All wiring and other electrical components past the service point are the responsibility of the building owner. When the wires come to the building underground, it is called a "service lateral."
Here’s links with answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about ELECTRICAL SERVICE:
• What is the minimum overhead electric service drop height/clearance to a house?
• Why is a leaning electrical service mast dangerous?
• What is the fireman’s switch emergency disconnect requirement for residential electrical service?
• What are typical copper service entrance wire/cable sizes for the electrical service to a house?
• What are typical aluminum service entrance wire/cable sizes for the electrical service to a house?
• What is the minimum clearance of overhead electric service drop wires above a house roof?
• What is three phase electric service?
• What is a reliable way to tell if the electrical service is 3 phase or single phase?
• What does it mean when I find buried yellow "CAUTION" tape when digging a hole in the yard?
• How can I find out the size of the electric service to a house?
• What is the difference between the electric service to a mobile home and a site built home?
• What is the minimum size electric service to a mobile/manufactured home?
• What is the electrical "service point" of a house?
• Why is there a 3-phase breaker in a single phase panel with only two bus bars?
• What is a service conductor?
• What is the difference between single-phase and three-phase electric service?
• What is the minimum clearance under an electrical service drip loop of a house?
Visit our ELECTRICAL page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.
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