# Steel angle iron mast. Is it ok to use



## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

Hi everyone. Had anyone ever used a angle steel mast and run the cable up that on a house. It will not be penetrating thru an eve. It would be run normallly except it will go up the side of the house and at some point will go up this metal mast made of angle iron that someone has already built. If anything is changed the power companys line will be short. A new meter with a ridgid pipe mast will not work. The exisiting service is like this and i would like to to do the same. Would like to just take the Old cable down and put a new one up in its place Im looking it up in the book now to see what i can find. Anyone have thoughts or done this.

Dave


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

allicat38 said:


> Hi everyone. Had anyone ever used a angle steel mast and run the cable up that on a house. It will not be penetrating thru an eve. It would be run normallly except it will go up the side of the house and at some point will go up this metal mast made of angle iron that someone has already built. If anything is changed the power companys line will be short. A new meter with a ridgid pipe mast will not work. The exisiting service is like this and i would like to to do the same. Would like to just take the Old cable down and put a new one up in its place Im looking it up in the book now to see what i can find. Anyone have thoughts or done this.
> 
> Dave


I think that's the hackest thing I've ever heard of.

Do it and then take pictures, and it'll be the hackest thing I've ever seen too :thumbup:

Anyway, what's wrong with doing it nice and new and proper, and having the power company come out and put in a longer drop?


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

It really is not an NEC issue, it would be a power company issue and none of the ones I work with would allow it.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

I would like to see exactly what you have there. I am having a hard time imagining the setup.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

There is some existing old ones around here like that, but the poco isn't going to pass any now. They got really strict about ten or fifteen or maybe even more years back.


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## Cletis (Aug 20, 2010)

allicat38 said:


> Hi everyone. Had anyone ever used a angle steel mast and run the cable up that on a house. It will not be penetrating thru an eve. It would be run normallly except it will go up the side of the house and at some point will go up this metal mast made of angle iron that someone has already built. If anything is changed the power companys line will be short. A new meter with a ridgid pipe mast will not work. The exisiting service is like this and i would like to to do the same. Would like to just take the Old cable down and put a new one up in its place Im looking it up in the book now to see what i can find. Anyone have thoughts or done this.
> 
> Dave


Like this one? I removed this one and put up a new service just last week. Common around here


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

I've seen quite a few of them around here on older houses. After Sandy I ended up replacing a cracked one with a new piece of angle iron. The PoCo guys looked at me funny for doing than and not a new mast. I had a hard enough time finding a panel that week let alone meterpans.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

I have done that once a while the last time I have to use the angle iron peice due the brick wall was not super strong so spread it out so it will hold better.

But for anything else I don't bother it much unless it is the last resort to use it.

Merci,
Marc


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

Cletis said:


> Like this one? I removed this one and put up a new service just last week. Common around here


 
Yes but its cable out of the meter running up the steel.


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

allicat38 said:


> Yes but its cable out of the meter running up the steel.


And Cletis is often full of crap.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

BBQ said:


> And Cletis is often full of crap.


And you feel need to hit Cletis below the belt because of,,,What was it he did wrong in this thread?:blink:


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

allicat38 said:


> Yes but its cable out of the meter running up the steel.


Is there any room for a 2" pipe?


Welcome to ET..:thumbup:


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

HARRY304E said:


> And you feel need to hit Cletis below the belt because of,,,What was it he did wrong in this thread?:blink:


Just letting the OP to be careful who he takes advice from.

If you have a problem with that ..... I really don't care. :no:


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

BBQ said:


> Just letting the OP to be careful who he takes advice from.
> 
> If you have a problem with that ..... I really don't care. :no:


You make yourself look bad defaming others without just cause.

If he was posting something stupid then fire away,In this case he did not do anything wrong..


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

allicat38 said:


> Yes but its cable out of the meter running up the steel.


IMO, I would run the conduit up the peak and have the power company attach at a higher point.


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## toolaholic (Aug 13, 2010)

HARRY304E said:


> And you feel need to hit Cletis below the belt because of,,,What was it he did wrong in this thread?:blink:


 I agree Harry . This is teen age crap !


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

Okay guys let's stop the bickering and keep it on track


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

trying to get some pics up.


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

can someone post pics if i email them.


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

Well i was looking at it again and if i run a new mast pipe up the house, It will not be in the same spot as the mast now. Also the gutter is in the way and the electric co cable will be short. Gutter is in the way anyway. What to you do,, going around it looks like **** and i reallly dont want to cut it up. Any idea what it cost to have the electric co change the wire from the pole to your house.


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## Awg-Dawg (Jan 23, 2007)

Larger overhead systems use something similar.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

Call the power company and get an engineer out there and tell him your plan. If money is involved they will let you know


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

Im going to call themm tommorow. 

Can anyone post a picture if i email to you. I tried and it comes up failed for me.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

allicat38 said:


> Im going to call themm tommorow.
> 
> Can anyone post a picture if i email to you. I tried and it comes up failed for me.


Email it to me. I sent you a private message


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

Okay here are the pics


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

That is the worse looking service I have every seen- well close to it. I would take that meter loose and install the meter on top of the vinyl siding and pipe up thru the roof with galvinized pipe and then brace the pipe.


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

the load side of the meter goes into the eve there on the back of the house too. In that corner of the house is a sink also. 

I was thinking adding a new meter to the left of the old one on the other side of the down spout and put the panel directly on the other side. Everthing good with that except for this SE cable from the POA. 

How far from the sink does the panel need. I dont recall to much on that issue. This is a sucky service for sure


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

Dennis Alwon said:


> That is the worse looking service I have every seen- well close to it. I would take that meter loose and install the meter on top of the vinyl siding and pipe up thru the roof with galvinized pipe and then brace the pipe.


If i am reading your reply right , that is not an eve there where the meter is, it is the rain gutter. So taking a pipe up there is not really an option, unless we start taking some things apart. On the back side is a few feet and a door. In the few feet on the inside is the sink right inside the door.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

There is no distance from the sink for a panel. It can be right next to it although I would try and leave some space.

Doesn't the se cable go thru the roof or does it go on behind the gutter?

Also if you could get hold of someone who has a bender for 2" rigid you could put an offset and go around the gutter then brace it.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

allicat38 said:


> Im going to call themm tommorow.
> 
> Can anyone post a picture if i email to you. I tried and it comes up failed for me.


For posting pictures check out this thread.http://www.electriciantalk.com/f18/how-post-photos-images-2011-update-19925/


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## randas (Dec 14, 2008)

Dennis Alwon said:


> Okay here are the pics


:blink::001_huh: Kill it with fire!!!!!!!


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

That is pretty bad one there but there were one place that pretty much top it off of all.

As Dennis suggest a idea to make a offset bend to miss the gutter will work very well and brace it from there.

But make sure you hit good trusses and brace it good ditto with wall support.

Merci,
Marc


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## Phaser on Stun (May 10, 2013)

BBQ said:


> Just letting the OP to be careful who he takes advice from.
> 
> If you have a problem with that ..... I really don't care. :no:


 You sound like you have an answer. Let's hear it. And why do you guys let the power companies donkey punch you around? It's like you're scared to tell them to kiss your ass. A lineman who gives me guff about a service is a lineman that carries his ass home in a bucket.


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## Phaser on Stun (May 10, 2013)

frenchelectrican said:


> That is pretty bad one there but there were one place that pretty much top it off of all.
> 
> As Dennis suggest a idea to make a offset bend to miss the gutter will work very well and brace it from there.
> 
> ...


 We don't do services here like you do them there, Pierre.:laughing:


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

Phaser on Stun said:


> You sound like you have an answer. Let's hear it. And why do you guys let the power companies donkey punch you around? It's like you're scared to tell them to kiss your ass. A lineman who gives me guff about a service is a lineman that carries his ass home in a bucket.


I did give an answer, see post number 2. Here the power companies would not hang a drop on that. Here they have very specific written rules in the terms of service how a mast will be built and what is to be made of.

Yeah you could tell them to pound sand and your customer would never get power. :laughing:


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

I think just run a new cable like it is and go around the gutter right under the mast pole and move the new meter and panel like i said in a previous post.

underground would be nice but not an option here. This needs to be done soon as the house will be sold at the end of this month. Im doing this for a friend and not much money if any to be made here.


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

Im affraid the offset would look bulky. Also with a pipe mast you really dont have much pipe on the building to use to support. Maybe 3ft that you can strap and the rest up in the air.


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## Control Freak (Mar 8, 2008)

I can't tell from the pic....how does the cable enter the mast? Is the 2" conduit poked through the eve? If so what about poking a new conduit through the eve then maybe enter an LB then 90 out of the LB into the new meter pan?


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## Control Freak (Mar 8, 2008)

A far as supporting the mast maybe use a threaded pipe hub and lag bolt it down. Get some strut and some knees and build a rack! LMFAO I'm a commercial/industrial guy ! I'm always building racks ..lmao. 

I feel sorry your stuck in a situation that whatever you do will look like crap!


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## forgotflying (Mar 2, 2011)

BBQ said:


> Here they have very specific written rules in the terms of service how a mast will be built and what is to be made of.


A link to the 132 page manual of guidelines the Hawaii poco forces us to follow for service installations.
There is also a bunch of rules not in the manual that we must follow or no power for customer.
HECO Electrical Service Installation Manual

Its all pretty common sense stuff tbh.


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

Well i did it today. I will get some pics of it to show you guys. It doesnt look to bad. Anything would look better than what was there.


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

The service was inspected last friday. It passed with very positive comments from the inspector.


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

Dennis would mind posting the finish pictures if i send them to you.

Thank you.


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## Elephante (Nov 16, 2011)

I want to see the pics..


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## RGH (Sep 12, 2011)

...see a few with angle Iron right around town here....fugly for sure....had to of been the same dude 40-50 years ago....big 2'" angle iron....makes me laugh everytime I go down the street there...see if I can google earth street view them....:thumbup:.....smells of steel-plant sparky all day long...


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

If anyone wants to post them for me send me you r email and ill send them to you


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## Inspecluso851 (Jun 1, 2013)

allicat38 said:


> If anyone wants to post them for me send me you r email and ill send them to you


Only power strut app for service support whit listed hardware


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

allicat38 said:


> If anyone wants to post them for me send me you r email and ill send them to you


Here are his pics


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

I think it looks perfectly fine. 


Everyone that gets their rocks off by using pipe will be along shortly to call the guy a hack though, hold on. :laughing:


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

How was the old SE cable ran up?
If it was through a hole either through the gutter or roof, couldn't you have went through the same hole instead of around the gutter then up?

It just looks funny going over the gutter, but it definitely looks better than the old install!:thumbsup:


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## allicat38 (May 8, 2013)

It went behind the gutter. How else would you do it with the gutter there.


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## gold (Feb 15, 2008)

Better then it was for sure. The gutter sucks but sometimes thats all you can do.

Just curious did you bond the steel riser to the GEC somehow? Not criticizing just curious.


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## Elephante (Nov 16, 2011)

I think it looks great with circumstances given. Great job. Well minus the green grounding wire.lol


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## donselec (May 7, 2011)

where r the gr rods, inside?


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