Just noticed this when getting a new AC installed yesterday. Not sure if it's a bird or squirrel nest, or even active. It's super high up that I don't have a ladder to reach, also I am not super cool with being that close to electrical wiring but I feel like it's a hazard that needs to be removed. Anyone else experience this and what you suggest my approach should be or what service might need to be hired?
It’s called neutral supported cable, the bare support wire is also the houses neutral wire.
Still safe to touch, but it is technically a current carrying wire.
Even though it's neutral, and very close to ground potential... Depending on how much current is flowing through the other two wires, the voltage on the neutral will be varying amounts of non zero. Probably not enough to kill you, but maybe enough to feel bad, under the right circumstances.
That's why, even though the neutral and the ground are bonded together in the breaker panel, you still need to run a separate wire to your outlet to ground your appliances. Electricity doesn't take the easiest path, it takes all paths simultaneously, relative to their resistance, favoring the easiest. Don't make yourself a path 🤷♂️
Still nothing to be afraid of, you shouldn't be messing with it anyway. Just steer clear and you'll be fine.
Note: I'm not an electrician.
The neutral is bonded to ground at the panel, the current is pretty much zero. wires look well insulated, I would feel very comfortable climbing up on a ladder a couple feet away poking it off with a wooden stick.
You're not entirely wrong, but the ground in the panel is better for lightning strikes, and surprisingly bad at sinking actual current meant for the neutral return to the transformer.
That's part of what makes a loose neutral such a fire hazard.
Yes, it's likely safe, and I'd probably put my hand on it without much thought, same with working in a hot panel, the neutral/ground bus is probably fine.
But this is the Internet, if you start making blanket statements about things being safe, you're gonna have a bad time. And some person who doesn't know any better, might have a worse time.
Better to at least acknowledge that there are still dangers, however small.