Home Improvement
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?
Am I the only person wondering why the downspout is right by the electrical wires in the first place? I don't know all the things there are to know about code, but that seems bad, if for no other reason than it can result in things like this.
Probably an old house and the downspout was there first, though it all depends on where in the world this is.
Our next door neighbor's house has power come in like this and it was built in 1927, before it had electric. Our house, the electric is buried per code for newer construction and ours was built in 1997.
Call the utility company
It probably dependes of your country but as a French, I would call the firemen. They are trained to removed some animals or to call the right professionnal for the job. They also are the specialist of fire hazard.
Everyone making a huge problem outta this. Wait until birds are gone if they're there (fall or winter is fine). Borrow a ladder (preferably fibreglass), and gently remove while wearing gloves. Doesn't look like any wires are damaged or at risk.
Someone else suggested a leaf blower. Might work. ;)
Fuck no. I'm an electrician and wouldn't do that. A nick could be under that birds nest and you'd never see it. Call the utility company. They'll take care of this.
Call the power company. It's before their demarcation point. They should take care of it. Yes, it's probably ok to go up and "gently remove" it, but what if it's not. Don't fuck with that.
My electric utilities demarc moves depending on where the problem is.
This is the correct answer. It's the power company's problem. Weird accidents can happen.
It doesn't look like the nest puts the building or electric service at risk, and it doesn't seem dangerous to the animal. If it were me, I'd probably just leave it until the best was empty.
After it’s vacated, use a long wooden pole to pull it out (maybe on a 3-6’ ladder) Observe for occupants using binoculars …
Some jurisdictions don't allow people to mess with bird nests if there's birds using it, so check that first.
I'm surprised they allow power cables so close to a downspout. That wouldn't be allowed where I live.
If it's a birds nest, the United States and Canada are some of those jurisdictions where you can't mess with bird nests. Unless it's a non-native species
Do nothing. No danger is visible, just observe.
You'll have to have the power temporarilly disconnected at the pole. Once you've done that, a good ladder would be far cheaper than hiring any professional, by a factor of 5 or 10 times.
This place is turning into reddit
Eh. I don't see any compromised insulation on any of those wires. Honestly, I wouldn't even bother. Just head on up there with a nonmetallic ladder and poke that junk out of there with something nonconductive if you're worried. I ain't afraid of no volts. (And before anyone freaks out, that bare aluminum cable is structural, to prevent the wires from sagging. It's not carrying any current.)
It seems to me that whatever built that nest decided to abandon it before moving in. There isn't any visible bird shit around it which there certainly would be if it had birds in it (especially ones big enough to drag those sticks up there) and the lack of chewed material around it indicates a lack of extant rodents.
The bare cable may also be for ground, but it's hard to tell. Even so, shouldn't carry any current, unless there's a lightning storm happening
Ground wires don't go from the pole to the house. Your home's ground literally goes into the ground, either via a stake or by being attached to a cold water pipe. Having your ground connected to distant objects/poles/locations is counterproductive, because the extreme distance is likely to wind up with different potentials at different points, which would put current on the ground wire all the time, which is exactly what you don't want.
Anyway, notice that the big bare wire is not actually electrically connected to anything and is only attached to a tensioner pulling it against the house. The ferrule on the end is to keep it from fraying over time.
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.
Leaf blower
Wait till winter so that you don't mess up with this year's reproduction process.
Pest control company maybe? Not sure if they’ll be willing to mess with live wires though. Probably good to mention that when you first call so they know what they’re dealing with.
Just get up there and gently remove it, if it bothers you. You're not going to shock yourself.