All our homes have electricity brought to us from a set of wires from the street. They either come under ground, as is the case more so today, or over head which is the most common entry to find.
When bringing the electric service wires to the house they must be attached at some point to the exterior. Back in the day the wires were clamped to the house, later they were inserted inside a pipe or mast with the mast clamped to the house.
The wire from the street must be angled appropriately to give it clearance from the home. Getting the right angle can be difficult unless the mast is used.
During the last few weeks I have found a bunch of service wires actually touching or too close to the house. These ranged from old to new homes.
In each of the three pictures the wires are actually touching the house on aluminum trim coverings. Aluminum is what all those wires are made from since is such a good conductor. Despite that the wires can not contact the home for obvious safety reasons; they will also wear from rubbing.
Over time a nice hole will form in the wires until one day POW, lightning and fireworks! Then lights out.
Often to fix a problem like this takes a concerted effort from the electric utility and a licensed electrician. The utility will usually not touch anything attached to the house like the mast. An electrician will then be required to make any adjustments at that point.
This is again one of those simple things anyone with two good eyes can go and check for themselves. Have you looked at your entry cables lately?
James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
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