When it comes to the ownership guidelines for your homes electrical system, things can start to look all the same. So question is, how do you separate what you are responsible for replacing and/or maintaining versus what components your electrical company is responsible for?When you live in North Texas, it can be difficult to differentiate the two but keep on reading, we’re going to help you breakdown the difference of what you can save your money on.
Electric Company Responsibility
Your electric company is only responsible for maintaining and repairing the following items:
- Wooden utility poles
- Overhead and underground power lines
- Electric service lines that run between utility poles and to your home
- Transformers
- Electric meter
If you notice any damage or suspect something is wrong, please contact your provider and let them send out a professional. Your safety should be a priority when it comes to these items.
Homeowner’s Responsibility
Homeowners or commercial property owners are responsible for maintaining most of the equipment on their property, outside of the above-mentioned electric meter and electric lines running between poles.
Remember, you should never attempt electrical work yourself if you are not a licensed electrician. Always hire a licensed, bonded, and insured electrician perform maintenance and repairs to avoid hazard and injury.
- The typically hood-shaped cap that sits atop a metal pipe connecting your home and electric service lines is called a weatherhead and is your responsibility to keep in good condition.
- The wiring in and around your home is your responsibility as a property owner. This includes the wires connecting the weatherhead to the meter as well as the lines leading from the meter.
- The meter base is the enclosure that houses and protects the electric meter. Typically you can find it on the side of your house, and sometimes in the back. Like gas meters, most cities require an inspection before electricity can be restored after a meter base installation or repair, and the hired electrician must have the new meter base installed and inspected before Oncor can install the new meter itself.
- Access to your property. Troubleshooting and repairing issues with your electric meter, service line or transformer may require our employees to access your property.
- Oncor and Oncor contractors are to be granted access to your property for inspection, repair, and maintenance of your service line, transformer, meter, or any other electrical equipment. They generally make all attempts to get permission for access, but in the event they cannot, they might cut locks on gates or scale fences for access. If possible, you should make access
Trees
Any low voltage lines going from the power line to a person’s house are the home owner’s responsibility. The rest of the lines and the transformer on the utility poll are high voltage and Oncor’s responsibility.
Trees on your property are your property to maintain and keep a safe distance from power lines. You can contact your energy provider or Oncor for a temporary disconnection while trimming occurs for safety, though there may be costs associated. Oncor also contracts tree trimmers to clear the lines, though, they only trim the areas around the lines and not the whole tree.
Conclusion
When it comes to who should handle what on electrical issues for your property it’s best to always err on the side of caution and hire a professional. Here at Classic Construction & Restoration, Inc. we work with only licensed and insured electricians to ensure that your property is handled correctly and safely. Should you find that you need any type of electrical work call us first! We offer free estimates for any work you may need. Be sure to check out our other services to see how we can help you with all your projects!