Here is the frustrating story. Back in about mid-November, some sort of utility crew was working on overhead lines right behind my backyard fence. I didn't pay much attention to them. The next day, I noticed one of the lines was now touching down to my backyard's ground. The crew came back a few days later supposedly to complete whatever they were doing. I saw the line was being pulled on, so I thought they were going to raise it back up, so I went on about my day. Later on, when they have left, I looked out back and the goddamn line was still in the exact postion as it was. WTF? And these jerks never retured again.

I clearly had no idea about the nature of this line. First thing came to mind was powerline. So, I called Centerpoint Energy. They came out, checked and nope, it's not a powerline. It's a telecom line, they said that could belong to AT&T or Comcast/Xfinity. There are zero markings to help identifying which company it belongs to. Called Xfinity, they came out and nope, not theirs. Called AT&T, they came and nope, not theirs, either. They say it's fiber cable but whom they belong to is a mystery. And, apparently, this is a nonfunctioning line. Whatever they did, it ends in a coil just stuck to the pole by my backyard neighor's house (first pic). The line crosses his backyard, crosses his tree by our shared fence, drops all the way down to the ground in my backyard and then goes back up to the next pole and continues on...

For perspective, the real powerlines are way up higher out of view.

I'm at a loss as to what I can do next. Suggestions, please.











This is the close-up pic of the line. You can see it's actually made up of three distinct line, the bare metal braided one, the thin metal wire and the black plastic/rubber covered cable.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 12131,

Do you have Frontier in your area? They are wonderful about abandoning their lines.

"I found it broken, moved the end over by the pole to keep it safe"

Just checked and they are not available around here. I have ezee fiber, and they are relatively new in this area, but all their lines are buried.

Try contacting the state Utility Commission. We have a PUC in PA and they take complaints. Legacy telecom companies have really dropped the ball on the old infrastructure. It's understandable given the economic shifts since regulated cost+ models when LD cost .40 cents a minute, but it's an issue that can really become a nuisance.

The “legit” answer is to call your public service commissioner, or whatever agency regulates utilities in your area. But if you do this, you’ll be on record in regards to this line. What I would personally do, hypothetically, is first carefully cut the insulated wire to make sure that it was fiber or low voltage. Once deemed safe, I’d cut the entire thing as high up as so could reach to keep it safely out of the way.

I know one way to clarify if it’s still in use…… and have it repaired and hung if so.

quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:
What I would personally do, hypothetically, is first carefully cut the insulated wire to make sure that it was fiber or low voltage.

I'd recommend not cutting -- or even touching it -- until verification that it's "dead," low-voltage or not.
There are non-contact devices you can get to do that.

I’d cut it. I wouldn’t have the patience to chase down some unknown company’s poor work.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
I'd recommend not cutting -- or even touching it -- until verification that it's "dead," low-voltage or not...

Good thought, when you have no idea. I initially didn't dare touching it. But, every guy who came out has grabbed it and there was zero problem. I subsequently did, also, and no problem.

Freaking Telecom companies do this all the time. They have horrible customer service, and frankly don't care about what kind of problems their lines cause, especially the old dead ones. I've had lines come down across roadways before at work. I have dispatch call, and they either can't get an answer or are told that since it's not an outage they'll send somebody out when they're available, no ETA. I've cut several myself and thrown them off the road, just to get the road open....then told dispatch, "well, if they didn't have an outage before they do now."

We had a huge 50 pair copper line come down across some people's backyard in town a couple of years ago, and they kept calling the cops about it. I called the phone company every day that I worked for 2 weeks, and had the homeowner calling them every day, too, before somebody finally came out and dealt with it.

The contrast between Telecom and power companies is crazy. The local power utility will have somebody out there in less than an hour usually, and they go above and beyond to get things cleared, even if it means cutting up trees or replacing poles. Those guys are true professionals.

In your case, I'd keep calling the phone company until they send somebody out. If that doesn't work, drive around town until you find some meth-head cutting off catalytic converters and tell him about the wire. He'll have that thing cut and stripped in minutes. A meth-head can get a lot of work done in a short amount of time if properly directed and motivated.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

drive around town until you find some meth-head

Isn't OP an ER doc? He probably doesn't even need to drive around, the meth-heads will come to him sooner or later.

I would call the police and fire department and report a down power linen as it is a danger to local pets and children and your lawnmower. Hopefully having them involved would get things moving more quickly.
Is that a driveway that I see in the background? Perhaps the line might get caught on the bumper of an old unidentified truck that trespassed there and left for parts unknown.

A set of dykes will take care of that problem.

I got the runaround too trying to get an old unused telephone line and NID removed from my house when we were putting in a new kitchen a few years back. Verizon said wasn't theirs and I finally tracked it down to Windstream who I guess inherited the line from the very original provider which was Conestoga.

Whatever you do, don't cut it. You don't know what it could be feeding. My last department had multipair cables that ran from one end of town to the other that controlled our station alerting system for calls. Even if it's bundled it doesn't mean it's benign.

The metal braided cable is a tension line that is designed to keep the wire from sagging. Obviously some connection broke somewhere.

I'm not a fan of false calls, but in this case just called the fire department and say you have a low hanging wire and are concerned. They usually have a direct line to the utility companies and can make the call for them to come out and fix it.

quote:

Originally posted by ryan81986:


I'm not a fan of false calls, but in this case just called the fire department and say you have a low hanging wire and are concerned. They usually have a direct line to the utility companies and can make the call for them to come out and fix it.

It's not even a false call, for all we know that could have 1,000 volts running through it (I know it doesn't) but to the average homeowner it's always best to treat any downed wire as live.

Technically, 'Low Voltage' is anything below 600V, so...

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
A set of dykes will take care of that problem.

I have a Cox co-ax line that has snapped the strain relief on the house side. Not touching the ground, but sagging in my driveway. Cox has been here a couple of times since it snapped, and have not addressed it.

Unfortunately, the dykes next door sold their house to a nice couple. I didn't think I'd regret their leaving, but maybe they'll come back and take care of it? Naaahhhhh!

quote:

it's actually made up of three distinct line, the bare metal braided one, the thin metal wire and the black plastic/rubber covered cable.

The bare metal (steel) line is for carrying the weight of the other two, it will have a strain relief at one or both ends that attach to a fixed structure (the pole or the house). The strain relief may have slipped it's J hook, or more likely, corroded through.

The thin metal line is for lightning protection. Probably zinc-plated copper.

The insulated line is the data line, could be twisted pair, co-ax, or fiber. You might be able to tell which by examining the box it is routed to on the house end, or by closely examining the line itself for any printed or embossed markings.

Do you have Miss Utility or 411 in your area. All calls are recorded and they are supposed to to respond within 48 hours if I remember correctly.

I would not say or guess what kind of line it is and just say that it is draped across your driveway and are afraid for the kids.

That should get someone out asap. Remember we are all thought to never touch a downed power line so let them do their work.