PVC Service Riser

Status
Not open for further replies.
petersonra

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
Semi-retired engineer
Is there such a thing?

I was talking to a guy last night who used to do house wiring (now retired). he was telling me about a PVC riser used for service entrance that he used to use. Even had a PVC weatherhead.

I don't think I have ever seen such a thing before. Is such a thing even possible? I can't image running a piece of PVC pipe up through a roof and attaching the incoming service cables to it. Just does not seem anywhere near sturdy enough.
 
Re: PVC Service Riser

Yes it is simply standard pvc pipe with a pvc weather head. This can be used going on the side of a house that is tall enough (usually 2 story or higher)to have the entire riser on the side, not going past the roof. The service drop attaches to an insulator attached to the house and then feeds the riser. There is no strain on the riser since it doesn't support the service drop.
 
Re: PVC Service Riser

Art,230.28 requires that if the service mast is used as support of the service drop it shall be adequate to withstand the strain. Most PVC service riser for over haed that I have seen are on power poles where the pole is the support for the service latteral & yes they do make PVC weather heads. One thing that I've seen that makes it an undesierable installation is over time the PVC starts to wrap even when properly secured.
 
Re: PVC Service Riser

This guy was pretty adamant that the PVC pipe was sticking up through and above the roofline, and not just running on the house or a pole.

At first i thought he meant something along the lines of what you guys suggested, but he was insistent that it went up through the roof.

[ June 01, 2005, 10:49 AM: Message edited by: petersonra ]
 
Re: PVC Service Riser

If it went up through the roof then there would have to be a separate support to attach the service drop as PVC cannot be used for it.
 
Re: PVC Service Riser

Originally posted by stud696981:
If it went up through the roof then there would have to be a separate support to attach the service drop as PVC cannot be used for it.
Click to expand...
That is what I always thought. I suppose if they attached the SE cable to the roof so it put no stress on the PVC it might well work. I have just never seen it done that way, and he was very explicit about how it was done. I just have visions of the thing snapping off in a high wind.

[ June 01, 2005, 12:28 PM: Message edited by: petersonra ]
 
Re: PVC Service Riser

230.28 Service Masts as Supports. Where a service mast is used for the support of service-drop conductors, it shall be of adequate strength or be supported by braces or guys to withstand safely the strain imposed by the service drop. Where raceway-type service masts are used, all raceway fittings shall be identified for use with service masts. Only power service-drop conductors shall be permitted to be attached to a service mast.
 
Re: PVC Service Riser

There's certain times where you look at a guy and just smile and nod in agreement. This would be that time. :D
 
Re: PVC Service Riser

I didn't want to say that Paul but now that the cat's out of the bag. :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top