Telephone service drop attatched to H.V. Feed

[avcllc]

At the job site of a commercial business I noticed that someone had tie-wrapped the telcom service drop to the 4" PVC conduit feeding the meter housing. Is this allowable by code? The telephone company tells me they do this all the time.
Your feedback is appreciated.

 

[bphgravity]

Re: Telephone service drop attatched to H.V. Feed

Section 230.28 of the NEC states, "Only power service-drop conductors shall be permitted to be attached to a service mast."

This is supported by the requirement in Section 800.52(E) that states, "Communication cables or wires shall not be strapped, taped, or attached by any means to the exterior of any conduit or raceway as a means of support.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Re: Telephone service drop attatched to H.V. Feed

How does this work? The phone company does not have follow the rules in the NEC if the conductor in question is on the utility side of the point of demarcation.
Don

 

[izak]

Re: Telephone service drop attatched to H.V. Feed

sometimes....

Commies will zip-tie ANY cable to ANY THING, conduit, waterpipe, sprinkler line, duct work, bar joists, ceiling grid wire, zip-ties, AllThread, (this is usually pretty funny)
I feel it is up to every trade that is affected to.... CUT THOSE DAMN ZIP TIES!!!

hahaa

 

[charlie]

Re: Telephone service drop attatched to H.V. Feed

Don, we have to follow the NEC once we enter the premises wiring system. We make rules for the attachment of our service drop but we can not require something that is less than the NEC requires.

The service drop is ours and the NESC applies to the service drop until we contact the mast. At that point, we are under the control of the NEC. That is why we stop there. The same applies to the communications companies when they contact a building. The point of contact is covered by the NEC and the building Code. Up to that point, the NESC controls and the service point has nothing to do with the point of contact.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Re: Telephone service drop attatched to H.V. Feed

Charlie,

The same applies to the communications companies when they contact a building. The point of contact is covered by the NEC and the building Code.

What code section says this? Is it covered in the NESC? The conductor in question is outside the scope of the NEC per 90.2(B)(4).
Don

 

[charlie]

Re: Telephone service drop attatched to H.V. Feed

I agree with you Don and 90.2(B)(5) covers our service drop as well as the NESC. However, the mast is part of the building. If we take all of our property off the building, the mast will remain.

We have requirements for the internal wiring of a CT cabinet where a High ? is involved and the NEC has to write an exception to permit our configuration. We have wiring methods and material that are exempted by the NEC in 90.2(B)(5). Those exemptions are because they are part of the premises.

 

[mc5w]

Re: Telephone service drop attatched to H.V. Feed

Below the roof level of a service mast SBC will often strap a telephone protector block to a galvanized steel service conduit. Using a metallic service conduit as a telephone ground is legal, but there is apparently no explicit Code rule that will stop the telco from strapping a protector block to galvanized rigid conduit.

 

[charlie]

Re: Telephone service drop attatched to H.V. Feed

Using a metallic service conduit as a telephone ground is legal

,and desirable. We want the various communications companies to interconnect their grounding systems with the power grounding system. Putting network protectors or anything else on the conduit is not a problem, attaching their service drop is a problem.