Who to call for what you are looking at
Stand well back and look from the ground. You do not need a ladder to answer this, and a ladder is the wrong tool near a damaged service. Then match what you see to the table.
Idaho Power's number is 208-388-2323, or 1-800-488-6151 toll free. An electrician should not be the first call for a wire that has come down or pulled loose, because the line feeding your house is not ours to touch. Idaho Power has to deal with its side before anyone can safely work on yours.
| What you see | Call first |
|---|---|
| Wire on the ground, on the roof or on a fence | Idaho Power, or 911. Stay at least 100 feet back |
| Sparks, smoke or burning at the mast or meter | 911, then Idaho Power |
| Wire sagging low or pulled away from the house | Idaho Power |
| Mast bent or leaning, wire still attached | Idaho Power, then an electrician |
| Meter base pulled loose from the wall | Idaho Power, then an electrician |
| Weatherhead or bracing loose, wire looks normal | Electrician |
| Lights dim, surge or flicker since the snow came down | Electrician. Turn off the main if it is severe |
| Snow or ice on the mast, nothing looks moved | No one yet. Watch it |
Where the line between them actually falls
The wrong assumption is that everything attached to that wire belongs to the power company. Idaho Power's Customer Requirements for Electric Service puts the point of delivery for an overhead service at the drip loop, where its conductors connect to yours. It owns the wires from the transformer to the drip loop, the connectors at the drip loop and the meter. The customer owns and maintains what is beyond that, including the mast, weatherhead, conduit, support brackets, bracing and meter base.
That split surprises people because the mast is holding up Idaho Power's wire. It is still your mast. Our guide to what to do when the power goes out has the full table, and it covers telling an outage from a problem in your own panel if that is what you are really trying to sort out.
Why a mountain roof is hard on a mast
A service mast has one job on a calm day: hold up the strain of the wire. Idaho Power's manual repeats the code language, that a mast has to be strong enough or braced to withstand that strain safely. Snow adds loads nobody calculated for a calm day. It can slide into the mast from up the roof, and ice on the wire adds weight to the pull.
Idaho Power's requirements take this into account. Bracing is required on a mast in a heavy snow area, as well as on any mast more than 30 inches above the roof. Masts that go through a roof must be rigid conduit, with 2 inch as the minimum size. Older houses in Hailey and Bellevue, and cabins in Fairfield and Hill City, may have been built to something less, and a service that has stood for decades has not necessarily been tested by a big year on a steep metal roof.
Roof shape matters more than snowfall. A mast below a long metal slope in Ketchum or Sun Valley is in the path of everything that lets go on a warm afternoon. The same mast on a gable end may never see any of it.
Do not clear the snow yourself
This is the one that can hurt you. Idaho Power's manual allows a service wire as little as 18 inches above the roof where it crosses the eave to reach the mast, and a winter's snow in the valley can be deeper than that. So the wire may be close to the snow, or in it, in exactly the spot where someone is shoveling or swinging a roof rake.
Idaho Power says to stay at least 10 feet from overhead lines of 50,000 volts or less, and to look for lines before moving a ladder. Near a mast, that rules out most of what a homeowner would try. Do not knock ice off the weatherhead or the wire. Do not hit the mast to loosen snow. Do not pull on anything.
If snow has to come off that part of the roof, tell whoever is doing it where the service comes in, and call Idaho Power to ask about the safe distance for your line before the work starts.
What the repair involves
Damage to the mast or meter base is a job for a licensed electrician, with a permit and an inspection. See which jobs need a permit for how that works. Idaho Power lists replacing a damaged meter base among the changes to an existing service that may need the power disconnected.
For planned work, Idaho Power disconnects and reconnects at no cost on four conditions: at least 24 hours of notice for each, normal working hours on weekdays between 8 and 5, a service ready when its crew arrives, and a passed electrical inspection at the reconnect. There might be a charge outside those hours or for an extra trip. A service torn off the house on a Saturday in February does not fit that schedule, so ask Idaho Power what it can do when you call.
One more thing to ask about. The manual says making changes to an existing service requires it to comply with Idaho Power's current requirements. So a repair on an old service may turn into bringing it up to today's mast, bracing and meter rules rather than straightening what was there. Your electrician and Idaho Power can tell you whether your repair counts as a change.
If nobody is home to look
Second homes get this wrong in a predictable way: the first sign is a dark house, and the caretaker walks up to the panel without looking at the outside wall. Ask yours to look at the mast and the meter from the ground before going in, and after every big slide, not only after an outage. Have them send you a photo from the same spot each time, so you can tell if something has moved.
Our second home checklist covers what to set up before you leave. If the mast is leaning but the house still has power, do not wait for spring to find out why. A bent mast is carrying the wire at an angle it was not built for, and the next slide will land on it too.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I call if snow pulled the power line off my house?
Idaho Power first, at 208-388-2323 or 1-800-488-6151, or 911 if anything is sparking or burning. Assume the line is energized and stay at least 100 feet back. An electrician repairs your side once Idaho Power has dealt with its wire.
Is the service mast the homeowner's responsibility or Idaho Power's?
The homeowner's. Idaho Power's responsibility ends at the drip loop, plus the meter itself. The mast, weatherhead, conduit, bracing and meter base belong to the customer, so the customer pays to repair them.
Should I knock snow or ice off my service mast?
No. Do not hit the mast, knock ice off the weatherhead or pull on the wire. Idaho Power says to stay at least 10 feet from overhead lines of 50,000 volts or less, and the wire may sit only 18 inches above the roof at the eave.
Does a service mast need bracing in heavy snow?
Idaho Power's requirements call for bracing on masts in heavy snow areas, and on any mast more than 30 inches above the roof. An electrician can tell you whether yours has what it needs.
Does Idaho Power charge to disconnect and reconnect for a mast repair?
Not for planned work with at least 24 hours of notice, during weekday working hours, with the service ready and a passed inspection at the reconnect. There might be a charge outside those conditions, so ask when you call.
My mast is bent but I still have power. Can it wait until spring?
It should not. The mast is holding the wire at an angle it was not built for, and more snow can land on it. Have an electrician look at it and call Idaho Power if the wire has sagged or pulled.