A weatherhead, also called a weathercap, service head, service entrance cap, or gooseneck (slang) is a
weatherproof
''Weatherproof'' is the debut EP by American hip hop artist Cage. It was released on Eastern Conference Records on July 29, 2003. It was released between his two collaboration albums with Camu Tao ( Nighthawks, 2002) and Tame One (Waterworld
...
service drop
In electric power distribution, a service drop is an overhead electrical line running from a utility pole, to a customer's building or other premises. It is the point where electric utilities provide power to their customers.Carson Dunlop "El ...
entry point where overhead power or telephone wires enter a building, or where wires transition between overhead and underground cables. At a building the wires enter a
conduit
Conduit may refer to:
Engineering systems
* Conduit (fluid conveyance), a pipe suitable for carrying either open-channel or pressurized liquids
* Electrical conduit, a protective cover, tube or piping system for electric cables
* Conduit curre ...
, a protective metal pipe, and the weatherhead is a waterproof cap on the end of the conduit that allows the wires to enter without letting in water. It is shaped like a
hood, with the surface where the wires enter facing down at an
angle
In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the '' vertex'' of the angle.
Angles formed by two rays lie in the plane that contains the rays. Angles a ...
of at least 45°, to shield it from precipitation. A
rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, an ...
ized
gasket
Some seals and gaskets
A gasket is a mechanical seal which fills the space between two or more mating surfaces, generally to prevent leakage from or into the joined objects while under compression. It is a deformable material that is used to c ...
makes for a tight
seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...
against the
wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is c ...
s. Before they enter the weatherhead, a ''drip loop'' is left in the
overhead wires, which permits
rain water that collects on the wires to drip off before reaching the weatherhead.
A weatherhead termination is only used at low voltages (up to 600 volts), since higher distribution voltages require more insulation between conductors and metal enclosures. Higher-voltage connections are made through a
pothead.
[Anthony J. Pansini. ''Guide to Electrical Power Distribution Systems'', The Fairmont Press, 2005. . page 138.]
Weatherheads are required by
electrical code {{Electrical Wiring Sidebar
An electrical code is a set of regulations for the design and installation of electrical wiring in a building.
The intention of a code is to provide standards to ensure electrical wiring systems that are safe for peopl ...
s or
building code
A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permiss ...
s. They are also used on
utility poles where
overhead power lines enter a conduit to pass underground.
References
Electric power systems components
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