If the mast is bent, the weatherhead is torn loose or the meter base is hanging off the wall, Alabama Power will not reconnect your house until a licensed electrician repairs it and the inspection passes. Service mast repair in Mobile and Baldwin County is the first call we run after every storm. Repaired to code, permitted, inspected and coordinated with the utility.
Call (251) 680-7500 Request Storm ServiceEverything from the utility's splice at the top of your service drop down to the meter is the homeowner's equipment: the weatherhead, the mast (the pipe that carries the wires down the wall), the service entrance cable inside it, the meter base and the conduit into the panel. When a tree limb or the wind pulls the drop, it bends the mast, cracks the weatherhead and often rips the meter base off the siding. The utility crew will reattach their drop only to a mast and meter base that can take the strain and that a licensed electrician has repaired to the current code.
Alabama Power says it plainly in its own storm guidance: the meter box belongs to the customer, and if the meter box or the pole on top of it is damaged, a professional electrician must repair it to code before the company is allowed to restore service. Where the house itself is damaged, a licensed contractor makes the repairs and the county issues the inspection permit before power comes back. The co-ops and the Baldwin County utilities run the same rule.
That is why the neighbors have power and you do not. The grid on your street is back; your house is not safe to connect. Until the mast is repaired, the permit is pulled and the City of Mobile or Mobile County inspector signs off, the reconnect does not happen. We do all three and make the reconnection call for you.
If you see downed lines, smell burning or hear buzzing, stay away, keep people and pets clear, and call 911 or the power company first. Then call us.
Call (251) 680-7500
The cap at the top of the mast where the utility drop meets your service cable. Cracked, torn open or missing after wind, replaced with the drip loop re-formed so water cannot follow the wires in.
The rigid pipe through the eave. Bent masts are replaced, not straightened, with the roof flashing resealed and a guy wire where the span needs it.
The conductors inside the mast. Pulled, nicked or scorched cable is replaced end to end; it is cheap compared with what a damaged conductor does to a panel.
The socket the meter plugs into. Torn off the wall, cracked or with burned jaws after a storm, replaced and re-secured to the structure. The utility pulls and reseats the meter.
The overhead wires from the pole and the meter itself belong to Alabama Power or your co-op. We do not touch them; we repair everything they attach to and tell them when it is ready.
A surge or a lost neutral during the storm can take out the main breaker or the bus. We check it during the repair and replace what failed.
A picture of the mast and meter from the yard tells us what to bring. Most storm repairs are finished on the first visit with the parts on the truck.
New mast, weatherhead, cable and meter base as needed, with the current grounding and bonding and a drip loop the inspector expects to see.
We pull the electrical permit and schedule the inspection. After a declared storm the inspection offices run fast; we know who to call and how they want it.
We notify the utility that the service is repaired and inspected. The crew reattaches the drop and reseats the meter, usually within a day or two of release.
Photos before and after, and an itemized invoice written for your insurance adjuster.
The repair the utility needs to see before it reconnects your house, finished on the first visit with the parts on the truck.
Keep everyone away from the downed drop even if the street is dark; drops can be live. Turn the main breaker off if you can reach the panel without standing in water. Do not try to pull the mast upright or re-hang the meter. If you have a portable generator, run it outside and only through an inlet box or transfer switch, never through a dryer outlet.
Take photos of the mast, the meter and any damage inside before anything is touched; your adjuster will want them. Then call. If roads are closed we tell you when we expect to reach your area, and you keep your place in line.
The pipe through the eave should be plumb. A lean, a kink at the roofline or a mast pulled away from the wall means the drop yanked it.
The cap at the top should be intact with the wires looping down into it. Cracked, hanging or gone means water is already inside the cable.
Pulled loose, cracked, or the meter itself is tilted in the socket. Do not push it back.
Even if it looks dead, treat it as live, and expect the pull to have damaged the mast and the weatherhead.
If the street is back on and your house is dark, the utility is waiting on your side of the meter.
A leg or the neutral opened at the drop, the weatherhead or the meter base. Turn the main off and call; this one damages electronics.
A straightforward mast and weatherhead replacement is a few hours of work with standard parts; a meter base torn off brick, a scorched cable and a damaged panel are a longer day. We quote in writing before we start, and the price does not change because it is storm season. No hourly surprises.
Timing after a hurricane depends on the inspection office and the utility's backlog more than on us. We stage parts before the storm so the repair is done the day we reach you, and we release the inspection and reconnection requests the same hour. During an active event, the notice bar at the top of this site shows the current response time.
"A storm came through and messed up the electric in our house. We got a quote quickly and they got us up and running fast! The guys did a great job and even helped us save money."
— Devan H., Google review"Came home late afternoon to find my power off. I called after hours and Robby was over in 15 min. It was a bad circuit breaker. From the time I saw I had no power til the time I had power back on was around 30 min. Amazing. Super nice guys as well."
— Gary S., Google review"They diagnosed a power issue that other companies weren't able to. The technician was extremely knowledgeable and professional, and explained everything very well. Also, I called them at 8 at night and got a human being on the phone!"
— Laura B., Google reviewThe homeowner. The weatherhead, mast, service entrance cable and meter base are customer-owned equipment in Alabama Power's and the co-ops' service rules. The utility owns the drop and the meter. That split is why a licensed electrician has to repair your side before the reconnection.
Usually one to two days after we release the inspection and notify them, longer in the first week after a major hurricane when crews are working the whole region. We send the release the same hour the inspector signs off.
Yes, in the City of Mobile, Mobile County and the Baldwin County municipalities. We pull it and meet the inspector. After a declared storm the offices typically expedite service-repair inspections.
Call 911 if the line is sparking or across a road, and report the outage to the utility. Then call us: the drop will have pulled the mast or the meter base, and the repair has to happen before the utility can re-hang the line.
Often, under the dwelling coverage, but every policy differs and we cannot promise coverage. We photograph the damage, describe the cause and give you an itemized invoice your adjuster can work from.
Their guidance is that the meter box and the pole above it are the customer's, that a professional electrician repairs them to code before service can be restored, and that where the structure is damaged the county issues the inspection permit first. We handle the repair, the permit, the inspection and the release call, and we confirm the current process with the utility on every job because it can change after a declared disaster.
Yes. If the drop pulled hard enough to bend the mast it often damaged the main or lost the neutral, which fries appliances when power returns. We check the panel during the mast repair and offer a post-storm safety inspection for the rest of the house.
Something we didn't cover? See our full FAQ page or call (251) 680-7500.
The hub for everything we fix after a storm, electrical and HVAC.
Storm damage hubLicensed electricians repair the mast, weatherhead, cable and meter base to code, pull the permit and coordinate the reconnection with the power company.
Call (251) 680-7500 Request Storm Service