Free Power Pole Tools & Checklists

1. Lean

• View the pole from about 10 metres, from two angles
• Lean is not worse than last year's photo
• Lean is under about 5 degrees

2. Base (the bottom 30 cm)

• No soft, crumbling or black timber
• No fungus or moss growing from the pole
• No ants or fine sawdust trails
• No cracks running down the pole
• No hollow sound when tapped lightly with a stick
• Steel poles: no rust where the pole meets the concrete or soil

3. Hardware (look from the ground)

• Cross-arm not rotted, cracked or sagging
• Insulators not cracked, chipped or missing
• Bolts not rusted through or hanging loose
• No birds' nests touching live parts

4. Service line to the house

• No trees or branches touching or rubbing the cable
• Cable is not hanging low where a car or truck could hit it
• No splits or cracks in the insulation
• No frayed or exposed copper at either end

5. Ground around the pole

• Ground is not settling or washing away
• No water pooling at the base after rain
• Earthing wires and stakes are intact and in the ground

6. Take dated photos

• 3 or 4 photos from the same angles every year
• Saved in a dated folder on your phone

Call a Level 2 electrician straight away if

• The lean has got worse in the last six months
• The service cable sags below about 4.5 metres above a driveway or street
• There is arcing, buzzing or a burning smell near the pole
• You have received a defect notice from Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy
• A tree has fallen near or onto the pole

How often should a professional inspect?

• Every 5 years for poles under 15 years old
• Every 2 to 3 years for timber poles over 15 years old
• Yearly for any pole over 25 years, or after major storms

1. Confirm the pole is private

• The pole sits inside the property boundary, even partly
• Your meter box is attached to the pole
• The service line runs across your land to the house
• The pole has a tag or label marking it a private asset
• The title mentions an easement for power supply

2. If you are selling

• Check whether any defect notice is open. It must be disclosed
• Book a Level 2 inspection before the property is listed
• Ask for a plain-English report to hand to your agent and the buyer
• If a problem is found, decide: repair first, get a quote and negotiate the price, or disclose with the quote attached
• Ask about straightening if the pole only leans. It is often faster than replacement

3. If you are buying

• Ask the seller if the property has a private pole and if any defect notice has been issued
• Request a pole inspection before exchange
• Look at the pole yourself: lean, rot at the base, rust, cracks, sagging cable
• Allow for repair or replacement costs in your offer if the report flags issues
• Pair it with a general electrical inspection of the whole property

Who can do the work

Only an accredited Level 2 electrician can assess, isolate and work on a pole's connection to the network.