Get Help From A Professional If The Trees In Your Backyard Are Growing Into The Power Lines

If you have trees in your backyard touching power lines or growing too close to the lines, you might be tempted to trim the branches yourself. However, tree trimming near power lines is very dangerous and not something you should do as a homeowner. The risk of a serious injury or death is too great. Instead, call a professional tree trimming service for help. Here are the dangers of trimming trees near power lines and how a tree trimming service might deal with the trees.

Dangers Of Working With Trees Near Power Lines

Tree trimming equipment usually has metal in it, as does a ladder that you might work from. Misplacing the ladder or tree saw could cause contact with a power line that electrifies the equipment. When you're trimming branches overhead, it's difficult to control long loppers or a tree saw. That makes it easy to accidentally hit a service line with the equipment.

Both the service line that goes to your house and the high power line that belongs to the utility company carry enough electricity to kill you. Even touching a branch that's touching the power line could give you a fatal shock.

Trees conduct electricity because of the water inside them. Electricity can arc to the line or arc to you if you're near the tree. Plus, trees are unpredictable when you trim them. A branch may not fall the way you expect, and it might fall toward a power line instead while your loppers are still stuck around the branch.

Trimming Methods Professionals Use

A professional tree trimmer might climb the tree to cut back branches, but only if it's safe to do so. They have the experience to know if their weight will bend a branch so low that trimming it could cause the branch to touch a power line. A professional knows how to trim around power lines safely, but there are times when the power may need to be shut off so the branches can be cut and untangled.

To do that, the utility company has to come to your home and shut off the power to your service line. Then, the tree trimmers can cut back the branches. They may trim around the area aggressively so the branches won't grow back near the lines. The tree trimmers are responsible for working around the service line that goes to your house, but they may not be permitted to trim trees that grow against the high-voltage power lines that belong to the utility company.

If your trees grow into high-voltage power lines, call your utility company and report them. The utility company may send someone out to check the trees and cut them back so they aren't a hazard when the wind blows.  

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