Ergon defect notice on your property pole? We fix the pole and the mains

If the pole is inside your boundary, it is very likely yours. Ergon Energy states that a property pole is the landowner's responsibility to keep safe and maintained, under the Electrical Safety Act 2002 and the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013, and that you are legally responsible for fixing any defect found on it. Ergon's own inspection checklist for a property pole takes in the meter box and cables on it and the point of attachment that holds its service line.

We have done 90 property pole, consumer mains and defect notice jobs since February 2020, from rusted steel poles at the bottom of a driveway to the pole at Mowbray that a tree came down on in Cyclone Jasper. That job is written up here.

How do I tell a property pole from an Ergon pole?

Ergon labels its own poles with numbers and letters about 2.4 metres off the ground. A property pole carries a letter label: A, B, C or D. If you are not sure which pole a notice is about, ring us and we will check before you spend anything.

What does an Ergon defect notice mean?

A defect notice tells you what was found wrong with the pole or its fittings and the date it has to be fixed by. The findings we see most here are rust at the base of a steel pole, rot or termites in a timber one, a pole on a lean, a corroded meter box, or a point of attachment that has had it. Do not sit on it. Get a licensed electrical contractor to inspect it and book the work well inside the date. On one job we were called to, the supply fuses had already been pulled because the pole had rusted through at ground level. If the cost is the problem, Ergon has a hardship policy for owners who have received a defect notification. Its Customer Asset team is on 1300 743 268, and it is worth a phone call.

What happens when a property pole is replaced?

1. Make it safe. A pole that might fall gets braced or the supply isolated before anything else happens.
2. Pick the spot. The new pole usually goes in a metre or two from the old one, so the changeover outage stays short.
3. Footing and pole. A new concrete footing and a galvanised steel pole that meets Ergon's requirements, with a new meter enclosure if the old one has corroded.
4. Mains. New consumer mains from the pole to the house, overhead or underground in conduit.
5. Paperwork and reconnection. Only Ergon may move its service line to the new pole. We lodge the Connect Application and Electrical Work Request, you confirm the request with your retailer, and Ergon's crew transfers the line.

Meter box work often comes with it; see metering and meter boxes.

Should the power go underground instead?

Sometimes. If the pole is due for replacement anyway, running the supply underground can be the better long term answer, especially on a block where trees keep threatening the line. It depends on where the network connects, the distance, and what is already in the ground. Where both are realistic, we price both.

Storms, cyclones and falling trees

If a pole or a line comes down, stay well clear and call 000. Do not touch it, and do not let anyone try to lift it off a car or a fence. Once the area is safe, ring us. Day or night, we pick up the phone. The storm and cyclone preparation page covers what to check before the season starts.

Regular inspection

Ergon and the Electrical Safety Office both recommend a safety inspection of a property pole every five years, including the base and below ground level, because a pole can look fine and be rotten or rusted just under the surface. We check the pole, the meter enclosure, the mains and the point of attachment on the house, and give you the result in writing.

Renting?

If you rent and the pole or the line looks wrong, tell the owner or the property manager straight away. If nothing happens, Ergon and the Electrical Safety Office both say to contact the electricity supplier. Managers: see how we work with property and holiday let managers.

Sources: Ergon Energy, property poles and privately owned powerlines, Electrical Safety Office, private power poles.