Vertical cable runs · Georgia
We buy riser and lead cable for vertical runs
The cable that goes up a pole or a wall and turns into overhead line. Riser work is short, terminated at the top end, and exposed to sun and rain for its whole life, which makes the jacket and the top termination the two things worth reviewing.
- 15 kV to 35 kV
- Sunlight-rated jacket
- Top terminations
01Overview
What this page covers
A riser is the vertical run that carries cable from grade to the overhead attachment, up a utility pole or a building wall. It is usually single-conductor, jacketed for sunlight, supported at intervals and protected by a guard or a channel from grade to about eight feet. Inside a station the same cable appears as a vertical run from a duct bank to a structure.
The life of a riser is harder than the life of the cable it connects to. The jacket takes ultraviolet light and thermal cycling, the top termination is where water enters, and the whole run is often replaced when the pole is changed rather than when the cable fails.
02Specification
What a riser lot looks like
- Voltage
- 15 kV, 25 kV and 35 kV; 600 V for control and lighting leads
- Conductor
- 1/0 through 750 kcmil, copper or aluminum; flexible stranded leads
- Insulation
- XLPE or EPR, 175 or 220 mil at 15 kV
- Jacket
- Black sunlight-resistant PVC or HDPE over the shield
- Supports
- Cable spacers and clamps on the pole; guard from grade to 8 ft
- Ends
- Stress cones, cold-shrink terminations, potheads at the top
- Lengths
- 50 to 500 ft; riser lengths are set by the pole or the wall
- Condition
- Removed in one piece, cut ends, UV-aged, water in the top end
Measure the length before anything is coiled. A riser is cut to fit a specific pole, and its length is the single fact that decides whether it can serve another one.
03Cable and hardware we buy
Cable and hardware we buy
Pole risers
Single conductor from a URD cable up a pole to a pothead or a bracket, with spacers and a guard. Often replaced with the pole, which is why risers arrive in good condition and short lengths.
Building and station risers
Vertical runs on a wall or in a shaft, sometimes in a rigid conduit or a channel. Reviewed on the jacket at the support points, because that is where the cable rubs and where the sun does not reach to dry it.
Transformer and switch leads
Short copper leads from a riser termination into a switch, a recloser or a transformer bushing. Flexible, heavily stranded and usually terminated at both ends, so they are reviewed by assembly and by lug.
Riser guards, spacers and brackets
The hardware that holds the run: guards, spacers, brackets, pothead supports. Counted with the cable because a riser without its supports is a length of cable with a bend in it.
04Evaluation
How a riser is reviewed
Length first, then jacket, then ends. Riser cable is bought for a specific height, so a length that is too short for any pole is a recovery item. The jacket is checked along the sun-facing side for chalking and cracking, and at the support points for chafe.
The ends tell the rest. A stress cone that was cut off leaves a cable that has to be re-terminated, which is normal and expected. A cable that still has its pothead and shows water in the compound is a cable whose top section is finished, and that section is cut back before the remainder is measured.
Quantity is usually small and awkward. A riser lot is a dozen short lengths rather than a rack of reels, so it is worth moving when it is bundled with other material from the same yard. Stacked and strapped, a dozen risers are a pallet; loose, they are a day of untangling.
The top of a riser is the dangerous end. A riser can be energised from the overhead circuit even when the underground section has been isolated at the transformer, and the vertical run gives no visual clue which way it is fed. Work at height on a pole adds a fall hazard to the electrical one, so riser removal belongs to a line crew, not to a salvage contractor.
05Seller terms
Before you sell: how it works
Four things a seller should be able to pin down before a truck is booked.
Verification
Footage is checked against the reel tag, the sequential marks on the jacket, the wrap count against the barrel, or a published weight per 1,000 ft — whichever the reel actually supports.
Payment
Payment method and timing are agreed in writing for the specific lot before anything is loaded or moved. No verbal number is treated as an agreement.
Paperwork
A bill of sale for the lot, and for utility material the owning utility’s release reference. Neither is optional and neither is created after the fact.
Freight
Collection is arranged as part of the terms. Say what can lift the reels and whether a 53-foot trailer can reach them, and the pickup is planned around that.
Sending a reel list and photographs costs nothing. A review is not a purchase, and nothing is bought, moved or scheduled until written lot terms are agreed for that material. Request a pickup when the lot is ready.
06Related
07Questions
Riser and lead cable questions
Are used risers re-usable?
Sometimes, where the length suits another pole and the jacket is sound. The top section is usually cut back because that is where water entered.
Why is the jacket different from ordinary MV cable?
It is compounded for sunlight exposure, because the run is outdoors and vertical. A cable jacketed for duct use will chalk and crack on a pole within a few years.
Do you buy riser cable with the pothead attached?
Yes, as part of the assembly. The pothead is reviewed on condition and the cable is reviewed from below it, since the top few feet are normally cut away.
What length is worth keeping?
Anything long enough to serve another riser. Shorter lengths are reviewed with the rest of the copper rather than as cable.
Send the lengths and a photograph of the jacket
Voltage, size, length and the condition of the jacket at the supports are enough for a first review. Say whether the top termination is still fitted.