If your home lost power in a storm and the utility company says the lines are repaired, but you’re still in the dark, the problem is probably on your side of the connection. A licensed electrician has to fix it before the power company will turn your service back on.

That surprises a lot of homeowners. The instinct is to wait for the utility truck. But once the crew clears the street and moves on, some houses stay dark because the damage isn’t on the pole. It’s on the house.

What to Do First

Don’t approach a downed line or a bent, detached mast. Treat any loose or hanging wire as live, even if the power appears to be off. If you can safely reach your breaker panel, turn off the main breaker.

Then work through this in order:

  • Check whether it’s a wider outage. If neighboring homes also have no power, this is a grid issue, not a mast problem, and you just need to wait on the utility.
  • If your home is the only one without power, check your breaker panel and reset any tripped breakers.
  • If the breakers are fine and the neighbors have power, walk around the outside of your house and inspect the mast without touching it.
  • If you see damage, call an electrician before calling the utility. The utility can’t act until the electrician’s repairs are complete.

What Actually Connects Your House to the Grid

The point where your home meets the utility’s wires is called the electrical mast, also known as the weatherhead or service mast. It’s the metal pipe on your roofline that the overhead power lines attach to before the wiring runs down into your meter and panel.

The utility owns and maintains everything up to that connection point. Everything from the mast inward, including the meter base and the wiring into your home, is the homeowner’s responsibility. That split matters more than people realize until a storm damages one side of it.

Signs Your Mast or Weatherhead Took Storm Damage

A bent or torn loose mast is usually obvious once you know to look for it. Common signs include:

  • The mast is visibly bent, leaning, or pulled away from the roofline
  • Wires are hanging loose or disconnected near the roof
  • Your meter shows no activity, even though neighbors have power
  • You’ve reset your breakers, and nothing changes
  • There’s a broken conduit or piping on the ground near your house

Falling limbs and high wind are the usual causes of Central Illinois storms. A tree doesn’t have to hit the house directly. It only has to pull down the line hard enough to tear the mast loose. If a storm is strong enough to do that, it’s worth walking the rest of your roofline for damage while you’re already looking up.

Why the Utility Won’t Reconnect You Until It’s Fixed

Utility companies won’t restore service to a damaged mast because it’s a safety hazard, not a policy inconvenience. Reconnecting live power to a compromised connection poses a risk of fire and electric shock.

An electrician has to repair or replace the mast before the utility will send a crew back out to reconnect you. That’s why calling one quickly matters. The repair must be completed before the utility can even schedule the reconnect, so waiting on your end delays your restoration timeline.

Storm Damage Rarely Stops at the Electrical Line

A storm strong enough to bend a mast or bring down a line is usually strong enough to damage other parts of your home. Roofing, siding, and gutters take the same wind and debris, and the electrical damage tends to get all the attention because the outage feels most urgent.

C-U Trade Services handles the electrical repair itself, so you’re not waiting on a general callback for something this time-sensitive. If the same storm damaged your roof or siding, our construction company, C-U Under Construction, can take a look and help with insurance documentation, so you don’t have to coordinate two separate companies on your own.

Get Your Power Back On

A downed line or damaged mast after a storm isn’t something to wait out. Contact C-U Trade Services for the electrical repair, and we’ll flag anything else on the property worth a second look. If you’re already dealing with roof or siding damage from the same storm, mention it, and we’ll loop in C-U Under Construction so both get handled without extra runaround.

FAQs

Q: Am I responsible for fixing my electrical mast after a storm, or is that the utility company’s job?
A: You’re responsible for the mast, weatherhead, and meter base. The utility owns the lines running up to that connection point. If a storm damages your mast, you’ll need to hire a licensed electrician to repair it before the utility can restore power.

Q: Why won’t the power company just turn my electricity back on?
A: A damaged mast is a safety hazard. Reconnecting power to a compromised connection poses a risk of fire or electric shock, so the homeowner’s side must be repaired before the utility will reconnect service.

Q: How do I know if my mast is damaged instead of a wider outage?
A: Check if neighboring homes have power. If they do and yours doesn’t, and your breakers are fine, the problem is likely on your property, not the grid.

Q: Can I fix a damaged electrical mast myself?
A: No. Mast repair involves working near live utility connections and often requires coordination with the utility company to safely disconnect and reconnect service. This is licensed electrician work.

Q: How long does mast repair usually take?
A: It depends on the extent of the damage and how quickly the utility can schedule the reconnect after the repair is done. Straightforward repairs are often completed the same day once an electrician is on site.

Q: What if I don’t see obvious damage but still have no power?
A: Check for a wider area outage first. If it’s just your home, the issue could still be in the mast’s wiring or at the meter; both should be checked by an electrician.