Service mast torn off or a branch on the wires after a storm: who repairs what

The parts that connect your home to the grid

According to Hydro-Québec, the wires connecting the grid to each home form the service connection. They are usually three twisted wires between the distribution line and your house.

When a branch falls on a service connection, the mast or the bracket is most likely to be damaged. If you own the house or building, the repair is yours to arrange, and to pay for.

Safety first

• A downed wire is probably still live, even if it doesn’t look cut. The ground around it can also conduct electricity. Stay away, never use an object to move it (even a branch can conduct electricity), and call 911.
• The service wires, even insulated, may have cracked sheathing: nothing should touch them, no ladder, no pole, no snow shovel.
• Medium-voltage lines, higher up on the poles: keep yourself and your tools at least 3 m away.

Who to call, in what order

1. 911, if there is a wire on the ground, a fire or a person in danger.
2. Your utility, to report the outage or the damage: Hydro-Québec at 1 800 790-2424, Hydro-Sherbrooke at 819 821-5728. You can also check the outage map.
3. A master electrician, to repair the parts that belong to you: mast, gooseneck, bracket and, if needed, the meter base.

Under the agreement between Hydro-Québec and the CMEQ (reached in 2008, clarified in 2010), the customer calls Hydro-Québec first. If a voltage fluctuation or a loss of 240 V seems to come from your installation, Hydro-Québec asks you to call a master electrician to assess the situation. If the check shows the problem comes from Hydro-Québec’s equipment, you pay nothing; if it comes from your installation, the costs are yours. This agreement covers homes with an overhead service of 200 A or less, at 120/240 V.

Why the power doesn’t come back right away

During a major weather event (wind, freezing rain, wet snow), outages can be numerous. Hydro-Québec first restores power to the largest number of customers; repairing individual service connections is among the last steps.

And if a part that belongs to you is damaged, Hydro-Québec cannot restore your connection until you have had the repairs done.

What the master electrician does

• Assesses the mast, gooseneck, bracket and meter base, and checks that water hasn’t entered the installation.
• Repairs or replaces the parts that belong to you, according to the utility’s requirements.
• Coordinates the next steps with the utility, which takes care of its own wires.

New in the 2026 Code: the connection point, where your parts meet the utility’s, is now determined by the utility, according to its rules, and is no longer part of your electrical installation as it was in previous editions. The 2026 Code also adds that electrical equipment exposed to water infiltration must be examined before being put back into service.

Prevention: trees near the service connection

Hydro-Québec advises checking:

• whether a tree or a weak branch could fall on your service connection;
• whether branches could rest on the wires under wet snow or freezing rain;
• whether branches are pushing the wires out of their natural path.

Pruning near wires is dangerous: Hydro-Québec recommends a qualified arborist, preferably a member of the Société internationale d’arboriculture Québec (SIAQ). If you are a tenant, notify the owner. In Sherbrooke, Hydro-Sherbrooke prunes trees that pose a risk to its network; never touch a branch that could contact wires yourself, and call it at 819 821-5728.

What you can do yourself

According to the RBQ, work on an electrical installation must be done by a contractor holding the appropriate licence, even in your own home. The mast is part of it. You report the damage, keep everyone away from the wires, and have the trees pruned by a professional. Everything is explained in Electrical work: what you can do yourself.

With LTE Électrique

• Master electrician, CMEQ member, RBQ licence 5874-5597-01.
• We assess the mast, bracket and meter base, repair what belongs to you and coordinate with Hydro-Québec or Hydro-Sherbrooke.
• Price announced in advance, fixed or hourly depending on the project; 2-year labour warranty.
• For a worn mast to redo before winter: send us a photo of the mast and meter; the estimate is free, within 24 hours.