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Replacing your service entrance: the 6 signs
Leaning mast, rusted meter base, frayed cable: what you can see from the ground, what is urgent, what can wait until spring, and who has to step in.
In short
A leaning mast is the number one sign, and you can see it from the sidewalk.
- Rust on the meter base is more serious than it looks: it means water is getting in.
- A branch on the supply cable isn’t something you deal with yourself: you make a call.
- A replacement can be planned. What costs a lot is having it forced on you as an emergency.
- Part of the work belongs to Hydro-Québec, and you aren’t allowed to touch it.
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The six signs, from most visible to most subtle
A service entrance doesn’t fail all at once. It deteriorates, outdoors, over years, and it sends signals you can see from your driveway.
Here are the ones that matter, what they mean, and how soon you need to act.
1. The mast is leaning
The mast is the metal tube that rises above the roof and holds the conductors coming from the pole. It’s constantly under the tension of those cables, and that tension grows with ice and wind.
A mast that is no longer plumb has lost its anchoring, its mounting clamp or the soundness of the wall behind it. It’s the most reliable sign there is, and it doesn’t fix itself: every storm makes the lean worse.
2. The meter base is rusted
The meter base is the metal box the meter plugs into. Surface rust is common. Rust that runs, swells the metal or has gone through the box is not: it means water is getting in where the live connections are.
It’s the most underestimated sign, because it’s discreet and doesn’t stop anything from working, until the day it stops everything.
3. The cable jacket is cracked, frayed or discoloured
The conductors coming down to the meter have a jacket. When it cracks, splits or shows the metal, the insulation no longer does its job. Sun, frost and rubbing against the wall wear it out.
4. A branch is touching or rubbing the cable
A common situation on the North Shore, with mature trees close to houses. Rubbing wears the jacket, and a branch loaded with ice or snow pulls on it.
An absolute rule: you don’t prune a branch touching an electrical cable yourself, and you don’t let anyone do it without knowing which cable it is.
5. The wall fasteners are loose or torn off
The clamps that hold the mast and the conduit to the wall work with every freeze and thaw. When they give way, the whole assembly loses its rigidity, and you’re back to sign number one.
6. The installation was built for another amperage
A service sized for 60 or 100 amps on a house that has been extended, converted to electric heating or needs an EV charger: that isn’t a wear problem, it’s a capacity problem. It’s solved at the same time and with the same job.
What is urgent and what can wait
Not everything is dealt with in the same week. Here is how we set priorities.
| Sign | Severity | When to act |
|---|---|---|
| Cable torn off, mast down, visible arcing or burning smell | Immediate danger | Call Hydro-Québec right away. Don’t go near anything. |
| Branch touching the supply cable | Urgent | Report it to Hydro-Québec. No pruning by yourself. |
| Clearly leaning mast | High | Have it assessed within days, before winter |
| Perforated meter base, rust all the way through | High | Have it assessed quickly: water is getting in |
| Cracked or frayed jacket | Medium to high | To plan, depending on the extent |
| Surface rust, loose fasteners | Medium | Can be planned: the right time to choose your date |
| Undersized service with no deterioration | Low | Planned with the project that triggers it |
The difference between planning and having it forced on you: a service entrance replaced in October, on the date you chose, costs the price of a normal job. The same service entrance replaced in January after a failure, without power, costs more, and you no longer choose anything.
Why a service entrance deteriorates
It isn’t electricity that wears out a service entrance. It’s the climate and mechanical stress.
Water and corrosion. Everything is outdoors, all year round. One seal that no longer seals, and water runs where it shouldn’t.
Freeze and thaw. Dozens of cycles per winter, which loosen fasteners and tire out sealants.
Ice and wind. Conductors loaded with freezing rain weigh far more than when bare, and that load pulls on the bracket and the mast.
Vegetation. A tree planted a safe distance away thirty years ago isn’t anymore.
Sunlight. It ages exposed jackets, especially on the south side.
Replacement: steps and who is involved
On a house supplied at 200 amps or less at 120/240 V, the standard allows the master electrician to disconnect the overhead service, move it or shorten it, then reconnect it, with Hydro-Québec’s prior authorization and under certain configuration conditions. That’s what makes it possible to do the work in one day.
The steps:
- Visit and quote. We assess the mast, the bracket, the meter base, the cable and the condition of the panel. The price is in writing before anything starts.
- Permit and declaration. Municipal permit if your city requires one, and the service request and declaration of work form sent to Hydro-Québec.
- The day of the work. Power cut, removal of the old assembly, installation of the new mast, bracket and meter base, new cable pulled to the service box, connection, power restored.
- Inspection and documentation. The work is declared and inspected, and you receive the details of what was done. Keep them: it’s what your insurer and the next buyer’s inspector will ask for.
On the power cut: usually about 6 hours.
What we repair and what we replace
We repair what is localized and accessible: a loose clamp, a sealant to redo, a damaged fitting at the connection point.
We replace as soon as the assembly itself is at issue: a mast that is no longer plumb, a perforated meter base, a jacket worn along its whole length. Patching up a tired assembly means paying for the labour again in two years, with the same result.
Unsure about your service entrance?
We take a look, we price it, and the price is in writing before anything starts.
Send my quote requestWhen Hydro-Québec has to act
The line is written in the standard, and it isn’t negotiable.
Only Hydro-Québec can work on its line and at the service connection. And if an unforeseen event (a storm, a falling tree, an accident) damages Hydro-Québec’s service conductors, the electrician isn’t allowed to repair them. Hydro-Québec restores its own service conductors.
What it means for you: after damage, there are often two jobs and two parties responsible. Hydro-Québec restores its service conductors, the electrician restores yours: mast, bracket, meter base, cable. The two have to be coordinated, and the contractor takes care of that.
Good to know: a person who undertakes urgent repairs after an unforeseen event can be held responsible for damage caused to Hydro-Québec’s line and receive the bill. That’s the very concrete reason you don’t improvise in front of a damaged service entrance.
Frequently asked questions
My mast is leaning, is it urgent?
If it leans without anything being torn off, it isn’t a same-day emergency, but it can’t wait until next year: the lean gets worse with every storm. Have it assessed within days, and before winter. If it has fallen or a cable is torn off, call Hydro-Québec immediately and don’t go near anything.
Who pays for what?
Hydro-Québec owns its service conductors up to the connection point and maintains them. The bracket, the mast, the conductors coming down, the meter base and the cable to the service box belong to you: replacing them is at your expense, by a master electrician. The meter belongs to Hydro-Québec, but not the meter base that holds it.
Can I wait until spring?
It depends on the sign. Surface rust or loose fasteners, yes. A leaning mast or a perforated meter base, no: winter is precisely what finishes them off, and a failure in January is fixed without power, as an emergency, and at a very different price.
A branch is touching my cable, who do I call?
Hydro-Québec, for anything touching the cable coming from the pole. Don’t prune it yourself, and don’t have it pruned by a tree trimmer who doesn’t know which cable it is. If the rubbing has already damaged your part of the installation, the electrician then restores it.
Is it covered by my insurance?
It depends entirely on your policy and the cause. Sudden, accidental damage, a falling tree for example, isn’t treated like gradual wear, which generally isn’t covered. The question is for your insurer, and we provide the work report and the photos they will ask you for.
How long does the work take?
Usually about 6 hours without power, on an installation of 200 amps or less. What makes it longer: a panel redone at the same time, difficult access, or a configuration that requires Hydro-Québec to step in.
Do I need to replace the panel at the same time?
Not always. If the panel is recent and has enough capacity, we only touch the service entrance. On a house built before 1990, the two often reach the end of their life together, and doing them at once costs much less than two separate jobs: one disconnection, one permit, one inspection.
A service entrance that worries you?
Send us a photo of the mast and the meter base, or book an appointment. We’ll tell you what is urgent, what can wait, and what it costs.
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Sources
The figures and requirements cited in this guide come from the official pages below, consulted on September 11, 2026. Programs change: check the page’s update date before committing to any expense.