View source for Weatherhead

{{Short description|Service drop entry point}}
{{About||people with this surname|Weatherhead (surname)}}
{{other uses}}
[[Image:Weatherhead.JPG|thumb|A weatherhead on a residence in Mount Vernon, Washington, US]]

A '''weatherhead''', also called a '''weathercap''', '''service head''', '''service entrance cap''', or '''gooseneck''' (slang) is a [[wikt:weatherproof|weatherproof]] [[service drop]] entry point where overhead power or telephone wires enter a building, or where wires transition between overhead and underground cables. At a building the wires enter a [[Electrical conduit|conduit]], a protective metal pipe, and the weatherhead is a waterproof cap on the end of the conduit that allows the wires to enter without letting in water.   It is shaped like a [[Hood (headgear)|hood]], with the surface where the wires enter facing down at an [[angle]] of at least 45°, to shield it from precipitation.  A [[rubber]]ized [[gasket]] makes for a tight [[Seal (mechanical)|seal]] against the [[wire]]s.  Before they enter the weatherhead, a ''drip loop'' is left in the [[overhead wire]]s,  which permits [[Rain|rain water]] that collects on the wires to drip off before reaching the weatherhead.

A weatherhead termination is only used at low voltages (up to 600 volts), since higher distribution voltages require more insulation between conductors and metal enclosures. Higher-voltage connections are made through a [[pothead]].<ref>Anthony J. Pansini. ''Guide to Electrical Power Distribution Systems'', The Fairmont Press, 2005. {{ISBN|088173506X}}. page 138.</ref> 

Weatherheads are required by [[electrical code]]s or [[building code]]s.  They are also used on [[utility pole]]s where [[Overhead wire| overhead power lines]] enter a conduit to pass underground.

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Electric power systems components]]


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