# Weatherhead

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{{Short description|Service drop entry point}}
{{About||people with this surname|Weatherhead (surname)}}
{{other uses}}
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 weatherproof [service drop](/source/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 [conduit](/source/Electrical_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](/source/Hood_(headgear)), with the surface where the wires enter facing down at an [angle](/source/angle) of at least 45°, to shield it from precipitation.  A [rubber](/source/rubber)ized [gasket](/source/gasket) makes for a tight [seal](/source/Seal_(mechanical)) against the [wire](/source/wire)s.  Before they enter the weatherhead, a ''drip loop'' is left in the [overhead wire](/source/overhead_wire)s,  which permits [rain water](/source/Rain) 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](/source/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](/source/electrical_code)s or [building code](/source/building_code)s.  They are also used on [utility pole](/source/utility_pole)s where [overhead power lines](/source/Overhead_wire) enter a conduit to pass underground.

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

{{electric-power-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Weatherhead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weatherhead) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weatherhead?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.