ROOF TOP POLE COVERS

Pole top pole covers are a common sight in Germany and Switzerland. Crown Jewels of the Wire Editor Carol McDougald and I saw several in I use during our research trip to Europe in 1990. They are not insulators in the true sense of the word, but they make great go-withs! Just about every dwelling in Germany has a hollow iron pipe attached to its roof with one of these covers perched on top of it. The cover consists of two parts - a threaded "helmet" and a threaded "socket" that screws into it. These units, which may be made of glass, porcelain, plastic, or other type of composition, are an essential part of the equipment that brings electricity from outside power lines into homes. Their job is to serve as "conduits", which take the incoming wires up underneath the covers, then down through the pole and into the house without allowing any moisture to seep in. The sketch shown below shows three types of "roof top pole inlets".

Several different styles of pole top covers are used, three of which are shown in the photo below. The cover on the far left is made of a brownish-black plastic. The accompanying sketch shows how it is mounted on the iron pipe. Marked on the helmet is a "PJ" logo with the numbers "4466" and the word "GURO". (I am not familiar with this marking, but perhaps one of our readers can identify it - Marilyn) The covers in the middle and to the far right are of aqua and light green glass with the embossing "VEGLA", which identifies them as products of Vereinigte Glaswerke (United Glass Works) of Germany. They normally have threaded plastic sockets with holes to carry the wires through but none are shown here. Additional photos show two of these glass covers in service on rooftops.

The next two photos show six additional styles of pole top covers, five of porcelain and one of a reddish brown plastic material, followed by a third photo of a typical porcelain cover in service. An interior sketch of one of the white porcelain units illustrates how the two parts are screwed together.

ROOF POLE PLUGS

In cases where the roof pole is not needed any more and the owner of the house does not wish to take it down, the pole is plugged up so no water can enter the house. Two types of "plugs" are shown in the following sketch.

Ulrich Reiser of Stuttgart, Germany supplied most of the information for this article on pole top covers, including photographs and rough sketches. The pole "plugs" are courtesy of Ulrich's friend, Professor Frieder Luz of Friesling, near Munich. The two are insulator buddies! Many thanks to both of you from our Crown Jewels of the Wire readers.