Electrical Testing on SimPole Non-Conductive Poles

What does non-conductive actually mean on a water fed pole?

It means the pole is built from materials that do not readily carry electrical current, rather than from bare carbon fiber, which does. It is a meaningful layer of protection and it is not a permission slip. No water fed pole is rated to contact a live conductor, and none of ours are either.

Why carbon fiber is the problem

Carbon fiber is prized in this trade because it is light and stiff, which is exactly what you want at thirty or forty feet. It is also electrically conductive. A standard carbon pole raised into a service drop, or laid across a damaged solar connector, gives current a path, and the person holding the other end is standing on the ground.

That is the whole reason our non-conductive line exists. Those poles use fiberglass and Kevlar through the working sections instead of leaving bare carbon exposed, so the material in your hands and over your head is not an easy conductor.

Independent testing

SimPole submitted Kevlar para-aramid material to Applied Technical Services, an ISO 9001 registered laboratory in Marietta, Georgia, for volume resistivity testing under ASTM D257. That standard measures how strongly a material resists passing current through its bulk.

A separate electrical hazard resistance test was carried out by SATRA Technology on a pole sample, using a modified version of the ASTM F2412 electrical hazard method.

Both laboratories attach the same caveat, and it matters: these are material and component tests, not a safety rating for a finished tool in the field. ASTM D257 says plainly that it "does not purport to address all of the safety concerns" and leaves the pass or fail threshold to the end user. A test result tells you how a material behaved on a bench under controlled conditions. It does not tell you a pole is safe to put near a power line.

What the testing does not cover

• It does not cover a pole with cracked, abraded or contaminated sections.
• It does not cover clamps, end caps, fittings, goosenecks or the brush head.
• It does not cover a wet pole, a dirty pole, or one with exposed carbon showing through damage.
• It does not make any pole suitable for use inside a utility clearance zone.

Rules that still apply on every job

• Stay clear of overhead lines. Treat every line as live, and keep the legal clearance distance.
• Inspect the array before you start. Do not clean panels where cables, connectors, modules or junction boxes look damaged.
• Have the system shut down by the owner or a qualified person where that is possible.
• Do not work in storms or threatening weather.
• Inspect the pole after any impact, crack, abrasion, clamp damage or suspected electrical contact, and take it out of service if in doubt.
• Use appropriate personal protective equipment, including electrically insulating gloves where conditions call for them.

Getting the test documents

Both laboratory reports carry publication restrictions set by the laboratories themselves, so we do not host the PDFs here. If you need the reports for your own risk assessment or insurer, call the shop on (928) 800-3850 and we will arrange it properly.

Before use. The available reports do not establish that a finished pole is safe near live conductors. Material choice does not replace distance, inspection, electrical isolation, or stopping work when conditions are unsafe.