Wiring to shed from house question

[LD1]

So why not move the meter to the pole/transformer and use the existing wire to run the house. You end up with one meter and a shorter run to the shop. In rural Alberta most yards are set up with the meter on the transformer pole.

Might want to check some things with the power company about that first.

Around here, power company owns EVERYTHING up to the meter. Meaning their responsibility. So as far as having to worry about anything electrical, having the meter on the house is the best case scenario.

Moving the meter to the pole.....in my area......you would now be inheriting all the responsibility for the wire from the meter to the house.

 

[grsthegreat]

electrical contractor here butting in. first off there correct largest sub-breaker for a 200 amp panel is 125 amp.

youll need a 400 amp panel to feed both a mobil home (200 amp minimum required if it has electric heat) and a 200 amp shop. if the run is over 200 feet from panel to shop, you are going to have to upsize to 250 MCM aluminum feeders. if under 200 feet your looking at 4/0 alum wire (4 wires need to be run... 2x4/0; 1x2/0 and 1x#2 ). no one runs copper feeders cause there 5 x the cost and arnt necessary for FEEDER wires. all utilities run aluminum wires.

in washington state, 2 additional ground rods are needed at shop for 200 amp service.

In my experience its usually cheaper in long run to replace existing 200 amp service with 400 amp, then feed new shop from there than the life long fee for additional metering of shop. Most shops never use the minimum amount of power being paid for to cover meter costs. On my house i replaced the existing 200 amp panel located aprox 100 feet from my house with a 400 amp service and refed house. put a bypass plate on existing house meter and ran a new 350 MCM feed 300 feet to my shop. i ran the numbers, and this was way cheaper over time. its been in over 7 years now . my utility wanted almost $40/month for additional meter. 7 years x 40 x 12 = $3,360 in fees for electrical. let me tell you i put this in for way less than that. i had maybe $800-1000 in wire and pipe (prices from way back) a few hundred in 200 amp panel and about $500 in the 400 amp panel.rest was my labor and permits.

mind you putting in a new service is faster and easier....but not cheaper

 

[ultrarunner]

My Washington State underground feeder circa 1978 has been repaired by the utility 3 times in 12 years... last time the ground was sizzling with steam...

PSE said they are not going to continue making repairs...

If everything to the meter is their responsibility and they were paid to install the service 40 years ago wouldn't they have a duty to maintain?

Washington is my only experience with UF...

Home has a 400 amp panel which is two side by side 200 amp panels with a 100 sub-panel to the the shop...

 

[plowhog]

My old panel was 200amp and grounded. But they wouldn't accept the old ground to be used with the 400a panel. Nor would they accept one or dual ground rods. I had to add a ufer ground for that.

In the garage/shop, I have a section of #4 copper embedded in the footing, that will bond to the subpanel.

 

[grsthegreat]

There supposed to be responsible for that, but the utility companies have been pulling that same thing here the past few years. Now they inform the landowner that the meter has to be within 5 feet of their transformer and that there responsible for the rest.

They make landowner carry the cost. Its crap.

 

[ultrarunner]

Sure sounds like it...

My transformer is 75' from the meter... the UF that keeps needing repair is about a 1000'

So far the run from the transformer to meter is without issue.

Comcast wanted as much as 14k to basically cover the same route for Internet... and that was not a high voltage application.

 

[MossRoad]

Sure sounds like it...

My transformer is 75' from the meter... the UF that keeps needing repair is about a 1000'

So far the run from the transformer to meter is without issue.

Comcast wanted as much as 14k to basically cover the same route for Internet... and that was not a high voltage application.

$14K for 1000'? :confused2:

Shoot, I'd fly out there, rent a trencher, install the cables in conduit, backfill it all, plant some daisies, take you to dinner and wash a few of your cars for $13.5K! :laughing:

 

[ultrarunner]

$14K for 1000'? :confused2:

Shoot, I'd fly out there, rent a trencher, install the cables in conduit, backfill it all, plant some daisies, take you to dinner and wash a few of your cars for $13.5K! :laughing:

It didn't happen but I did sign a 5 year contract at $280 per month... for this the home has Comcast Enterprise running through a bored 2" conduit with 3 raised junctions...

The crew that drilled did a super job... loved being out in the woods instead of having to dodge traffic.

Not having Comcast made the home almost un-rentable

 

[MossRoad]

OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!

 

[grsthegreat]

Sure sounds like it...

My transformer is 75' from the meter... the UF that keeps needing repair is about a 1000'

So far the run from the transformer to meter is without issue.

Comcast wanted as much as 14k to basically cover the same route for Internet... and that was not a high voltage application.

oh.. here in idaho and wash, the homeowner is responsible for all wire between meter and house. utility is supposed to be resp between transformer and meter. also, 1000 foot run between meter and house wouldnt be allowed due to huge voltage drop. they force moving transformer closer which is WAY $$$$$