Electric transformer in front of house (on ground)

[5030]

Interesting, no pad units around here, Everything is pole mounted and nothing is buried. aerial from the pole to the weather head on the house.

 

[MossRoad]

Interesting, no pad units around here, Everything is pole mounted and nothing is buried. aerial from the pole to the weather head on the house.

Pretty much all new housing developments bury their electric service now around here. Have been for quite a while. For more remote rural new construction (those not in housing developments) they are also tending to bury the lines. People don't want to look at the poles and transformers, and, storm damage from wind and falling trees do a lot of line damage annually around here. So buried has been the trend.

 

[civilian]

Mine in northern Michigan is buried with a signed easement. About 1000 ft from the overhead wires at the road. The Electrical coop gave me a choice for overhead versus plowed in. Overhead was like 30 ft easement, plowed 10ft wide. Transformer is about 200ft from the house and was about at the limit from the street without having to set an intermediate box. But the transformer is about 25ft from the outbuilding. Both the house and outbuilding have their own 200 amp panel at the meter stand which is 7ft from the transformer. And no landscape covering the box. Jon

 

[5030]

Pretty much all new housing developments bury their electric service now around here. Have been for quite a while. For more remote rural new construction (those not in housing developments) they are also tending to bury the lines. People don't want to look at the poles and transformers, and, storm damage from wind and falling trees do a lot of line damage annually around here. So buried has been the trend.

I'd think it would save a utility money by not having to keep the line right of way cleared of tree limbs. Like I said, not out here as of yet but not suburbia either. Houses are far apart, most on acreage.

 

[fishheadbob]

50 states, probably a few hundred power companies, and umpteen thousand local zoning boards. Whatever easement requirements, if any, that are in jurisdiction number one will be very different in another. Realistically I would think it wise to give the local power company reasonable access to their transformer in the event it needs work.
From past experience I know if I ask a local utility about their rules on working around their infrastructure they will reply with some ridiculously one sided response about what can be done and how they would like it.
Years back my property was being logged; there is a massive underground gas pipeline 8 feet down. When I asked if they had any issues (call before you dig program) about crossing the pipeline they suggested building a bridge to skid logs over. Meanwhile you can drive 20,000 pounds of John Deere across the same land without problem. They prefer 30,000 pounds of Caterpillar when they work the area.
The pipeline did fine without the bridge.

 

[MossRoad]

I'd think it would save a utility money by not having to keep the line right of way cleared of tree limbs. Like I said, not out here as of yet but not suburbia either. Houses are far apart, most on acreage.

The problems, as I understand them, are that wires on poles are the least expensive to install and maintain/repair. However, they are susceptible to wind, rain, ice, trees, cars, etc. Buried lines are susceptible to water, heat, shifting earth, earthquakes, and the occasional excavator. They cost more to install and the wire is more expensive. But, they are less likely to get damaged and are way more esthetically pleasing to the eye.

 

[TMGT]

Mine in northern Michigan is buried with a signed easement. About 1000 ft from the overhead wires at the road. The Electrical coop gave me a choice for overhead versus plowed in. Overhead was like 30 ft easement, plowed 10ft wide. Transformer is about 200ft from the house and was about at the limit from the street without having to set an intermediate box. But the transformer is about 25ft from the outbuilding. Both the house and outbuilding have their own 200 amp panel at the meter stand which is 7ft from the transformer. And no landscape covering the box. Jon

Same here with my coop, had the option of overhead or buried, I went buried with the transformer about 25ft from the shop (having to run 6in conduit almost made go overhead) .

 

[GSVette]

I had to grant power company an easement from the junction box all the way to the meter-power company is responsible for everything upstream of the meter in my area. I always thought it a bit strange that I paid for the cable, the transformer, conduit and associated trenching/filling and they end up ‘owning’ it.

 

[TMGT]

Same with the easement from meter to pole here but I only had to provide the conduit and the precast concrete pad installed to their specs.
Meter base, wire and transformer were all provided by the PoCo, no charge.

I had to grant power company an easement from the junction box all the way to the meter-power company is responsible for everything upstream of the meter in my area. I always thought it a bit strange that I paid for the cable, the transformer, conduit and associated trenching/filling and they end up ‘owning’ it.

 

[coobie]

The problems, as I understand them, are that wires on poles are the least expensive to install and maintain/repair. However, they are susceptible to wind, rain, ice, trees, cars, etc. Buried lines are susceptible to water, heat, shifting earth, earthquakes, and the occasional excavator. They cost more to install and the wire is more expensive. But, they are less likely to get damaged and are way more esthetically pleasing to the eye.

I would like to add to your post Moss.The biggest problem I have found with under ground wire is if you have a fault its harder to locate verses overhead wire on poles.You need special equipment to locate UG faults it can be a PIA to find the fault at times.