Getting power to a pole barn

[lhfarm]

Right now, power comes from the transformer underground to my detached garage (~200') It is split for a panel in the garage and a second panel in the house (~100' from the garage). I'm having a barn built that I would guess is 500' from either the transformer or the garage. Before I call the power company, I'd like some idea of what they might tell me that I will need to do. Will they require another drop from the transformer, another transformer or can they split the drop to the garage again? (I'll have a better measurement before I call). I'm trying to figure what this might cost me.

I will run for 220V while I'm doing it. I am about to take delivery of a new BH, so a wire trench could be my first project /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

Thanks

 

[Farwell]

A friend of mine had the power company give him a new drop off of the transformer to a couple of poles and down to a meter on his pole barn. The pole barn supply costs him $14 per month just for the hook up and meter. He could have upgraded his residence drop and power panel to 200 amps and split a 100 amp service to his pole barn, ran it under ground for less than it cost him for the power company to supply the poles, meter and labor with out having to pay the $14 every month for the life of the hook up. I live in Michigan and the rules and code may be different in Indiana.
I am not sure what size wire you would need to make the 500 foot run. I try to use copper if I can even though it costs a fortune more than aluminum.
I also took a tap off of my natural gas line and ran it about 200 feet to my pole barn for heat. I am lucky I am in an area that has natural gas, much cheeper than propane. I bought one of the Hot Dawg heaters and keep my pole barn at about 47 degrees all Winter at a cost of about $25 per month. I do have lots of insulation in the ceiling and am adding perlins on the inside along with OSB (if it ever drops in price again) and plan on filling the walls with blown in insulation.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

The power company moved one pole for me and installed the meter on my base. They did not charge anything up front but it's $19/month extra for the second meter.

Brad

 

[Sparkeee24]

Howdy! I am an electrician, and if you want, I would be thrilled to do a load calc for your barn, house and garage to see if you nead a new service or not. Some things to consider... distance does not change the current draw or "load" , what it does change is voltage drop. SO... you may not nead a larger service at all, just the wires to your new barn may nead to be larger then you may think. I have all the equations, and their not that hard. You should maintain a 5% voltage drop or less, for branch circuits or feeders (which this will be) . so you take (240V) X .05 = allowable voltage drop. So you size the conductors accordingly. If it were MY place, I would do a load calculation on the house, a voltage drop calc on the conductors between the house and pole, then load calc for the garage, and voltage drop for those conductors and distance. Then a load calc for the new feeders, and voltage drop for that distance. Using this info, you can definately say weather or not you nead a new meter base. You will NOT nead a new transformer. And you can also decide what wire size to use. My email is tradesman232002@yahoo.com feel free to msg with questions or current wire sizes, lengths and material as well as applied loads. I know it may sound like a lot, but if you have the info, you can keep from getting ripped off /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Brian, Sparkeee24

 

[lhfarm]

Wow! Great information. Just what I need to get me started /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. I'm going to do some measurements this weekend so I have a better idea of the actual distance. I'll get back to you. And thanks again.