New electrical service - how to?

[TC18guy]

When I built our house a few years ago, our code required to ground rods 6' apart connected to the panel with a single ground wire.

 

[hockeypuck]

Check an make sure that you do not have a minumum service size. Around the north east they will not hook up a new service unless it it rated for 100 amps or less. Therefore you will need #2 awg aluminum and make sure it is for underground installations, even though you are putting it in pipe. You really need a copy of the local untility hand book to make sure you do not need a disconnect on you meterbase as well.

Puck

 

[hockeypuck]

Correction: 100 amps or more.

sorry
'puck

 

[sparkkky]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Correction: 100 amps or more.

sorry
'puck )</font>

Read again, the max allowed is 80A and it is not a house.

And you, I would make it 200A guys kill me as in overkill. Most people that think they want 200A because Joe Blow said so are wrong. Demand is what determines size!

 

[sparkkky]

And plywood for mounting sucks, do not use it because it won't last unless maybe it the treated wood.

 

[Ford960]

I had a service pole placed on my RV lot here in NC. A contractor built and installed the pole and then the county inspector came by and approved the installation. Two days later the power company stretched the wires and set the meter. At that instant there was a huge ball of flames and sparks shooting out of the meter can.
I pulled the panel off and saw that the contractor had wired the breaker box in a dead short. The lineman handed me a screwdriver and I changed the wiring and he plugged the meter back in.
The county electrical inspector should have caught the mistake and never signed off on it.

 

[Inspector507]

The electrician messed up, the inspector missed it and the power company guy never checked for a short before installing the meter. Why is it the Inspector's fault?
We're all human.

 

[Clyde]

You can bet your last penny that if you would have done the job...they would have inspected it with a fine tooth comb. I've seen it too many times around here that just because you are a licensed electrician doesn't necessarily mean they didn't cut corners. I do my work very consientiously and according as to how I interpret the codes. I overdo rather than underdo and a 32nd of an inch shiner, I'll get caught. One of the good old boys could leave a 1/4"shiner and never get caught. No my friend - 3 people screwing up is unacceptable especially with electricity, sewage, and gas lines. Why even have inspectors if that is the case. An inspector is just that...an inspector of the work performed at the time he inspects it. Would you be that laxidaisical if your family perished in a fire caused by licensed contractors or inspectors? I'd like to tell you how to report the inspector and his liability to you

 

[rambler]

I had the backbone (all wiring from road to the box of the building, including about 1/2 of the boxes) of my farm rewired to the 10 buildings with underground last summer by long-time electricians. Inspector came while I was doing stuff, but I tagged along. He inspected 4 outbuildings, the main box at the transformer, and the house.

I had cattle, including my bull, grazing around 3 of my outbuildings with temp fencing, so I know for pretty darn sure he never went near those buildings.....

--->Paul

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Danny,
Sounds like you have some expertice in this department! And not to steal Rlees thread, but you were talking about running power to your barn. I presently have power from the road to the house. 400 ft to my first pole and then underground 400 ft to the house. In the future Im planning on putting up a barn/ workshop about 125ft from where the power attaches to the house. I assume I can run a line from that power inlet to the barn underground?Aluminum line? I will need to power all my woodworking equipment, including a number of machines that run on 220 v. Any suggestions? Can you tell Im not an electrician? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

scotty