Pole Building Progress

[Bill_in_MI]

Hello Friends,
It's been a busy end of summer and entry into fall. Haven'g been too active here lately with trying to beat winter's arrival in Michigan. I have dropped in on a couple of threads that helped me make a decision on "hiring out" a job vs doing myself. Attached is a photo of the trench I need to get my water and electrical lines from the house to the barn. I was going to rent a mini-excavator but hired a pro with a backhoe instead after listening to your inputs. Glad I did. He had the 275 foot long, 4-5ft deep trench dug in about 3 and a half hours. He had to widen to 4 feet or so in some areas because the ground got a little soggy. Used my 2910 and 4-in-1 blade to (partially) backfill after putting in the water line. This weeks goal is to lay the condit and finish the fill-in. It goes really nice using the "dozer blade" of the 4-in-1. It was really nice this past weekend and I enjoyed the task of moving big mounds of dirt. What I didn't enjoy too much...and forgot to take photos of while I was caught up in the moment...was nose diving the tractor into the partially filled in ditch. Lost a front wheel in the soft stuff while I was trying to get around a tree and that was all she wrote. It was a gentle slide in so I didn't get the urge to jump from the seat, but I'm sure it could have been worse. I couldn't work my way out...even using the loader which usually does the trick. Soooo.... had to enlist the help of my wife and her 4x4 plus my little B7100. She couldn't move me until I used the loader on "Little K" to lift the front end of "Big K." Wish I would have thought to take a few photos. Really...didn't seem that embarassing, or I wouldn't even be telling this.

I'll follow this with another photo of "Big K" back in action after the whole ordeal.

 

[Bill_in_MI]

Here is my B2910 posing with the Long 4-in-1 used to back-fill the utility trench. I don't think I could survive without this bucket after using it for about 8 months. I rushing to get the heat in the barn before the predicted "colder than usual" winter hits here.

 

[GrantMO]

Bill,
That is really quite an impressive trench! Is that picture of your tractor before or after it slipped in the trench. Barn looks great too.

 

[Devildog]

Bill, That is one nice looking building, Nice tractor to.
___________________________________________
Take care, Jim

2001 B7500 HST 302 Fel R4 Tires, Befco BRB60
Semper Fidelis

 

[rdln]

that is a nice morton, your trench length is the same as mine
will be, what size water line and wire gage are you using for what
amperage and voltage in the barn?

 

[Bill_in_MI]

I did a 1 inch water line to the frost proof hydrant which is inside the building. Based on my experience with my underground irrigation lines...many of which are now in need of repair, by the way...this should be good enough for my needs. I will be running a 240 V feeder line to a sub-panel in the barn. I will be using #4 conductors in PVC conduit. I don't have any really heavy loads contemplated, but do want to have the option of a mig welder, 240V compressor, etc. I don't see anything needing more than 30 amps (not counting motor starts.) This run should keep my voltage drop to a couple of percent...should.

It's another nice afternoon here in west michigan so I might take a half-day and put in some of the conduit today!

 

[rdln]

One thing I have been wondering about Bill is connections at the frost free
hydrant, I assume stainless steel hose clamps are used to tie black poly pipe
to brass fittings, but things can go wrong to the point that you might need
to dig up the connection again, soooo a person wouldn't want to put the hydrant
in the middle of a concrete floor but next to an outside wall to gain underground
access from the outside. Or can one say that there is a way to make worry free
connections or would that be a fool talking?

 

[Bill_in_MI]

I actually installed the hydrant this weekend through a "hole" in the concrete floor that I left adjacent to an outside wall. Actually, I had a sump "crock" cemented in after I had pre-dug the hole underneath it. The crock is now filled with crushed stone. I was able to drop in the hydrant and make the connection from the five foot deep hole adjacent to the outside wall. At the house I drilled a 2 inch hole through the basement wall at the 4.5 foot deep level. Cemented in a 1 in. galvanized nipple (15 inches long) I used the metal, versus plastic barbed fittings at both ends, and double stainless hose clamps. The poly pipe is one continuous length. It was interesting to look at the underground sprinkler sections that got ripped up during the ditch excavation (it's actually less work to let 'em tear into it and then do the repairs.) The connections looked as good as new and they were 15+ years old. My feeling is that if you do the job with the right materials and some care, it won't be the connections themselves that cause problems. For what it's worth....

 

[rdln]

Good info, thanks Bill. You bought Morton's energy performer package didn't you?

I talked a guy near me that just went through his first winter with his, he didnt

have a heat source installed yet but could leave a bucket of water sit on the floor with

out it freezing! I couldn't swing the EP when they built mine, but will install it

in the heated part myself later on. Did the "inspector" let you run conduit

up through the concrete like your hydrant or did you cut a hole in you wall with a junction box

outside?

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by rdln on 11/06/01 11:07 AM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Bill_in_MI]

Yes Steve, I did get the full insulation and interior steel option. I don't have my heating unit installed yet (two weeks off) but I can tell that the insulation is pretty good. Stays nice and warm inside in spite of the very cold nights. You are right, it is more than I originally planned on spending. But, I will more than likely be retiring in a few years (or canned sooner) and I really wanted to get the building in shape for year 'round tinkering.

I was able to get my final inspection ok'd with conduit stubs through the slab, and, the crock for the hydrant. Just told the guy it was for some time down the road. I had talked with both the electrical and plumbing inspectors over the phone to get their input. They said the building guy would be ok with the preparations for "future" work. The future started right after I got my "ok to occupy" report. I'm doing the work myself, but I am careful to know the codes and adhere.
I attached a photo of the hydrant, fyi.