Underground electrical service

[timberwolves]

I got a proposal for a underground electrical service. The nearest utility pole is
2150' away from my cabin on a neighbors property. We share a right of way with a few neighbors that nobody uses. We would be using part of the right of way to our advantage becaues it has no trees in it, easier trenching. The local utility company will not extend this line any closer. They said the only way they would extend it is if it was on a maintained road. They no longer extend lines through the woods. Whatever we decide to do we would own & maintain. They say we would need to obtain easments and rights of ways from atleast to neighbors. They would do the leg work to obtain these easements from our neighbors. Option A. Was to cut a 30' swath through the woods and set poles and run overhead wire. We are worried if a tree or branch falls it would take out the line & then we would have to call an electrician to come and repair it. Overhead price is around $12.50 per foot not including the price of the clear cut.The price for the overhead option is extremely high. Option B. Run primary wire underground 2' in a 2" conduit. The electrician quote included conduit, wire 15KV 2 gauge aluminum wire with a copper outer jacket, hooking up to the utility supplied pad mounted transformer. Then to my existing electrical panel ( my cabin is run by a 8KW generator now)& the electrical inspection.His quote is for $12K.His price included everything except for the trenching & backfilling of the trench. My excavator says he would do it for $1k a day. He thinks it would take him 3-4 days to trench it & a day to backfill it. 900' of it is very, very steep & through the woods. So $ 5k for the trench. The total would be around $17K. Does anyone have any experience with a underground primary service ? Any comments ? Looking for some advice do these prices seem high ? If so what are the rates for a licensed electrician & excavator in your area ?

 

[Groo]

They cant just stick it into the ground with a ditch witch type of thing, right off the roll with flexible conduit?

I'd definitely do underground. It is way more dependable than poles, and if the line breaks, it just grounds into the ground.

The price sounds in-line with what I've been quoted from a municipality run electrical.

 

[DKCDKC]

My electric co-op laid underground cable the full 5,300 feet of my gravel drive - hitting rocks three or four times - for $17,900 in 1994. I would have had to pay most of that until I read their rules. By installing electric baseboard heating in the cabin (usually heated by wood stove) it became all electric and their allowance for the line in went up to $18,000. I paid nothing.

The line has never failed, and has enough capacity to serve 100 homes or more - I guess in case I developed the land. I built a home near the cabin in 2001. I had the telephone lines colocated with the powerline, and it has been problem-free as well.

 

[grsthegreat]

Our utilities here in north idaho install allthe primary lines.Im an electrical contractor and i cant touch them.

All of our primaries are 36" below ground...period. The NEC only requires 2r4" but the utilities require 36" for overkill as the top soil always shifts and is continually regraded over tiome.

The price your quoting seems very reasonable. here it $12.00/foot underground (incl trenching).

 

[beppington]

Just more info for reference: My elec coop direct buried my 400' long run using a ditch witch for about $1,250 I think it was.

When I met their engineer at my property I assumed they would want to do overhead & getting it buried would be a fight, but no, they said they've determined that over the long run buried is cheaper. I did have to clear a path thru the woods, but only 6 or 8 feet wide (can't recall) as opposed to 20' for overhead, & didn't have to be dead straight (unlike overhead), so I made some intentional gentle sweeps amongst the trees to keep it from being obvious/ugly ... it's now all overgrown again & you would never even know it's there.

 

[Redneck in training]

For that money I would go solar.
Off-Grid Kits

 

[flusher]

My electrician quoted $4K for about 400 ft of 350 MCM aluminum wire in 3" conduit buried to 30 inches deep in a trench that I cut myself using a rented Ditch Witch. Price included material and installation of an exterior load center (weatherproof circuit breaker box).

 

[rambler]

Underground is cool.

My REA back in '08 offered free overhead (was already there, but put in in the '50's so probably redo) for the 750 feet or would do underground for 50 cents a foot. I went underground, of course! They had a 4 foot deep vibrating plow that knifed the wire in. Most everyone uses direct burrial 'here', I understand some regions prefer to use conduit. Actually cost more to re-gravel the driveway than to have it switched to underground.

I figured that all was a good deal at the time.

--->Paul

 

[jonyyuma]

Timberwolves, You asked about primary lines...Some reply here are secondary and do not apply..You said 24 inches deep///How deep does the ground freeze up there typically?? Anyway, in conduit will help protect your investment...It only takes a tiny shift in the ground or a small nick in the jacket of 15kv line and your Primary line can fail?

 

[BeezFun]

For that money I would go solar.
Off-Grid Kits

Big ditto on that. Not sure how much power you need or where you are, but I was quoted 28K here in Chicago for materials, I do install. And you'll never have a bill : - )