I would be talking to my current electrical service provider about installing poles and a transformer. 750 feet of wire to handle the electrical loads you are specifying will cost between 8,000 - 10,000 dollars, plus installation cost. Under ground three wire (2 load wires and 1 ground) service cable, copper or aluminum is not cheap
Voltage Drop for 750 feet advice needed
- Thread starter EddieWalker
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s219
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I have run a couple feeder circuits in the range of 300 feet, but the only way it was practical/affordable was to keep amps low to just service the equipment needed (for instance, one 300 foot run is to my pier and it's sized for voltage drop to specifically deliver the 12A/230V that my boat lift motors require, despite using 10ga copper and a 30A breaker per code). I don't even want to think what size wire, or the cost, if wanted a full 200A service out there.
So can you perhaps trim down your amperage requirements at the remote sites to make it feasible? If not, this is surely a case where you need to run higher voltage with transformers. I know around here, the power company does that for any homes that are more than 300 feet off the main road. For our new home, I had to pay them about $2500 to run 600' down the driveway and install a transformer. From the transformer to the house is only about 50'.
So can you perhaps trim down your amperage requirements at the remote sites to make it feasible? If not, this is surely a case where you need to run higher voltage with transformers. I know around here, the power company does that for any homes that are more than 300 feet off the main road. For our new home, I had to pay them about $2500 to run 600' down the driveway and install a transformer. From the transformer to the house is only about 50'.
C4Ranch
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Eddie, I just finished rewiring my place... Drilled a well in the middle between barn and house which then led me to move the unsightly pole away from house to well but left me trenching 230' to house and 270' to barn...
I ran 4/0 to house with 200amp circuit and #2 to barn with 125amp breaker.
Are you just Over planning? 200 seems a bit high for your needs given gas heat, etc. my house runs dryer, stove, water heater, water tank jet pump, AC off 200.
I ran 4/0 to house with 200amp circuit and #2 to barn with 125amp breaker.
Are you just Over planning? 200 seems a bit high for your needs given gas heat, etc. my house runs dryer, stove, water heater, water tank jet pump, AC off 200.
C4Ranch
Veteran Member
Don't forget neutral AND ground..
Loadstar
Platinum Member
With your size... I would say add a service. At least your not having to use electric heat! Yikes.
OP
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I might be over thinking this and in the end, might just have to add another meter. I hope not, but it is what it is. How much power can I lose and still have enough? I just don't know the answer to that. How much will the wire cost compared to what I'll have available is where I'm getting confused.
Eddie
Eddie
C4Ranch
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When I was looking into it, some good advice I received here was to have the electric co come out and take a look... They gave me some great advice... free.
2nd, I opted for an electrician. Yeah, I could have done it myself but they knew exactly what was needed. Not oversized and not under. Plus the measurement was on them, you don't get a 2nd chance at getting the length right and that can be an expensive mistake... They also had the block and tackle to do the conduit pull and watching him wrestle the 4/0 into the breaker box was a job.
I hear ya about not wanting another meter... I hated paying the extra $22 per month meter fee. Will it ever payback? Maybe 25yr... But I also wanted to move the pole away from my cabin...
2nd, I opted for an electrician. Yeah, I could have done it myself but they knew exactly what was needed. Not oversized and not under. Plus the measurement was on them, you don't get a 2nd chance at getting the length right and that can be an expensive mistake... They also had the block and tackle to do the conduit pull and watching him wrestle the 4/0 into the breaker box was a job.
I hear ya about not wanting another meter... I hated paying the extra $22 per month meter fee. Will it ever payback? Maybe 25yr... But I also wanted to move the pole away from my cabin...
C4Ranch
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Also, I was told u can get buy with 4% drop but ideally around 3%
hosspuller
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Motors don't like voltage drop or sag. Air conditioning compressors like drops & sags even less. The constant cycling is hard on a motor. Cycling with a less than ideal voltage heats the coils leading to early failure.
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Wow. That's a run. I ran 200A service about 320' from my service main to my house and that required 350 MCM AL wire to meet voltage drop specs. Do you have any idea how much fun that was to work with? I had a friend help pull that through 3" PVC conduit, and that was certainly the worst day of my life. I can't imagine working with 600 MCM wire. The linesmen all work with smaller stuff as they use much higher voltages, so they get off easy in that realm (of course if they screw up the arc will melt them into the ground, so there's that...). As others have suggested, talk to the utility about a transformer or something. That is too far to pull 220 without a REALLY good reason. My utility said anything over about 200' and they wanted to place a transformer up close to avoid the voltage drop. Or just find a cheap source for solid 2" copper rods and then go crazy! :laughing:
