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Thread: sub panel, main breaker question

  1. #16
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    I changed an overhead 200 amp Service Entry on a rental house to a 400 amp underground. The power company charged me $1700 to run the wire 75 feet, and that was with me digging the trench. They did at least provide the meter base and hook it up, but the rest was up to me, including filling the ditch back in.

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    That seems like a poor idea. In an emergerncy a fire fighter would assume the top centered breaker, not in line with the lower ones was the main breaker.
    Everyone knows the top most breaker is the main breaker without reading the old fadded labels..
    Bill D
    I would have preferred to use the existing 100 amp breaker as that would have saved me $20 or so to buy a breaker, but since he's the person in charge I did it how he said it had to be done. There is a meter main on the outside of the house that cuts power to everything after the meter, and I would think a firefighter would use that.

  3. #18
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    Zachary, at least put some colored tape over that unused 100 amp breaker and a label that indicates it's not in use "just to be sure" there is never any misunderstanding. I agree that it's a potential hazard for first responders, contractors and future owners.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    I changed an overhead 200 amp Service Entry on a rental house to a 400 amp underground. The power company charged me $1700 to run the wire 75 feet, and that was with me digging the trench. They did at least provide the meter base and hook it up, but the rest was up to me, including filling the ditch back in.
    My Father In laws estimate to have Pignatelli upgrade his service is over $20,000. That was a few years ago. It is a 3 family Owner occupied property.
    Best Regards, Maurice

  5. #20
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    I had to provide everything else. That was just for running the wire to the meter base.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  6. #21
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    Tom, you certainly get stuff done! We met with the Rural Electric Engineer out at our little woodlot recently. They will bring in medium voltage and set a transformer, overhead or underground. 300 feet is included in the $2500.00 new service fee. I have to remove a lot of trees or provide a 5 foot deep trench. We are leaning towards underground.
    Best Regards, Maurice

  7. #22
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    Fortunately, we only need it to be 2' deep here. I had to rent a walk behind saw to cut the pavement, and a mini-excavator. I filled it back in with my tractor loader. They used the old transformer, but did have to set a new pole. I had to call them about four times to come back and take the old pole out. I wasn't there when they set the new pole and ran the wire.

    I had most of the stuff in years of leftovers to change the boxes, but did have to buy the new box on the right.

    The worst job was cutting the over 50 year old concrete footings to provide access for the wire to come up under the meter. No pictures of the finished job. This is somewhere in the process before I cut the footing.

    sorry about another sideways picture. The box on the left is over the location of the original meter base.

    The old overhead service was hanging too low for me to get a big excavator past the house to get down on our point. I need power down the hill too, so went underground and large enough to pull a couple of subpanels off this service. There will be a 200 amp subpanel 487' from this one, and another 60 amp one 300' past that one.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Tom M King; 03-02-2023 at 10:19 AM.

  8. #23
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    I guess they want ours 5 feet beep because the wire will be 13,800 volts. It is recommended that we get county water at the same time and use an excavating contractor that the utility companies likes to work with (not my old 25 hp compact tractor and wobbly 3 point back hoe)
    Best Regards, Maurice

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    I had to provide everything else. That was just for running the wire to the meter base.
    You do have some red dirt there Tom. Black as can be here. Cost me over $5K to have 400 amp service ran in. Bored all the way from the other side of the street 350 feet. I had to supply the meter base. Lever bypass with disconnect. That was another $800. They sat a transformer a few feet from the meter on the side of my shop building. Not sure what the voltage coming in is. Whatever the overhead is carrying out at the street. Only 2 or 2-1/2' deep.
    Last edited by Ronald Blue; 03-02-2023 at 2:31 PM.

  10. #25
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    Yes, good bricks are made around here. All you have to do is dig it out of the ground, mold them, and fire them.

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    Yes, good bricks are made around here. All you have to do is dig it out of the ground, mold them, and fire them.
    After seeing the Hallmark made for TV movie "The Last Brick-Maker" I can not pick up a brick without thinking about Red Clay and the places it comes from. We have blue-grey clay around central MO. It is great for making fire brick but lousy for holding up a house.
    Best Regards, Maurice

  12. #27
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    I was lucky when I had 200 amp service put in to the house here. I had to provide the meter main, the conduit mast up the side of the house with the wires to the top, and everything downstream from there, but the power company ran the new line from the pole to the top of the mast at no charge.

  13. #28
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    Our power company doesn't charge for overhead service entrance either, but the overheard wire went over the 15' wide access to our point, and it was too low to get any piece of heavy equipment under it. I needed to get rid of it.

  14. #29
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    Local power company here doesn't charge for normal (reasonable) overhead installs, or for replacing meters, at least in my experience.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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