What wire size do I need?

[Don P]

Bitternut,
Our power company hits us with about an $11/mo minimum for each meter. I'm paying 2 minimums now and doing a little civil disobedience on the side   . Are you paying a bill on every meter? Thats one thing I liked about the old yard pole setup. One meter on the pole and a safe place to kill the whole complex  ???
I didn't know 3" was so easy to pull 4/0 through, their reasoning for burying beside the conduit was that they wouldn't be able to get the old wire out. I think I'll bring donuts and bribe them into putting it in the conduit the first time. My 15 year old entrance cable is direct buried with the water and phone, but I do know folks who have had theirs replaced.

[mike_van]

Don, we pull up to 600' of  [2] 350 mcm's + [1] 4/0  in 3" sched 40 - only 2 sweep 90's allowed.  If you have a good shop vac, you can suck the string in [like chalk line stuff] then pull a larger one with that. Use a Kmart type plastic bag on the end of the string, works better than the conduit mouse they sell. The string goes in soooo fast it will burn your fingers.  We never put rope in a piece at a time.  Conduit has to be backfilled to pull wire in.  Conduit is 100 times better than direct burried.

[Vermonter]

Thanks again to all;
Anyone have an on-line supplier in New England?
I have a slow depot near me, I'm trying to boycott them.