Takes lots of energy to get some power!

[ET]

 

  

 
Spent most of the afternoon using the triple nickel trenching to get power back to the barn.  Hope to get the trench finished tomorrow, then I've got to glue together that expensive grey pipe that Edison made me buy.
 

 

[Magicman]

Looks like good dirt and not so tough digging.   

[thecfarm]

Ayup,that does look like some nice digging there. Not a rock to be seen. Nice digger too. 

[sandhills]

I like the trench and really like the hoe, but I want the barn!   

[Andy White]

ET,
Are you going to have to pull the cables, or is Edison going to do that? Are you going with three phase or single? Regardless,
that is a fine trenching job you have done. Bet you can't wait to "burn some kilowatts!"       Andy

[ET]

Andy, yes my electrician friend will use a vacuum to suck what he calls a mouse through the over 400 feet of pipe then pull the wire through.  Been using a small 1000 watt gen for small hand tools and my 4000 to run my table saw.

The digging has gone well so far, the closer I get to the barn the more glacier stone deposit there is. Ill get maybe a few more pics. I also have to set the big transformer base too. Im trying to do as much myself as I can.

No 3 ph available, putting a 400 amp service which will also power my other 900 sq ft workshop and my other barn. Both those building are currently being powered through my home 200 amp service.  Then I can expense all the electrical usage for the farm and sawmill business

[Gadrock]

From experience, consider installing additional conduits along the same trench. They can come into a great savings in the future. I know that putting down 400 feet of conduit can be expensive as well as digging another one in the future. But at least consider one for water, maybe another for "signal" source electrical.

Sometime the "code" monsters will declare that you must use separation between conduits where you can install them right after they depart and prior to covering. The reason you are putting down conduit is for protection against water and against foreign strikes (shovels, spikes) or you would be using "direct  contact---underground certified cable". If you used direct burial cable ALWAYS use a separate trench.

David G


carry on

[ET]

David, can a TV cable i .e for direct TV be able to work at those distances?  Would be nice to get my hunting, fishing, and golf show out in new barn without buying a new service?

[scleigh]

My building is 350' from the house and checked on the direc tv thing as well. Seems like the best deal was to buy another dish and receiver, tie it to your current account for $10 a month.

[shinnlinger]

Run a length of water pipe after the inspector leaves.  You can pull Internet or what have you thru that   

[StimW]

While a Hoe is nice, using a trencher would have done the job in a lot less time.
The trenchers do an awful lot of work in a short period of time. (And they are FUN!)

[beenthere]

Which trencher are you referring to?  And is it ground without rocks/boulders/tree roots, etc. ??  Just curious.


Pic pls.

[goose63]

Any thing is better than a shovel

[ET]

Finished the trench today, and got into solid gravel. It was fairly hard going but got it finished. Next step will be setting the transformer base and getting the grey pipe glued up. Had to saw up an old boxelder which was blocking my path through a fence line, will make some nice firewood for years to come.
 

 

[ET]

Forgot to mention that my electrician warned me not to use a trencher because I had dozens of trees to get thru roots and the line needed to be down 3 feet.  He said that hes had nothing but trouble with trenchers.

[thecfarm]

Are you going to back fill with sand?

[Brad_S.]

From experience, consider installing additional conduits along the same trench. They can come into a great savings in the future. I know that putting down 400 feet of conduit can be expensive...

Power company here MADE me put two 4" schedule 80 lines in the trench. The other is a "spare". Very expensive spare!

[ozarkgem]

From experience, consider installing additional conduits along the same trench. They can come into a great savings in the future. I know that putting down 400 feet of conduit can be expensive...

Power company here MADE me put two 4" schedule 80 lines in the trench. The other is a "spare". Very expensive spare!

2- 4" sch 40!   why?  Bet that did cost a bundle

[ozarkgem]

nice looking trench. How has the Ford hoe been? I was looking for one when I ran across my Case. My old Ford Industrial tractor has been a real workhorse. I love it.

[Holmes]

From experience, consider installing additional conduits along the same trench. They can come into a great savings in the future. I know that putting down 400 feet of conduit can be expensive...

Power company here MADE me put two 4" schedule 80 lines in the trench. The other is a "spare". Very expensive spare!

2- 4" sch 40!   why?  Bet that did cost a bundle

   2  4" schedule 80  is twice as much