service 1400'

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augie47

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Location
Tennessee
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State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
Most likely having the utility provide a service point closer to the building.

Even if your load was only 100 amps you are looking at parallel 500 AL to maintain a 3% drop.
You could step the voltage up and back down but the cost might still be greater than letting the utility run HV to the location.
 

ActionDave

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Location
Durango, CO, 10 h 20 min from the winged horses.
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Licensed Electrician
One potential problem with moving the service point closer may be the utility won't go beyond the property line with a meter pedestal and if you want to go overhead they still charge you to for the construction. Still, it probably is the least expensive option.

It wasn't always this way but has been, in my area anyway, for at least ten years.

As far as VD on 1400' of service wire... I could live with ten percent drop of whatever the load calc says and not worry about it. Owner's input and intended use of the building considered of course.
 

don_resqcapt19

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Staff member
Location
Illinois
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retired electrician
Around here the costs to have the utility extend the line that far would almost always be higher than hiring a "line" contractor to do it.
 

Cow

Senior Member
Location
Eastern Oregon
Occupation
Electrician
I had a similar situation a year ago, it was a 1300' run and I needed 240v single phase. I had the utility set a 480v 3 phase wye service, then I used a stepdown transformer at the building.
 
I had a guy call me today that wants a 200 amp single phase service to a building that is 1400' from the utility pole. What would be the least expensive route ?

I have done and contemplated this a lot:

1.) See if the utility lets you run underground primary. Some do and its a dream because you can do this sort of thing for very cheap - you supply and install the primary and transformer pad. We do it all the time around here.

2) As Cow suggested, see if they will provide a 480 volt service, then step it down. Unfortunately, many utilities wont provide "non standard" services to rural or residential accounts.

3) Dont step up and step down - its not worth it, see option #4

4) Aluminum wire is cheap - even 750 alum at this length really isnt that much and way cheaper than the $15 a foot or so the utility will charge. Calculate your voltage drop from a realistic current - most of the time the load will never be over 60 amps.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I have done and contemplated this a lot:

1.) See if the utility lets you run underground primary. Some do and its a dream because you can do this sort of thing for very cheap - you supply and install the primary and transformer pad. We do it all the time around here.

2) As Cow suggested, see if they will provide a 480 volt service, then step it down. Unfortunately, many utilities wont provide "non standard" services to rural or residential accounts.

3) Dont step up and step down - its not worth it, see option #4

4) Aluminum wire is cheap - even 750 alum at this length really isnt that much and way cheaper than the $15 a foot or so the utility will charge. Calculate your voltage drop from a realistic current - most of the time the load will never be over 60 amps.
Some POCO's around here will want the contractor to install a raceway, and they come and pull MV cable through afterward and set their own padmount.
 
Some POCO's around here will want the contractor to install a raceway, and they come and pull MV cable through afterward and set their own padmount.

Any idea how much they charge? Drives me crazy - the other utility whos territory I work in that doesnt let you run primary - you have to supply the trench, bottom sand, top sand, backfill. They throw the cable in and charge you $15 per foot. Last I checked 15kv primary is only high $2's Grrr. In either situation you hope its coming off a wye system because you only need 1 cable. 2 req if delta. One more thing to the OP, many utilities will provide a certain distance for free, say maye 200' - that helps.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Any idea how much they charge? Drives me crazy - the other utility whos territory I work in that doesnt let you run primary - you have to supply the trench, bottom sand, top sand, backfill. They throw the cable in and charge you $15 per foot. Last I checked 15kv primary is only high $2's Grrr. In either situation you hope its coming off a wye system because you only need 1 cable. 2 req if delta. One more thing to the OP, many utilities will provide a certain distance for free, say maye 200' - that helps.
I don't think they are charging anything in most instances. Rural POCO was charging $6 a foot for a single phase (single cable) a year or so ago IIRC, that was for them to trench and install. Remember we have publicly owned POCO's here though, so they are not trying to make huge profits to line owners pockets, and some of these kind of costs are also based on their anticipated return on investment depending on energy usages and sales, and at times are well less then a contractor can do the same job for. They do come up with excess funds but they are returned into improving the system and not making owners wealthy.
 

kingpb

Senior Member
Location
SE USA as far as you can go
Occupation
Engineer, Registered
The utility is going to drop a transformer at the pole, or pole mount. Have them tap it at -5%. Then just eat the voltage drop from the pole to the building. Then at the building just step the voltage back up using another transformer.
 
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