Service

[MR ELECTRIC]

If the power company provides the riser meter base with a 200amp breaker and it is attach to the poll at the street and they also provide ground and bond the netural then i trench a line 250' away from the poll the servie wire from the meter base disconnect to the panel at the poll barn shoul be 4 wire or can i use 3 wire

 

[mcclary's electrical]

what cycle are you in? if 05' and there is NO other metallic paths, ie: waterline, phone line, then you can use three with your own GE system at the seperate location, but if you're on 08' you need four wires

 

[Buck Parrish]

what cycle are you in? if 05' and there is NO other metallic paths, ie: waterline, phone line, then you can use three with your own GE system at the seperate location, but if you're on 08' you need four wires

Ditto's.
Also their may be some questioning wether the pole is a separate structure or not.
In 05 you could do it either way 4 or three.

I know in lots of real rual areas it is common for the poco to set a disco on their pole for their own use. Imho a 4 wire is better, That way the phone at the house will be grounded to the 4th wire . It will have to travel back to the disco where the utilities ground is. It will be isolated at the house.
Just an example, could be other scenarios.
Other wise you may get some tingleing in the shower if they are useing copper water pipe. When the phone rings.

 

[lu302dan]

Grounding is the key

Grounding is the key

Well, I think that you should consider the distance in mind with grounding of the panel at the pole barn. I would run 3 wire, BUT establish a grounding electrode system at the pole barn by driving ground rods, etc and then hit the poll barn panels bonded neutral bar with the proper size conductor to the ground rod (s). Run branch neutrals to this bar and install a seperate ground bar in the panel for branch ground wires. Relying on a ground wire that runs 250 feet as the ground for the poll barn panel is not a very good path and breakers may take longer to trip! I guess what I am saying is to treat the pole barn panel as if it is a residential main panel with distribution!

 

[tom baker]

I would run 3 wire, BUT establish a grounding electrode system at the pole barn by driving ground rods, etc and then hit the poll barn panels bonded neutral bar with the proper size conductor to the ground rod (s). Relying on a ground wire that runs 250 feet as the ground for the poll barn panel is not a very good path and breakers may take longer to trip!

Are you saying that the earth will have a lower impedance path for fault clearing than a ground wire?
What about 240.4(A)(5) and the FPN to 250.122?
Are the ground rods intended for fault clearing or something else?