Underground Services

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wmeek

Senior Member
Location
Texas
Occupation
Electrician
Can anyone help me with a situation pertaining to a existing underground service. The question is? When you are upgrading an existing underground service, what are your procedures. I am trying to see what others do to try and reduce the time for getting the service reconnected. I am wanting to see what others do to minimize the down time of having to do with out electricity for the customers.

Thanks Wally
 
Re: Underground Services

Can you give us a better idea of what you have in mind? There is a big difference between changing the main panel, taking out and replacing the service conductors, adding more conduits to hold additional service conductors, or replacing the service transformer.
 
Re: Underground Services

This is a situation where i will be abandoning an direct burial, and installing PVC and new meter can and panel to the pedestal of the PoCo. This is on a Residential property. I know i can trench and install conduit and new meter can, but when i swap over to the new loadcenter, the customer will be without power. I was wanting to know if others had a solution as to minimize the down time.
 
Re: Underground Services

Since you will be duplicating everything with new and larger equipment, see if the serving electric utility will connect both services and come back the next day to disconnect the old one. :D
 
Re: Underground Services

The hard part will be transferring loads from the old panel to the new panel. Will they be close to each other? Will you demolish the old panel, or use it as a junction box to bring loads to the new panel? If you can get the POCO to go along with Charlie's idea, then you can transfer loads one by one. It is less disruptive to the owner, but it takes longer (and will therefore cost more). The quickest (and cheapest) way is not going to be the least disruptive way, so the owner has to make a decision.
 
Re: Underground Services

How much time are we talking about? I can have the service taken down in the morning and have it back on that afternoon but there is going to be down time. If there was something critical that had to have power you could use a generator. I find that preparation is the important thing. I have to give the power company 2 or 3 days notice so that the job will be scheduled. Call the inspector on the morning when the job is to start and arrange a time for temp. power inspection and release. I would do the service first and the panel later. That way you will get everything in two inspections , temp. power and final. I changed out the underground at apartments that way and no one was ever in the dark.
 
Re: Underground Services

By Growler: How much time are we talking about? I can have the service taken down in the morning and have it back on that afternoon but there is going to be down time. If there was something critical that had to have power you could use a generator. I find that preparation is the important thing. I have to give the power company 2 or 3 days notice so that the job will be scheduled. Call the inspector on the morning when the job is to start and arrange a time for temp. power inspection and release. I would do the service first and the panel later. That way you will get everything in two inspections , temp. power and final. I changed out the underground at apartments that way and no one was ever in the dark.
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Growler that is some very good advice, I will put that in my notes, and as you state the arrangement with the POCO and inspector is the key to this job going smoothly. The worse thing would be to have a customer with out power for more than a work day in the summer time :cool: .
 
Re: Underground Services

I have done this with a few overheads.Install all of the new equipment (panel,meter,circuits).Now pull meter from old can.Use some 2 inch carflex and from load side of old meter hook to the line side of the new meter can.Install meter jumpers in new meter.Now everything is up and running.Poco arives next day .They cut lines loose from old can.They then remove your carflex from new can(be nice and leave a KO seal)Then they hook up as normal and transfer the meter.Next day you just swing by and remove old can.Maybe you could go this way.Lot depends on the poco being willing.
 
Re: Underground Services

I have done this with a few overheads.Install all of the new equipment (panel,meter,circuits).Now pull meter from old can.Use some 2 inch carflex and from load side of old meter hook to the line side of the new meter can.Install meter jumpers in new meter.Now everything is up and running.Poco arives next day .They cut lines loose from old can.They then remove your carflex from new can(be nice and leave a KO seal)Then they hook up as normal and transfer the meter.Next day you just swing by and remove old can.Maybe you could go this way.Lot depends on the poco being willing.
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Why didn't you just cut the old service lose, build the new service and then retie the service drop, temp with split bolt connectors and done deal, get inspection and have them release the service a day or two later the POCO comes out and makes the permanant connections :eek: .

[ August 12, 2005, 08:44 PM: Message edited by: Jhr ]
 
Re: Underground Services

Usually i do it that way but sometimes the lines will be to short or in an unsafe location to be doing them live.In one case they were removing the overhead drop and going to underground service.Cost him plenty but the man installed one of them metal carports under the service drop and it was touching.
 
Re: Underground Services

Cost him plenty but the man installed one of them metal carports under the service drop and it was touching.
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OUCH! :eek: :eek: LETS GO MAKE SOME MONEY BOYS!!!
 
Re: Underground Services

I know I can cut loose the overhead drop, and buikld new service and reconnect. What I have hear is a underground service. I do not think the inspector will give a TCI without having the panel in place. Being that the branch circuits are coming in thru the back of existing loadcenter, I cannot install new loadcenter. I was just wanting to know what others do to speed up the service being reconnected to keep homeowners from being without power for days.
 
Re: Underground Services

By wmeek: I was just wanting to know what others do to speed up the service being reconnected to keep homeowners from being without power for days.
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Read and follow Growlers advice my friend, planning ahead is what will make your job a lot easier :) .

[ August 12, 2005, 10:57 PM: Message edited by: Jhr ]
 
Re: Underground Services

experienced help will make a big difference.

[ August 28, 2005, 12:58 PM: Message edited by: 91GTABird ]
 
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