Bringing in electric

[1930]

Stupid questions maybe but as a for instance talking with power company yesterday she mentioned that if I wanted to install a temp pole to get power to my site I would need to hire a certified electrician to hang a panel and install a meter bucket.

Do I really need to farm this out to someone?

Admittedly electric is my weak spot but I have no fear to go get a box and a bucket, hang them and then run wires over from my soon to be installed well.

I could imagine a certified electrician to ask 3-5 hundred dollars for this simple process and I'd rather keep the money in my pocket.

Marion county Florida btw

Thanks

 

[sberry]

3 to 500 would be a bargain. Now,, and this doesn't always happen but often a real pro will design this with options to assist the transition to permanent. Doesn't always mean pole, this may be underground too.

 

[joe_padavano]

Stupid questions maybe but as a for instance talking with power company yesterday she mentioned that if I wanted to install a temp pole to get power to my site I would need to hire a certified electrician to hang a panel and install a meter bucket.

Do I really need to farm this out to someone?

Admittedly electric is my weak spot but I have no fear to go get a box and a bucket, hang them and then run wires over from my soon to be installed well.

I could imagine a certified electrician to ask 3-5 hundred dollars for this simple process and I'd rather keep the money in my pocket.

Marion county Florida btw

Thanks

You'll have to check your local laws, as this varies all over the map by jurisdiction. Here in Northern VA, as an example, a homeowner is allowed to perform his own electrical work on his own property (subject to inspection, of course) but you cannot perform work on other people's property unless you are a certified electrician.

 

[casmurbax]

it was finally confirmed that Seco provides the energy I called Marion County to confirm that I did not need a permit which is what Seco told me.

Marion County has told me that they will not allow me to run a temporary pole the only way I can have power on the property is if I submit a building permit and go through all of the construction permitting processes.

I guess that's that for now because you can't fight City Hall

So did something change now that you can have temp pole?

 

[Milton Shaw]

As a service man I am in some weird houses. I was in one finished house, furnished and being lived in and the temp power pole was in the garage, through the roof with the power for the whole house still coming in the temp pole. I guess he was using the temp pole so that he would not need to get final inspection. Like I said some weird houses..

 

[1930]

So did something change now that you can have temp pole?

No I got 2 stories yesterday, the lady from Seco said I could put up temp pole and the guy from Marion county said I could not.

I'm going with what Marion county told me for now

 

[wyliesdiesels]

You need to ask your AHJ this question. We cant give you an answer as it varies from area to area...

 

[1930]

You'll have to check your local laws, as this varies all over the map by jurisdiction. Here in Northern VA, as an example, a homeowner is allowed to perform his own electrical work on his own property (subject to inspection, of course) but you cannot perform work on other people's property unless you are a certified electrician.

Stupid question but how or where do I check? And confirm. I hate contacting Marion county with those types of ?s cause I hate raising eyebrows and also I'm afraid they are gonna give me the safe answer and that might not always be the correct answer

 

[1930]

You need to ask your AHJ this question. We cant give you an answer as it varies from area to area...

What is ahj?

 

[1930]

Ok Google says authority having jurisdiction. See above, thanks

 

[Stuart in MN]

AHJ = Authority Having Jurisdiction. Sooner or later you're going to have to talk to a building department, or inspector, or someone, you can't worry about raising eyebrows - after all, this is the first step in your building process so you may as well plan on having it done right. You admit that electrical is not your strong suit, and there are a bunch of subtle details for getting a service installed that may or may not be obvious to someone who doesn't do the work on a regular basis.

 

[850xpeps]

You’ll need a building permit even if it’s a temp service. That’s how it is up here. Local power company, which is provincial government in my case, won’t come so a temp service without a service request and building permit. You might need an electrician to do this. Self wire is different than service install. Unless you know one that will let you do the work but I’m assuming you don’t if your asking this question.

Up here temp service is much more money. So I would trynplan to just make your permanent service now and Save money that way. You can do permanent service and slap anpanel up on a pole. Or on a piece of plywood with posts. And just swap it over to a disconnect and run the power to the house from there after. Just a thought.

 

[1930]

AHJ = Authority Having Jurisdiction. Sooner or later you're going to have to talk to a building department, or inspector, or someone, you can't worry about raising eyebrows - after all, this is the first step in your building process so you may as well plan on having it done right. You admit that electrical is not your strong suit, and there are a bunch of subtle details for getting a service installed that may or may not be obvious to someone who doesn't do the work on a regular basis.

Your right I know, just sometimes seems like I get more than one correct answer depending on who I talk too.

 

[Bert_]

I don't see why a temp service would be very expensive. It would take less than an hour to throw one up, most electricians will have a temp setup already build.

I have a couple with a meter, small panel, and some outlets screwed to plywood. Dig a hole for the 4x4 post that I already have, screw panel on, and attach the riser. Done, couple hundred bucks. Power compay will charge to hook it up also.

By the time you buy the parts to do it yourself it will cost just as much.

 

[matt_i]

My experience with our utility is everything is "by the book".

Everything permitted, licensed, etc. Not friendly to DIY unless you can work under the guidance of an electrician who you pay to pull permit, provide detailed instructions, possibly purchase parts, and inspect work at the end, etc. Probably not worth the few hours of labor savings which the electrician probably has to charge you for anyway so he or she can continue to feed their family.

 

[TractorJeff]

Instead of a "Temp" pole, why not apply to set a Mobile Home?
Then it could be a permanent pole!
Just don't say when exactly the Home is being delivered.........

 

[hh76]

Your right I know, just sometimes seems like I get more than one correct answer depending on who I talk too.

Because there are a lot of different scenarios, and if you aren't perfectly clear on what you want to do, people will interpret your descriptions differently. Here, what you are describing would not be labeled a "temp service", but a freestanding, permanent service. The fact that it is intended to remain in place to power on site equipment, without immediate plans for construction, is the reason.

As an electrician, the two calls I'd make were the AHJ, and the utility. Learn the lingo, and be able to accurately describe what your are looking to do. Terms like "temporary pole" could mean a lot of different things to different people.

If you're lucky, your utility will have detailed requirements and descriptions of what they will accept. Choose one that works for you, then go to the AHJ and explain what you are doing. Check the utility website for a service or metering manual.

 

[driftpin]

Having the 'known contractor' doing the work makes a tremendous difference.

I was hiring a long-time electrical contractor to replace the 1961 weatherhead-to-branch circuit panel in my southeast (SE)Florida ranch style house. Everything was being removed and replaced, from the weatherhead to the branch panel, and including the branch panel which was (horrors!) an FPE install. The service main conduit from the main disconnect/meter can to the branch circuit panel was the only thing not being torn out.

I'd recently waited nearly six weeks to remove an asphalt driveway and to replace it with concrete, using a contractor who does driveways and slabs. The length of time to do what I would have thought should have been a 'walk-through' was puzzling to me, but they have you over a barrel, all you can do is wait.

Since I was removing the electrical service feed into the house, and the branch service panel, I thought "oh man, this is going to take months to be permitted!"

The master license holder showed up on a Can Am Spyder motorcycle to take my down-payment and signed papers for the job. I didn't expect to hear from him that he had the permit in-hand for a couple of months, and probably some back & forth over the plan, between the electrical contractor and the plans reviewer. Full disclosure: I am a licensed plans reviewer and fire inspector.

The next day, about 10 a.m., I got a call from him, "I have the permit!" Man, I was floored! That's the benefit of working in a jurisdiction for 30+ years.

Everything went-off without a hitch, and I had a below-grade service to a 1 car premanufactured garage as part of the plan, including the work inside it.

Checking several contractors in the area should get you someone who can do what you need at a reasonable cost. As I've mentioned before the permits are a matter of public record. You can see who's getting work done by what electrical contractor similar to you, and ask for a quote. In my city, (remember, SE Florida) permits are online, so it's easy to access them.

 

[driftpin]

Instead of a "Temp" pole, why not apply to set a Mobile Home?
Then it could be a permanent pole!
Just don't say when exactly the Home is being delivered.........

If you don't complete the work according to plan, you have all-sorts of issues, including the possibility of removing whatever work was done before the abandonment of the permitted work. Now you're on their radar, too.

He said in another post moblie homes aren't allowed in that zoning district.

In Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale FL metro area) you can get a special permit for a construction trailer/office if you're going to build a single family dwelling on the lot, for-instance. There are reasons it's called a special permit, it's a different permitting process, and if there's no sewer hookup available, they want a service contract for the holding tank pump-out before they will allow the placement of the temporary office which can serve as living quarters. There is a finite duration to the time it's allowed, you cannot just leave it there for years.

 

[1930]

Because there are a lot of different scenarios, and if you aren't perfectly clear on what you want to do, people will interpret your descriptions differently. Here, what you are describing would not be labeled a "temp service", but a freestanding, permanent service. The fact that it is intended to remain in place to power on site equipment, without immediate plans for construction, is the reason.

As an electrician, the two calls I'd make were the AHJ, and the utility. Learn the lingo, and be able to accurately describe what your are looking to do. Terms like "temporary pole" could mean a lot of different things to different people.

If you're lucky, your utility will have detailed requirements and descriptions of what they will accept. Choose one that works for you, then go to the AHJ and explain what you are doing. Check the utility website for a service or metering manual.

This couldnt be any truer, fortunately there are forums like this where after I ask the same question ( in different ways ) and get the response I get I eventually learn the lingo.

As an example a big thanks to Driftpin, because of his input ( and the input of many others ( on many other threads ) I can honestly say I now know quite a bit about surveying and whats involved.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If you're lucky, your utility will have detailed requirements and descriptions of what they will accept. Choose one that works for you, then go to the AHJ and explain what you are doing. Check the utility website for a service or metering manual.

Nowadays most electric utilities (although not all of them) have installation guides available on their website. They are often a little hard to find, you have to dig around a bit. It may be in a section called contractor's information or something similar.

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

As much as I hate to, often I ask the AHJ for "how to do this" before attempting something.

Once in a while, I don't like the answer but if I don't do what he says that I must, he can swing by and hang a "stop work" order on me. THEN, I am in trouble, because once a contractor sees that, he is leery to do anything on the property; some guys just flatout refuse to work there.



.

 

[1930]

I did a bit of investigating today and sure enough the guy behind me ( James Taylor ) that owns 65 acres undeveloped has a well and a meter? Ive never seen the guy and as far as I know the land is undeveloped.

Also interesting is that he has one single sprinkler right by the well and meter.

This can all be seen by the roadway.

There must be a loophole somewhere. If this guy can get it than so shouldnt I.

Im thinking he told whomever at the county that he keeps animals on the property or possibly grows crops? I plan to try and contact the guy.

 

[Lassen Forge]

We can sink a pole and have power brought to the meter on it (and we can hang our own meter box, but not the meter head itself), but we need a county inspection to show the pole was wired right and poses no hazard. Most properties up here run to a pole (some people build sheds around their power poles) and distribute from there.

I'm wondering if the sprinkler IS a loophole to call it "land under irrigation"? Maybe it's just to make sure the well is still pumping? I can drop or build a 12x12 "storage shed" on our property, put bunks in it, but it's restricted to what you can and can't run to it.

 

[walta]

Best thing to do is ask your neighbor.

It may a old install that was in place before the current rules were written and the old pole and equipment replaced recently.

Walta