Main Panel in Pole Barn

[Mihlfeldl2005]

Evening everyone, working on planning out a build for 2025 of a 2800 Sq. Ft. Ranch with a Pole Barn roughly 300' away in Michigan. Goal is to eventually install a whole home generator and solar with battery back up to negate any down time we'd have from winter storms.

We are starting from a blank slate and have been discussing the best way to go about designing the property and have gotten into a discussion on whether it's possible to run the main electrical to the barn and then a sub panel to the house. This would allow me to install the generator and solar down near the barn and keep the propane tank/batteries away from the house.

I can find plenty of information on the opposite and have ran power from a home to a sub panel in a barn before but I'm having a hard time finding anything similar to what I'm thinking. What say ye ol' garage journal'rs?

 

[kj_mustang]

Done on my build but not that far. See my picure album in build thread. Meter base and two 200 amp disconnects on back of barn. 100 amp panel in barn. Two 200 amp panels in house garage. Wire in conduit trenched to house around the barn for a total of about 175 feet. It won't be cheap as it cost me $5,000 for materials and labor about 7 years ago just to run it from barn to house.

 

[Mihlfeldl2005]

Done on my build but not that far. See my picure album in build thread. Meter base and two 200 amp disconnects on back of barn. 100 amp panel in barn. Two 200 amp panels in house garage. Wire in conduit trenched to house around the barn for a total of about 175 feet. It won't be cheap as it cost me $5,000 for materials and labor about 7 years ago just to run it from barn to house.

I'll be doing the trenching myself and my brother in law is a licensed electrician so we'll be able to save a bit on the install. Did you have any significant issues getting it inspected or any issues you ran into doing it that way?

 

[billconner]

You can but a main panel on a pole and subs other places, so can't see it as a problem.

 

[kj_mustang]

The only issues was it took the electrician and 3-4 helpers to stuff that big bundle of wire through the two conduits that they had layed out across my field before placing in the trench. I dug all the trenching myself too. No issue from inspector.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Conduit is supposed to be assembled and installed before pulling wire

 

[billconner]

Conduit is supposed to be assembled and installed before pulling wire

Yeah. That surprised me. Not sure if PVC I'd be too worried about it but would expect it to be buried before pulling. Just when you think you've heard it all .....