When do I get and lose the temporary electrical pole?

[Innovate1]

Did my own home 15 years ago and am planning another. Thinking about scheduling and can't remember some details. I am thinking I need a power pole right after the foundation is in. Is that right or do the foundation crews need it?

Then for when it goes away I am thinking once the main panel is in place and one or two circuits installed the meter can go in and the power pole goes away.

Is that right?

When I had a house moved to a lot much longer ago I ran a cord to a near neighbor for power but had trouble a time or two with a tripped breaker. I was doing most of the work myself so I worked around it but with hiring subs down time will be a big deal and I am going to need my own power.

I am thinking of having an electrician install the main panel and possibly the run to the detached garage with subpanel. Then do the other myself. If I only need a temp pole until I take over that should work out well.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

The foundation crews would need temp power for cutting form boards and such. unless they want to run a generator.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I did appliance service in homes and ran into one that the temp pole had been built around and was running through the finished garage roof. Customer was an "electrician" and had never gotten the final permit on the house and had the whole thing running on that temp pole. Problem with the appliance was he had not bonded the neutral and ground in his box and all the neutrals had 120 volts on them. That's why I put electrician in quotes, I would not have trusted him to wire a flashlight much less a house.

 

[LXCam]

There’s plenty of temp power companies out there that do it pretty cheap. I say just rent it.

See if you have Power Plus in your neck of the woods.

 

[sberry]

I did one a while back was some distance from the road. We had them run the underground beyond a few ft and near the foundation, mounted the base on a post, panel under and when it was time they disconnect and we swing it over to the new service. There are a lot of ways to do it including the traditional pole.

 

[rburke65]

Well power is always a good thing to have. How th3y going to mix mortar for the block? Or a radio....a power saw? All kind of things.

 

[Innovate1]

Mortar? If you are thinking block foundation walls they aren't allowed. But I agree power is always good to have. Sounds like I need to plan for a temp power pole. I borrowed one from a friend of a friend when I built this place but have lost track of them. I could throw one together for not much.

There is a power pole in a very easy spot at the corner of the lot. Underground will require tunneling under a sidewalk so it will probably be a pole.

 

[850xpeps]

Why can’t you temp be permanent? That’s how I did mine and it’s cheaper. Built the shed and mounted the meter and disconnects on that. Then can have a panel there. Or mount the meter and disconnects on a piece of plywood on some posts where you might have a shed. Or that’s out of the way and leave it there forever and run underground to house from there once it’s ready.

 

[ard]

I was able to install my main panel on some unistut when the foundation was poured. A few outlets off the bottom, inspector OKd it. Framing commenced.

They framed the garage over/around it.

Foundation crew used a generator.

 

[ripperd]

I'm in a spec home development so I've seen a number of homes go from dirt to house. They do a temporary power hookup, but generally not until the foundation is already in. These are spec homes though. All the foundation forms are metal for the house design. All the foundations and basement walls are poured from a pumper truck. I don't see much temporary electricity being used until the walls are going up.

EDIT: power is also underground here. So they just have a temporary meter and panel on a wood board that is staked into the ground.

 

[Innovate1]

I was planning underground to the house but the utility lines are on poles - this is a 1930's built neighborhood. So a temp pole that is overhead is very easy to do. I was thinking I would go underground to the house as the pole is in a good spot for that. But I will need to go under a sidewalk. The utility company recommended putting another pole down the cross street (corner lot) for underground to house partly because a street drain is near the pole but I don't see where that is needed. There is about 2' from pole to drain structure to run the wires. And I don't want another pole. Since all the other houses are overhead I am not sure it is worth the effort to go underground. I will check on what the cost difference is.

I do plan to go underground for run from house to detached garage.