Power to metal bldg help...

My place is set up with one meter. I bought a meter base that allows a second 200 amp breaker to send power to the outbuildings.

I like to use the plastic conduit. It is fairly inexpensive and easy to work with and protects the wiring from most perils. It is fairly hard digging in my rocky soil and I don't like to dig more than once. When I dig a ditch, I put in conduit for the power and another, smaller conduit for the phone line and coax and other low voltage needs. I don't know what the code would say about this scheme, but it works fine and I have not had to dig up anything yet. I also have run waterlines in the same ditches.

Whatever you do, you want to have a good ground at your building. If you have underground metal waterpiping, that works very well for a ground. Otherwise, you need to do ground rods. Check with your inspector about just what you need. Good luck, congratulations on your new building!

It's really a snap; the hardest part is digging the dang trench! use those big pre-formed elbows where the conduit runs into the ground, and if you need a little more (or less) bend, you can use a heat gun to CAREFULLY warm the conduit until it's soft enough to bend. The pros use a box with an infrared heater, but a heatgun will work if you keep it moving and have patience.

You are not allowed to run water and electric in the same trench, so be prepared for that. Natural gas has another set of rules too, so if you're doing that check with a plumber as well. If you think you'll ever want additional utilities like phone or cable TV or an alarm system, run another small conduit alongside the large electrical conduit. 1" is plenty for all those little low-voltage wires. That'll reduce the likelihood of crosstalk between the power and communications wires. And you can feed all that stuff yourself later, so adding the conduit while the trench is there could save you a ton of hassle later.

Good Luck!

c.

KC