240 volt 200 amp disconnect switch question

[ponytug]

Thank you. I was thinking it was something like that.

I'm sure that you can pull the cable out of the wall, and I am sure it is going to be a production, as you will need to dig down to wherever the transition from conduit to direct burial is, and dig enough of a hole to work in. Or just dig farther back, and abandon more of the direct burial cable. 200A direct burial for a long run is not going to be readily manipulated.

As your line is 48" down, I would think about a temporary or permanent "box"/vault that is big enough for someone to actually work in, unless you do the splice to the shop wires now, and run them out to the shop location now. Commercial vaults commonly come in galvanized steel and concrete, often with bottoms to reduce infiltration of water and soil. You could pull the vault later, or not, depending on whether the location makes sense long term for the road and your entryway access. With your skills, I have confidence that you could cast one in place yourself. Around here, precast concrete suppliers have a wide range of them. Again, if you can pull the line to the shop now, you could skip the vault.

I believe that OSHA trench depth without shoring is five feet, and I bring it up as a general safety pointer. I do know that 48" is uncomfortably deep for me without shoring. That may be a function of being in an earthquake prone area, or having seen trench collapses, or that I'm risk averse to some things.

I look forward to photos when the time comes.

All the best,

Peter

 

[EarPlug]

There is no Code where I live. But I would like to follow Code as much as possible. The part about not covering up the new switch, or junction box, or whatever I end up doing, isn't going to happen. It will be covered.

There are Texas Statewide electrical code you MUST follow. I would suggest you hire a Licensed Electrician for an hour or two to come up with a legal plan for you to follow.

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[Torvy]

He didnt deny whet your saying, all he said was the first panel (or panels) directly tied into the meter is the main panel. Every other panel after that is a sub panel.

In your case, if you put a 200 amp transfer switch on the house panel, it will power both house and barn as you said.

Read more closely. He said closest. That isn't always true.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have two 200 amp main panels right now. One in my attached shop that I'm converting into a living room. The other in my utility room. For some reason that I no longer remember, I thought I would need more power in my shop then what I would have with just one 200 amp main panel. I was wrong.

 

[ultrarunner]

Add a welder, air compressor, HVAC, large radial saw … especially when used simultaneously draw a lot plus my big compressor dims the lights for a moment when it starts…

I have a hundred amps to play with but stick welding up a trailer tripped the hundred amp breaker when the air compressor kicked on…

For me it was rare as I seldom weld much anymore and the solution was to turn off the compressor breaker when I do.

Now 2 guys working in a shop and all bets are off..

 

[ultrarunner]

Another guy was pricing a service upgrade but found he no longer needed one after he converted from high bay sodium light to LED and added a soft start to his air compressor…

Most service upgrades I’m seeing are EV home chargers…

My brother thought he would charge his EV on 120 volt and learned it would take most of the weekend… his wife has free charging at work… so home charging is rare.

I said what about that 50 amp hot tub you took out when you bought the place…?

Sure enough the circuit was there and not in use so it was simple to make it a dedicated EV circuit…

 

[Torvy]

^Another bonus for the Plug-In Hybrid. Even on 120v it fully charges in 8 hours or less. The 240v can do it in 2 hours.

If your commute is 20 miles or less, you will rarely need gas, but it's there when you need it.

 

[ultrarunner]

Brothers EV is Honda branded but twin of GM offering.

It’s been about 6 months and no regrets.

I’ve heard new homes are EV wired…

 

[grsthegreat]

I'm sure that you can pull the cable out of the wall, and I am sure it is going to be a production, as you will need to dig down to wherever the transition from conduit to direct burial is, and dig enough of a hole to work in. Or just dig farther back, and abandon more of the direct burial cable. 200A direct burial for a long run is not going to be readily manipulated.

As your line is 48" down, I would think about a temporary or permanent "box"/vault that is big enough for someone to actually work in, unless you do the splice to the shop wires now, and run them out to the shop location now. Commercial vaults commonly come in galvanized steel and concrete, often with bottoms to reduce infiltration of water and soil. You could pull the vault later, or not, depending on whether the location makes sense long term for the road and your entryway access. With your skills, I have confidence that you could cast one in place yourself. Around here, precast concrete suppliers have a wide range of them. Again, if you can pull the line to the shop now, you could skip the vault.

I believe that OSHA trench depth without shoring is five feet, and I bring it up as a general safety pointer. I do know that 48" is uncomfortably deep for me without shoring. That may be a function of being in an earthquake prone area, or having seen trench collapses, or that I'm risk averse to some things.

I look forward to photos when the time comes.

All the best,

Peter

in Texas, his feeders are probably only 18" down...at least they were when i worked in Lubbock Tx.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Read more closely. He said closest. That isn't always true.

'Closet' in electrical terms usually means 'the first connected/connection'. 'Closest electrical wise'.