Pole Building -- Electrical Question

[SOS]

I'm building a pole buidling in about two months and plan on running electricity to it before next winter. Would #10 wire be as good as I need and should I run two wires? Here is some more information:

• I plan on dropping in additional breaker in the house fuse box and connecting the pole buidling to the house and putting in a small fuse box at the barn
• The buidling will be about 400 feet from my house
• I will run lights most of the time and a fan in the summer and maybe a tv/radio
• I will also run a compressor and possibly a small table saw and small hand tools and probably a charger for my tractor on occasions.
• No plan to hook up heater as I have a wood buring stove

Is this going to burn up the wires or my house or the barn?

 

[rambler]

Please get an electrician to set this up for you.

You are in way, way over your head.

I don't mean to be sharp about it, but..... You aren't even close to what you need!

At 400 feet, you need wires almost as thick as your thumb to run 60 amps that far.

It's pointless to go through the work & only set up a 20 amp box out there. Too foolish.

Why would you only run 2 wires? You need 4, set up a 220 amp box out there - if oyou only got 120, you will need even thicker wires to carry the amps! and, you need to run a ground wire these days. In some rare locations you can get an ag exemption and only run 3, but plan on 4 for most locations.

The compressor & table saw both are high-load startup motors that draw heavy amps for about 2 seconds as they rev up. You will _not_ get by with undersized wires. You need an honest 20 amps just for them. No cheating on skiny wires. The lights & radio will be on one side, the electric motors on the other side of the 220v hookup.

A voltage drop calculator I use says to run 120v 400 feet & have 20 amps at the end takes #2 copper wire. And that would be foolish, to only put 20 amps out there!

To run 240v out 400 feet & get 60 amps available so you have a decient setup, you are looking at running 3/0 aluminum wire out there. And have something you can use and be happy with.

Just for reference, your 2 wires, copper, #10, running 400 feet, will deliver about 4 amps reliably.

You are in way over your head here.

--->Paul

 

[BungeeII]

To put it a bit less harsh...

Sending electricity over that span of wire presents a challenge. What are you fighting against? Voltage Drop. How do you solve that? Increase the wire size. Go to your local supply house, they may help you out. (not a big box store) Aside from sizing the wire properly and installing the breaker and sub-panel properly, you also have to be concerned with meeting code for depth and/or conduit requirements.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_drop


Startup of a modest compressor may peg 20 amps. Many higher.
Startup of a typical economy table saw may also peg 20 amps.
Figure another circuit for lights/fan and you can easily see that you should budget for a 60amp load.

 

[windy acers]

I HAVE A SIMULAR SET UP WITH 4 NO. 6 COPPER THROUGH CONDUIT.JUST TO BE SAFE YOU NEED TO LEARN ABOUT PROPPER GROUNDING AND USE A GROUND ROD AT THE BARN.I PUT IT ON A 20AMP 220 BREAKER IN THE HOUSE.I USE 1HP AIR COMPRESSER TABLE SAW DRILLS ECT.AND HAVE NOT TRIPPED THE BREAKER IN THE 3 YEARS SINCE I PUT IT IN.

 

[theboman]

I ain't no electrician, do well to spell it, but voltage drop is the number 1 killer of most things that run off electric. I've seen it bunches of times in the music world, and TV world.
Want a new compressor? Starve it for voltage and you'll have to buy a replacement.
I've seen many a good RV air unit ruined by those sayin' it'll run on 15 amps..... Ditto, for power amps, audio processors, video tape players/recorders etc.

 

[bullsram]

If it is possible move the building closer so you dont have to buy as much wire . You should go with atleast a 100 amp panel in the barn in my opinon and running aluminum wire is even more foolish. If you can afford copper run that all the way as it is a better conductor and doesnt get as hot like aluminum. Just my 2 cents... Bull

 

[lhfarm]

I just ran service to my barn. You can read about it here http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/139326-450-wiring-conduit-how-assemble.html. The best advice I got was from the power company. I asked them to come out and tell me what I needed to do. They sized the wire, conduit and service panel. Then I shopped for an electrician who would work with me doing the trenching and getting the conduit in the ground, so all they did was to install the service disconnect at the meter base and do the final hook-up.

It passed inspection without a hitch and I know it was done right and most importantly I have safe, reliable power to the barn.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I had the same situation with my shop and house being about that far away. After looking at the size wire needed to carry a 100 amp service, I decided to put in an extra meter and separate service to my shop. The power company ran the overhead wire to the shop for free since they didnt need to put in a pole.and the overhead lines wont bother anything in that area. I will have to run underground line to my house so I dont end up with a pole in my front yard, and that is going to cost me, but that is all part of new house construction. My builder tells me that the Arkansas power company will run the wire for the 200 Amp house service for $9.80 per foot if I put in the conduit, so that is my next project when I get back to the good ole USA. RIGHT after verifying with the power company what they suggest I do. This is a free service so why not take advantage of it.

 

[Western]

I just ran service to my barn. You can read about it here http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/139326-450-wiring-conduit-how-assemble.html. The best advice I got was from the power company. I asked them to come out and tell me what I needed to do. They sized the wire, conduit and service panel. Then I shopped for an electrician who would work with me doing the trenching and getting the conduit in the ground, so all they did was to install the service disconnect at the meter base and do the final hook-up.

It passed inspection without a hitch and I know it was done right and most importantly I have safe, reliable power to the barn.

100% agree on this, Your electric company engineer have seen allot of setups and can spot pending problems and give you good recommendations.

I had my electric coop out last week for this very thing. My shop has a couple of possible locations but, likely it will be 260' from the house pole. They will set a new pole and 200 amp transformer and a drop to the shop for $5.75 foot, still . cheaper than I can bury copper or aluminum. I don't like another wire running in front of the house so I am still considering having them do it with a ground base transformer, I just have to wait till after the holidays for their estimate.

 

[KeithT]

I have 100 Amp service to my shop. I had the conduit laid before the building was built and have 400 Amp service to my house.

The run is around 270' to my building. The electricians used 4 Gauge 4 wire aluminum. After accounting for the distance they told me i would have around 60 Amps available. I have a compressor and 220 V welder I use out there with no problems (not at same time).

Make sur you run large enough wire to exceed your needs in your pole building, you only want to do it once.