How would you approach the complex electrical setup at my old farm place with multiple buildings and no disconnect at the meter?
Asked by Aldonza Ayala 
5 months ago
Last Updated: August 9, 2024
I’m not an electrician, so I’m planning on hiring a local one to help me out. It’s tough to find a good one around here! Here’s my situation: I have an old farm place with 120/240 power coming from the meter to one main pole. It splits off to various buildings like the house, shop, shed, garage, hay shed, and utility shed, all with their own fuse boxes. Everything is overhead and there’s no disconnect at the meter. It’s kind of a mess! I’m looking for some advice to compare with what the electrician suggests. Thanks!
Let’s start fresh.
There are plenty of options available. What are you looking to address and how much are you willing to invest?
It all depends on the power required and the distance covered. Starting fresh with modern wiring including neutrals is a smart move. Sub panels are a great option and will be worth the investment in the long run.
It’s tough to say for sure without considering distances and the lay of the land. But, a good starting point is to do a load calculation. From what it sounds like, you’ll probably need a 400A service, with the main house requiring its own 200A panel. Make sure each outbuilding has 240V capability, especially on a farm. Putting everything underground is a good idea – renting a trencher or small excavator can help with that. Moving away from the yardpole distribution style is recommended, with sub panels in various locations. But, we’ll definitely need more details to give a more accurate plan.
Hey , you could power it with two 200s, but you’ll need to split the parcel.
Here are my initial thoughts: I would recommend running the 200 amp at the meter to your house, with a disconnect at the meter to make it your main panel. If possible, go underground with two hots, a neutral, and a separate ground. From the house to the shed, wire 1 or 2 20 amp circuits. Then, run from the house to the shop with a 60-100 amp feed for a subpanel, including 2 hots, a neutral, and a ground depending on the loads at each location. From the shop, run 2-4 20 amp circuits to the garage and shed. Repeat this process by running 2-4 20 amp circuits from the shop panel to the hay shed and utility shed. The current setup won’t work as is, as you need a separate neutral. That’s why I recommend using a subpanel in the shop.
Why did you split the neutral/ground at the first disconnecting means? I’m honestly surprised there isn’t a disconnect at the meter.
Are you positive there isn’t a pole top disconnect? That’s common on farms in this area.
I prefer having separate grounds and neutrals, but grounding electrodes are necessary for buildings either way.
oing underground looks better (customers have been surprised at how much it cleaned up the farm) and is less likely to be damaged in storms. Depending on the loads, it can also be easier to upgrade wire sizes and manage voltage drops.
Do farms avoid underground cables to prevent voltage leaks that harm animals and protect conductor insulation from pesticides?
What on earth are you talking about?
It seems like you might be using electricity without authorization at this point, with 8 structures connected to one meter from the pole. Maybe there’s a connection from the house to the pole to power the other 7. Let us know what the electrician suggests.
It seems like the utility power goes to the meter and then the load side goes to a pole where multiple loads are connected. I don’t understand how this could be considered stealing power?
Maybe.
It seems like we have a “Barry Bylaw” on our hands!
Let’s stick to the main topic.
How exactly is he taking electricity?
So this wasn’t written by a qualified person so it really depends, the labeling looks misleading to me. I believe the power is being fed to the 200Amp meter. Then it goes to the main pole. And is distributed from there. If it’s not set up that way, then maybe they are taking power or using a lot of unmetered services
Can you tell me the wire size and voltage of the line?
Meter is the priority, followed by all usage after the meter.
Is simply more intelligent than the majority of the free advice posts.
It might be best to start again and consider going underground.
How does the electricity reach the meter? Where does it come from? Just curious
The drawing seems to suggest that you’re receiving free power because there are no connections from the meter feeding anything. So, consider it a bonus!
What do you think about that?
This seems a bit scattered, but all it needs is a load calculation followed by the right information and data. Then, you can invite an electrical company to bid on the project as they will be able to simplify everything for you!
I was about to be clever and say I’ll show up tomorrow…but I won’t.
I recommend starting with a 400 amp disconnect instead of a 200 amp one. oing for a larger capacity might save you more money down the line.
How about setting up a combo panel meter?
Looks like a situation where you might want to think twice before testing the waters.
Starting fresh by removing all the old stuff might be the way to go. It may be costly initially, but you won’t have to worry about it again.
What do you want to accomplish? Do you have any issues? Are you looking to make an addition? Is everything functioning correctly? Are the overhead lines high enough for farm equipment? Consider installing a disconnect under the meter or a meter combo for easy shutdown.
I have my license in Nebraska, the inspectors there are amazing. Whenever you want to do something, just check with the inspectors first. They are really strict.
You gotta make sure it’s engineered properly. Start from the beginning. If you want, you can run all the new lines overhead. It’ll definitely be cheaper than going underground. Depending on your plans for the existing design you have, it’s best to design this new infrastructure rather than patch things up. I agree with a few comments. Opt for at least a 400 amp service. That should give you enough flexibility. Best of luck with your project.
1) If it’s working fine, leave it be. Most of the time, if an electrician says everything needs to be replaced, it’s not true. 2) If it looks awful, concerns you, and you have the budget hire a trenching company to dig 2ft down to each spot and lay down the necessary PVC pipes. ‘t hire electricians for trenching – they’re not great at it and cost more. 3) If it looks bad, concerns you, and you’re on a tight budget, get an electrician to replace the overhead feeds with aluminum triplexes for 120/240, and a fence company to upgrade any poles you need. If your fuse boxes aren’t causing issues, leave them unless they look bad and worry you.
What’s the location?
To begin addressing the issue, we need to determine the main breaker size at the meter and the wire sizes for each overhead feed.
Ask your friends for recommendations on electricians they’ve hired and were satisfied with. And don’t forget to check out references from other bidders as well.
I ran an HVAC contracting business for 23 years and never had to spend money on advertising because our clients were so satisfied they referred us to others.
Typically, a top-notch contractor will fall somewhere in the middle of the bids.
Consider getting a Leviton meter panel combo and running branches underground from the meter pole to all the outbuildings.
What in the world is all that about? It doesn’t make any sense.
Find out the voltage supplied from the pole to the main, calculate the loads and distances for each building, and install manual disconnects. Make sure to inquire about any available discounts.
It seems like you’ll need a new feed to the shop for 240v loads, and make sure to ground each outbuilding.
In this area, the co-op has something called a meter loop. Both line and load go down the riser to the meter and back up. In the past, I’ve usually opted for burying everything for safety reasons, but for strictly residential cases, I’d choose the appropriate quadplex and hang distribution lines. Check with your power provider, as most I’ve dealt with have a disconnect in the meter base connected to the load side.