Had some estimates from electricians to do this....holy trapezoids....anywhere from $1500 to $5000 to bury 125 ft of line.

Does this sound right? Seems like a pretty bang-bang job given they only dig the trench and bury it, electric company handles the connections.

Is it more technical than I'm making it out to be?

Up in North Texas the electric company quoted me $4.25 per foot to run the secondary underground.

Sounds way too high, IMO

I just ran a feed using 2/0 copper, and the copper wire costs over 8 bucks a foot! What size (amps) service are you installing? Copper or aluminum?

you say from "transformer to junction box"----
Are you referring to the power company transformer to your meterbase ??

One guy gave me a main (150 amps) and alternate (200 amp) quote. I'm not sure if this is Copper or aluminum.

Cheapest price per foot installed is $12 per foot.




Yes, from the power company transformer to my meter.

I'm assuming commercial application ?

What jurisdiction are you in?
Is this a primary for your residence, shop, outbuilding, what ??

With all of the details I can tell you a reasonable cost to do it.

You can get 2/0 aluminum URD for 3 bucks a foot. that's 2 hots and a neutral.

This is a residential application, I live in Harris County. We are having a pool built and need to re-route the line that runs straight through our backyard.

It goes from the power company's transformer to the meter connected to my house.

Also, line length for the re-route is 125 feet. As far as the type of wire I need, I do not know. All I know is that it should be a "standard" wire for this type of application assuming a standard exists.

BTW, according to the guys who gave us a quote, our current box is expandable for our pool needs.

Oh, A POOL ???
They see big money and you can afford it.


Will they (utility provider) allow:
direct burial ?

Aluminum?

Just some things to ask.

The least expensive option will be direct burial aluminum... There's absolutely no reason to be scared of it, so long as it's installed correctly.

You can also run PVC and pull aluminum (if they'll allow alum at all)

Highest cost will be copper conductors in conduit.

We need to know what size your main breaker is and if you plan to change it out for a larger breaker. I pulled miles of aluminum in gray PVC in Houston, so I know it was allowed. How does the main feed come to you, pole or underground/transformer. If pole, you must run pipe up the pole to within 3' of the transformer. I just did that and it was real scary. If underground to a surface transformer, much easier and less costly.

He wrote that his current box is expandable to meet the needs of the pool.

We were told by the pool contractor and the electricians that gave us estimates that the breaker box is fine, no need to replace.

Also, the line comes from an above ground transformer in my neighbor's backyard, here is a picture:



Also, here is a pic of the meter it runs to from the transformer:




Is it standard to just run this line through the middle of the backyard? All our other utility lines hug our fence line.

Get a quote from the power company. I paid $4.50/ft for aluminum in conduit (200 AMP) buried 5 ft deep a few years ago.

Our power company doesn't provide this service, have to get an electrician on my own.

Uh, that sucks. Well this could be the killer of the pool. That would be a good thing IMO. I can testify they are money pits of the highest order. You could be driving a Beemer for less.

This is a big project. If you can be without power for a few days, you could have the power company come out and disconnect you from the transformer. Then you could dig up and reuse the existing wire and pipe. If you have some cheap labor this would be the cheapest route. Otherwise, you'll need to dig the new trench, lay the pipe and new wire and then cut your end the same day the power company cuts the transformer end. Then you put the pool in and dig another trench to get power to the pool.

I think you would enjoy a couple new guns much more than a new pool.

call digtess and get your yard marked for lines. Rent a trencher, dig a 24" ditch, but you 125' of 2" sch 40, put it in the ditch, call an electrician to come pull your wire and you're done..

You could very easily pull your own wire. But you have to "Want to".. It's not a huge job.
Being in Houston, all supply houses would have Aluminum XHHW that you could pull right through the conduit.

The trenching and the cost of the wire is the biggest portion of the expense. Either you want to do it, or you want to pay someone else to do it. Just decide and move forward.

But I will say, with the funds you're about to drop to build a pool; the cost of installing this line (yourself or a contractor), is a drop in the bucket..