questions regarding hooking up to utility meter (Ontario)
Limehand
I am working on moving to rural Ontario and will have the power line
from the companies pole in the road buried in a trench and run up the
side of our driveway to a permanently installed meter. I understand
from Hydro One (the power company) that I can then run 2 separate 100
amp cables to 2 separate buildings.
My question is this. How do you connect to the meter? And where do I
find a trailer park type post with receptacle etc for the trailer to
plug into? Or anything else come to that? We might want power for some
big machines also...
What is the best way to handle this? I imagine it costs each time we
change anything as they will have to come out and disconnect the meter
and reseal it? A homeowner can do these changes in Ontario so I am
guessing we can install from the get go?
any thoughts would be appreciated!
thanks
Michael Lough
Andy
Go to your local Home Depot or equivalent and look at a meter
base mounting box. You will see how the terminals are mounted on
the inside and how the meter plugs into it.
Also look at the "main panels". You will need one of these for
each building OR possibly one panel to feed two buildings. It is
fairly obvious how to hook them up.
In Texas, the local power company provides diagrams to owners
who want to do their own hookup. They then send a man out to
inspect the hookup before they hook power up to it. If you have a
similar situation in Ontario, this can be a very useful guide for
doing the operation yourself. It ain't rocket surgery, but if you
don't
do it correctly there is a lot of danger involved, hence the reason for
an inspection..... The guys at the power company that don't wear
neckties can be a great help, also.......
Andy in Eureka, Texas
Offbreed
> My question is this. How do you connect to the meter? And where do I
> find a trailer park type post with receptacle etc for the trailer to
> plug into? Or anything else come to that? We might want power for some
> big machines also...
Local yellow pages, "electrical contractors" or "electrical supplies"
(any place that sounds like it might sell to electrical contractors).
Key words "RV" and "recreation vehicle". Their should be plenty of
places in Ontario selling these outlets.
Those connectors are also used with boats.
Be sure you have a breaker box between the meter and the outlet.
Plugging and unplugging live stuff is hard on the connectors.
Pay attention to the numbers and make sure you get ones that match as
there are several that look enough alike to be a problem if you buy them
on separate days.
Larry Caldwell
I'm not that familiar with Canadian electrical codes, so take
everything I say with a grain of salt.
Depending on how far it is from the road, the transformer may be
located at the road or next to the meter. If the power company buries
1200 volt wire, it will give you less line drop at your meter.
Wherever the transformer is located, it will wire directly into the
meter base, and the meter base provides service to the service panel.
There will be a main disconnect (breaker) in the service panel.
Standard mobile home service panels just have the disconnect, then wire
into a distribution panel inside the mobile home to split out the
various circuits. You don't have to do it that way. There are
weatherproof outdoor service panels available that will hold up to 40
circuits. It will have the same main disconnect breaker, which will
kill all the power in the panel except for the main service lugs. That
will let you wire in additional circuits as you wish. There is no need
to tamper with the meter.
When you buy a service panel, avoid any weird breaker configurations,
and buy a panel with an all copper breaker bus. Around here the common
panel is a Siemens configured for the interchangeable Siemens/GE/Bryant
breakers. Put just a little dab of anti-oxidant on each breaker
contact (not too much, just a thin film) before installing each
breaker. Do I have to remind you to make sure the main disconnect is
turned off before you poke your finger in there? Once you have the
service panel installed, you can buy a standard 30 amp travel trailer
receptacle and box, install a breaker in the panel, connect it with
10/3 copper wire, and you are in business.
It's a good idea to wire outbuildings with their own electrical
service. I'm getting set to build a new shop building that's going to
be pretty fair sized. The local electrical inspector, and the power
utility, want me to install a 400 amp service and distribute power to
the house and shop separately.
I may go for that, because it won't cost any more than digging up all
the landscaping and sidewalks around the house.
I hope you are planning to upgrade your accommodations as you go. I'm
not sure I would want to live in Ontario in a travel trailer through a
winter. I think your plumbing is real likely to freeze solid.
Dean Hoffman
"Limehand" <mk...@pobox.com> wrote:
Do you intend to house livestock in any buildings? If so, it's best
to run 4 wires to the buildings. You would have two hot wires, a
neutral (actually the grounded conductor), and the equipment ground.
You'll want a service disconnect switch/breaker right at the meter
both for safety sake and convenience.
Dean
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Limehand
I had an idea I would have to call someone at some point ...8)
The basic idea is to have the ability to use the grid from a meter post
in the driveway for anything in the near future like a trailer
connection and a similar above ground connection using the same travel
trailer cable perhaps for when as pointed out it freezes solid and its
time to hibernate in the small building for a few months. (or get the
heck out of Ontario).
I was thinking perhaps I could just "unplug" the cable from the trailer
and plug it into the "temporary" building. Eventually I could bury the
line from the meter to the little building and perhaps have a trailer
receptacle in the little building for a trailer to connect to if
needed. This is of course "under the radar" codewise in Ont. But I
would go legit after the main house is built
Does it make sense if I plan to use a large electrical device in the
building process (as well as perhaps hook up a trailer) to have a sort
of control box just up from the meter where the line from the meter
stays at 200 amp and split up the various "streams"through different
types of connection ? I am guessing I would need 100 amp connectors and
breakers in it and then I could just plug what ever into it? An outside
disconnect breaker receptacle sort of combo box .Weather proof too?
Does something like this exist? Or does a building or other user have
to be wired into the meter directly ...If you get my drift...?
cheers Michael
Dean Hoffman
"Limehand" <mk...@pobox.com> wrote:
There are outlet boxes etc. specifically made for trailer home
parks. I would think a travel trailer would have something already on
it but don't know.
One problem you might have hooking a cord to a building is voltage
drop. Voltage drops quickly with distance on 220 single phase. I'd
be a little leery of letting a wire lay on the ground too long before
burying it. Weather checking and varmints might damage it. Fault
finders will locate bad spots in underground cable but it could be a
pain in the neck to dig it up.
Limehand
recreational vehicle power centre Its made by Siemans and you can
install it also on a post up stream from the utility meter and run 100
amps into it and then configure the various receptacles for different
purposes. Its a sort of an electrical command post, its weather proof,
can be locked so its probably going to work. Have to get it in Canada
though as Siemans makes two different types. One UL approved for the
states and one CSA approved for Canada. I always thought UL approval
was good enough for Canada in most things, seems this might be an
exception?
cheers
AL
Do you happen to have a website for purchasing that gizmo? I run a
concession business and need something like what you described.
AL
Limehand
site where ever you are ...and go the 800 number route? I am getting a
paper diagram mailed to me from Siemens Canada Any problems let me
know, and I will send the part number when I get the paper. I did get
this originally from a Electrical supply company in Ontario and they
gave me the Siemens lead They dont have a web site I dont think ...
cheers
Offbreed
> Limehand wrote:
>> all seems to be working out, I have found the thing. Its called a
>> recreational vehicle power centre Its made by Siemans and you can
> Do you happen to have a website for purchasing that gizmo? I run a
> concession business and need something like what you described.
I had to switch to "RV power center" to get some hits.
It's not metered.
Limehand
dont know if its approved for Ontario. I will ask if they have shipped
any to Canada as if they have and they were used then it might indicate
they are OK for Canada ? Still will check though...
thanks