Cost to get power lines buried in my yard

[Lazarus52980]

My son asked me to get him a climbing rope for him to play on in the back yard. The tree that has the best branch for that sort of thing is kind of near the power and cable lines, so I thought I would check into the cost to get them buried. I called Comcast and they said they could come out and bury the lines for free! This was great news to me.

However, the call to the power company was not as great of news...

Xcel energy told me that I would need to pay them $350 plus $6.50 per foot for the cost to have the line buried. AND I would need to have a new meter installed on my house that they do not cover, and the cost to have that done would likely be about $600!

So, while the cable company is happy to do this for nothing, the power company will end up charging me $400+ and will require another $600 worth of work.

Is there any way around this, or am I just stuck with paying a grand to get a climbing rope setup for my kids...

 

[BoomerD]

My son asked me to get him a climbing rope for him to play on in the back yard. The tree that has the best branch for that sort of thing is kind of near the power and cable lines, so I thought I would check into the cost to get them buried. I called Comcast and they said they could come out and bury the lines for free! This was great news to me.

However, the call to the power company was not as great of news...

Xcel energy told me that I would need to pay them $350 plus $6.50 per foot for the cost to have the line buried. AND I would need to have a new meter installed on my house that they do not cover, and the cost to have that done would likely be about $600!

So, while the cable company is happy to do this for nothing, the power company will end up charging me $400+ and will require another $600 worth of work.

Is there any way around this, or am I just stuck with paying a grand to get a climbing rope setup for my kids...

Why would/should the power company do this for free? You have working service that meets the code for your area.

While I can (sort of) understand why you would want it done, it's something that should be at your expense, not the expense of the power company.

 

[Mark R]

Generally speaking, it is a utility's decision how they supply a property. However, prior to installation, the occupier/owner is entitled to some negotiation with the utility, provided that they are willing to bear some of the cost, if they want a more expensive installation.

Things are more difficult if you want the infrastructure moved. Electrical installations must comply to code, and are therefore quite expensive - requiring costly armored cable, burial at an appropriate depth, etc. I've seen quite a few cable installations where "underground" simply meant that the cable was just laid on-top of the grass, or flower-beds.

Depending on the utiltity and regional laws, you may be allowed to find a different contractor to do the work, or you could do some of the work yourself. E.g. You may be able to get a local contract to install a new meter box, and then get the power company to connect it up and move your meter.

That said, $350 + $6.50/ft sounds pretty bargainous, and I doubt you'll find another contractor who could do it for less.

 

[Raizinman]

Keep in mind that the cable company can bury their TV cable about 6 inches under ground whereas the power company must now use underground cable and go close to 3 feet deep.

We purchased our house 10 years ago because it had underground power and then with the widening of the street in front of our house the power company had to put in poles with overhead lines. We complained, but to no avail. Win some lose some.

 

[vi edit]

That said, $350 + $6.50/ft sounds pretty bargainous, and I doubt you'll find another contractor who could do it for less.

Agreed. That does sound very reasonable to trench a line and do relocation.

 

[skyking]

Unless you think your child is going climb up the lines to the transformer, there is no hazard of electrocution from secondary wire anyway. It is stepped down to 120V per leg, insulated, and hung on a grounded messenger wire. It does not arc or jump to nearby objects.
"Kind of nearby" implies that it passes through the upper limbs of the tree.

 

[EagleKeeper]

They should not need to change the meter.
All they have to do is route the wire coming out of the conduit up and around to feed the meter the same direction as the existing overhead feed.

Unless the limb the child wants to use is close to the actual power lines; just trim the branches where the line passes through the tree.

 

[EagleKeeper]

If you are really worried and want to save;

• Find out the electrical code for a underground conduit.
• Pull a permit
• Get a ditch-witch and lay the conduit.
• Find out the wire gauge needed and additional safety wires; pull them through the conduit.
• Leave enough at the house end so it can be wired into the electrical service according to code.
• Leave enough at the other end to allow pulling up to the junction box.
• Contact the inspector to verify that you did everything according to code.

At this point; you will have shorted Xcel the costs to lay the line. :thumbsup:
And you will have spent the same costs, if not more to dig the ditch, lay the conduit, install the wire; get the inspectors out for a laugh. That does not even take into account your time.

 

[FoBoT]

that is because the power company would do it correctly, the cable guy will just go down 2-3" and just shove the existing wire into the ground

 

[Ausm]

Generally speaking, it is a utility's decision how they supply a property. However, prior to installation, the occupier/owner is entitled to some negotiation with the utility, provided that they are willing to bear some of the cost, if they want a more expensive installation.

Things are more difficult if you want the infrastructure moved. Electrical installations must comply to code, and are therefore quite expensive - requiring costly armored cable, burial at an appropriate depth, etc. I've seen quite a few cable installations where "underground" simply meant that the cable was just laid on-top of the grass, or flower-beds.

Depending on the utiltity and regional laws, you may be allowed to find a different contractor to do the work, or you could do some of the work yourself. E.g. You may be able to get a local contract to install a new meter box, and then get the power company to connect it up and move your meter.

That said, $350 + $6.50/ft sounds pretty bargainous, and I doubt you'll find another contractor who could do it for less.

I had to get some power lines buried on one of my properties by my local Power company and it cost me around 500/ft.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

This is your opportunity to be the awesome dad! Forget burying the power lines, erect a watch tower complete with climbing rope, water canons and, pole slide away from the lines.

 

[alkemyst]

For me they have me do the trenching and then they come behind and run the cable unterminated to the box. I think that was like $500-750. They supply all the conduit.

I am then required to have an electrician present to physically connect the cable to the new box. He is also responsible to remove the old overhead wiring which they would have already disconnected.

I would have needed to do this if I wanted to screen my porch as code changed to no longer allow overhead wiring over an outside patio, nor for my electrical meter to be inside one.

All in all it was like a $1500-2000 project with an upgraded panel and external box/meter. Plus I'd then have a master shut off switch for the house, which was not part of code at the time.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

If they are using copper wiring, that sounds about right. They will need 2 wires + , - . I think last Jan the price of copper was almost 4$ a pound, and I know it's gone down recently.

I've been doing tree work contracted through electrical companies for 18yrs, clearing trees away from distribution and tower lines. If you have an open phase "drop" "loop" to your house, i'd say get it changed. The new triplex wires are a little safer to be around. Any weathered insulation on those open phase wires can be VERY hazardous, lol.

Why not ask an experienced tree worker (one who climbs them) if there is a different n better branch to put a rope on? If it's not too much trouble, i'm sure he/she'd run it up there for a few bucks.

 

[imagoon]

Realize that even though there are all kinds of people talking about "put your own pipe in" and the like, you won't be allowed to do that. The wire from the pole is the power companies. The customer side of the meter is the demarcation point. IE you own the wire the connects to the customer side and that is it. If you decide to relocate the utility lines and the power company has an issue with it (like a short fries out the transformer on the pole) you will be liable for damages to the utility company and any incidentals caused to your neighbors.

* as a note I think this is universal but who knows the US is big and you might own to the pole some how. Also sometimes you own the meter and the demarc point is the utility side of the meter.

 

[Modelworks]

Price is about right. Your current meter is for overhead and you need one for in ground connections. Your current service panel MAY work for underground too with just the switching of some conduit, really depends on the model of the box, that would save you some money. Electrician is going to charge a couple hundred to reroute the cabling either way as it does require a few odds and ends parts like fittings, antioxidant compounds, etc.

The utility generally does their work at a set rate regardless of what you are doing , it can actually increase in price if they get out there and see something that has to be done to finish the work, it will never drop in price though.

It would be cheaper to put up a telephone pole away from power lines and putting your sons climbing rope on that .

Also, comcast saying they will bury it for free may be true, they will still charge you for the service call and when they will actually get around to burying it may be days to years.

 

[DrPizza]

Realize that even though there are all kinds of people talking about "put your own pipe in" and the like, you won't be allowed to do that. The wire from the pole is the power companies. The customer side of the meter is the demarcation point. IE you own the wire the connects to the customer side and that is it. If you decide to relocate the utility lines and the power company has an issue with it (like a short fries out the transformer on the pole) you will be liable for damages to the utility company and any incidentals caused to your neighbors.

* as a note I think this is universal but who knows the US is big and you might own to the pole some how. Also sometimes you own the meter and the demarc point is the utility side of the meter.

I thought it was at the weatherhead.

Regardless, the power company's price seems just fine. Any idiot can bury your cable line, and that stuff is dirt cheap. Next time you're in home depot or some other box store, check out the prices for various cables. $6.50 per foot plus $350 for labor, etc.? You can't touch that job for that price, using licensed electricians. And, you can't rent the equipment and do it yourself (if you were even allowed) for that price.

 

[DrPizza]

Xcel energy told me that I would need to pay them $350 plus $6.50 per foot for the cost to have the line buried. AND I would need to have a new meter installed on my house that they do not cover, and the cost to have that done would likely be about $600!

So, while the cable company is happy to do this for nothing, the power company will end up charging me $400+ and will require another $600 worth of work.

By they way, yes, I agree that it's "$400+", but $400 would be for about 7 feet of cable. Since you mentioned that it currently runs through (or by) a tree, I'm going to guess that you need at least 40 feet, if not a lot more, so it's more like "$600+." Also, this is purely speculation, but perhaps the reason for the new meter is that if they have to go underground, they may not want to go direclty under a large tree and would need to take a straight path to a different part of your house. Thus, the meter would be located in a different location, rather than replacing the existing meter.

 

[Modelworks]

I thought it was at the weatherhead.

Most states require the power company to provide service to a disconnect point on the property. The disconnect point can be a meter base but most require it to be a service disconnect switch or breaker,the reason is they don't want the home owner to have to contact a utility to remove power from a home in the event of an emergency. Some utilities call it point to point safety before the consumer.

 

[imagoon]

I thought it was at the weatherhead.

It likely varies slightly from area to area. I would be pretty confident that the aerial would be the power companies however and it is likely up in the aerial easement anyway. Basically make sure the power company signs off on the work prior or you may find them refusing to connect service.

 

[josh0099]

The costs associated with burrying the lines are all associated with the company and state regulators etc...So it will varry by state and company...Even within the same company if they are multistate the policies will differ by state...

That being said, in my area you may own your own service, but we will charge a connection fee for making up the riser to go up the pole and terminations on the transformer/secondary wires/meter base. So usually once you add that into the mix you will not come out money ahead even if you do all the work yourself. Also keep in mind, if you own your underground service wires, if they ever go bad we will not help you to fix them, but if we do the work and own the wire we will come back and fix it. *This is in my area may not apply to all* So usually not worth owning your own service to save the few hundreded dollars it may come out to be...

 

[josh0099]

I had to get some power lines buried on one of my properties by my local Power company and it cost me around 500/ft.

You were probably dealing with a higher primary voltage class...He is talking secondary service wires...

The higher voltages get very expensive very fast, depending on how much work will need to be done.

 

[sdifox]

cheaper to take him to indoor rock climbing place.

 

[Bignate603]

$600 to get the line buried? That's pretty darn cheap.

 

[KK]

I had to get some power lines buried on one of my properties by my local Power company and it cost me around 500/ft.

I hope you didn't have to run it far.