[Mystriss]

I've got over head lines now, and I hate them. I want to bury all of it.

The lines currently hang over the existing detached shop - which is against Anchorage's code. (I'm not subject to Anchorage code, but I want to comply with it.) The main lines come into the house at the roof, then there's a cable from the attic of the house to the attic of the shop.

The shop was damaged in the quake last winter, split the [way too thin IMO] floor slab nearly in half. I figure redoing the concrete floor is probs one of the most expensive parts of the entire shop so I might as well demo the shop and "go big or go home." (Want to upgrade from 24x24 to around 57x30)

Power company even says they'll bury the lines for free if we dig the trench; "Bonus!" BUT we have to trench "a straight line to the nearest building wall from the pole" - which would be 30-40 feet to the back wall of the shop I want to build.

Questions:

I'd like the shop to have multiple 230V tools in it. Do I do that as a separate pole hookup from the house or can one pole line handle both house and shop needs? If I need two lines for that, do I need to plan to dig two trenches from the pole or can multiple lines share a trench?

I'd kinda like the fuse box for the shop to be in the center front (another 40' or so) rather than the right rear. I was thinking to bury the lines from the "main breaker" to the "shop fusebox" under the slab rather than run it through walls/attic, that's acceptable to universal code right? (I think I heard somewhere you have to have a certain radius curve on the slab buried conduit? And some kinda padding or something on it when it goes under/near the stem wall/edge of the slab to protect from rub damage?)

Then I'd like a buried line from the "shop fusebox" (or I guess the "main breaker at the rear of the shop" if I need a separate line to the house) to the existing stuff on the detached house (another 16'-18'). Not sure of the terminology on this stuff, sorry. Now what should I plan to pay for at the main houses existing "main breaker" connection? Do they just use the existing dual-125 "main breaker" thingy outside on the back of the house, or is one of those probably the existing shop and the other the houses - so I'd need to plan on a whole new "breaker box" unit there outside? Also, if it matters, the houses fuse box is in the center of the house, I think the lines for it comes from the attic... It's possible I just don't know what I'm looking at in the basement - I don't recall seeing anything down below the fuse box that screamed "omg high power!!" like I'd expect it to.

What are the rules for burying plumbing vs electrical vs natural gas lines, is there a certain distance I should plan to keep between each of them or can some of them go in the same trenches? Like I don't think I'm comfortable with the idea of running NG with anything else, and I'm not sure about putting electric near waste or water... Heck I'm not even sure about waste and water going together. Do I plan/budget for 4 trenches?

Semi-related to the above, is there a distance code I can reference for locating the septic holding tank in relation to the water, NG, electric, waste lines? I want to relocate a bigger tank next to the new shop - most of the shop pipes will come from about the center, I'd like the tank (and house outlet) to be about 40'-45' to the left. I want the tank to be as close to the house as reasonable for stack slope/tank depth purposes, but I do have room to move it away from the house (and thus the shops underground lines) quite a bit if I have to.

Semi-related to the tank, though not really an electrical question) can I run the waste (single toilet and sink drain) from the detached shop straight into the septic tanks waste inlet pipe or does it have to go into the houses waste main? I might need some kinda poop pump for the shop toilet ~giggles~


** And yes, I will be paying for all the professional plans/tests/etc. when its time to start this project. However, I want to know this stuff for my own knowledge so I can make sure its done right [because I am kinda in the "wild west" RE code requirements] and [maybe mostly] so I can do initial designs without major changes when I go into getting started. I am very particular, so going in and having them tell me I can't put the shop bathroom there will set me back a month or more while I redesign the entire shop's layout (cabinets, tools, dust collection, etc.)

 

[Nealtw]

I can remark on some things I understand just from seeing it done. So take it for what it is worth.

All our houses get underground wiring now. They have depth it has to be I think 18" and under a driveway 30" I think. We put the 3" heavy grey PVC sweep in the foundation so it comes up in the wall so the meter box goes between 2 studs

+We also put in 2 light weight orange pvc sweeps, one for cable(TV) and one for Tel.

The breaker box with the main breaker has to be with in 3 ft of the meter when they go further, we have had to fill a stud bay with concrete to protect a longer cable.

So if you were going from there to the house you would likely want a main switch before it goes to the house

The mast that is on the roof goes right to the meter box in the basement to protect the cable before it gets to the main breaker.

So if you are going to run a new cable across the basement to the breaker box have a main switch somewhere would be needed. The people that later run the pipe from our sweeps drop a string in the pipe to pull the pull rope in later.

The electrician come in and install the breaker box soon after we get that first wall up and it has to be build with a little roof and a lockable door and that has to pass inspection before the cable is brought in.

I think the cable from the garage to the house would be up to you as Poco would stop at the meter.

 

[Nealtw]

When the build the streets here all the services are brought to the property line with a painted 2x4 sticking up to mark where they are. Depending on the house plan sometimes they cross each other in the front yard but they are at different depth and are all done by the same people at the same time. I have no idea what codes are on that.

 

[Mystriss]

hmm I have this on the house right now which is what I'm calling the "main breaker," has dual 125 breakers in it.

*Note: The lowest cable goes from the attic on the SIDE of the house to the front of shop (it's not as low as it looks) The middle cable is... well cable :vs_laugh:

Which I assume is what they'll put on the back of the shop "the meter" and "main breaker" (right?) Is that the same thing as the "main switch" you reference I should put in before I go from the shop to the house?

Thanks for the reminder on running cable too, I'd completely forgotten about it lol (Originally installed telephone comes from the street, down the second driveway there. MTA has a utility easement there that I'm getting rid of. I get my telephone from the cable company via the line with electric.)

 

[Nealtw]

switch, breaker, what ever. We don't see that meter box here so that just put a box near by with fuses in and a handle you can put to turn it off.

But the breaker allows them to go distance in the house because the wires are protected by the breaker.


Here you can see the orange grey pipes set in the concrete