It's Electrifying

This post displays the trenching in of the electric service conduit.  We set up the electric service install in two work orders.  This is the beginning of work order one, the burying of the 2-1/2" electrical conduit for the primary electric conductors.  It is a 188 ft run from the overhead electric lines at the street to the location of the pad transformer which will be mounted just west of the Shop.  We will install a stub of the  secondary conduit just exiting the transformer.  The remainder of the secondary conduit will be installed once the Shop is completed and the electric meter base is mounted on the east shop exterior wall.

Troy, of Valley Excavation elects to open the trench at the telephone pole out by the road.  Troy knows there are some utilities in that area, but Miss Utility did not mark the lines yet.  Carefully and methodically, Troy opens the trench.  Gari watches for any wires in the trench.Troy has found the telephone cable buried about 3 ft down.  He skillfully dug around that small telephone line with his enormous 3 ft wide bucket.  It was a sight to watch as he tickled that little cable with those huge metal teeth on the bucket!A view of the opened trench from the street.Troy opens up the trench for the secondary stub out at the pad transformer location.Gari observes from the safety of the Shop concrete pad.Troy hands the sweep 90s to his son Chance down in the trench.  Gari stands by with the PVC cleaner and cement.Chance holds the measuring tape showing the inspector that the conduit is buried 48".

A view of the conduit in the trench looking north from the pad transformer location back out to the street and pole.

A view from the opposite end of the trench; you can see the conduit goes underneath the telephone cable.

 

Troy begins the back-fill by dumping sandy soil on the conduit first.

Troy scoops up some more sandy soil from a high spot near the driveway.

The sandy soil is covering the conduit; now Troy begins to push the river rocky soil back into the trench.  He will cover the trench about half way and then install the buried warning tape.

Gari takes a break sitting on her Shop roof trusses.

Chance ties the buried warning tape off at the telephone pole as Gari lays the tape in the trench and holds it in place with rocks.

Below you can see the buried warning tape in the trench, weighted by rocks, as Troy covers it up.

Troy puts a few finishing compacting touches on the transformer pad area.

All the rocky soil is back in the trench; lastly Troy will spread the remaining mound of top soil over the trench area.

A view standing to the west of the Shop looking north toward the street.  You can see the transformer pad area and the telephone pole about 200 ft away.

A nice view of the transformer pad spot looking to the east and toward Mt. Baldy.

A finished view looking to the south from the street toward the Shop and pad transformer spot.

Now that we are nearing our departure date, it seems like our Eagle View Project is really gaining some traction.  In the next two weeks we are anticipating a big flurry of activity on the project.  We anticipate the 1500 gallon septic tank to arrive and be set, along with the Infiltrator drain field chamber sections.  We are expecting the electric coop to come out and install the primary electric conductors and set the pad transformer.  Lastly, we are hoping to see more lumber appear and framers to show up and begin assembly of the Shop.  We plan to remain in the area as long as progress on the project continues and the weather remains reasonable.  We will likely sit through a snow here before it's all over, but will pick a day after it all melts and bug out for climes south!   Hopefully we will have another post or two before we depart for the season.