When we had initially reached a purchase agreement on our property, one of the first things we did was researching how much it would cost to install a driveway and electric service. Driveway estimates for a 2,000 foot driveway came back between $26,000 and $50,000, and the electric estimate from our provider was at $12/foot or $24,000. One of our primary goals with establishing a homestead is to become more self sufficient and not beholden to utility companies, so we researched the feasibility of solar opportunities for electric service. Our area has surprisingly good solar access which would provide for all of our needs – at a cost of $60,000. The big ticket item was for the batteries needed to store all of this electricity gained as our system would be off grid.
We knew right there that solar was not feasible right now as there was no way we could afford such a system – even with federal and local credits accounting for a third of the bill. We decided to have the electric provider trench and bury service cable 1,800 feet. This would allow us to have them install a transformer and a meter pedestal at that location – provided that our building site(s) would be within 300 feet of that location. Anything further and we’d risk voltage drop. We chose the location of the transformer carefully to ensure that our building site(s) would be within that 300 feet, and the electric company installed the cable, transformer, and meter last fall. They even gave us a little “bulk” discount on the bill.
Now that we have our shed on the property, I wanted to run some electricity to it. I mentioned in a previous post that the shed had previously been wired with a few outlets and lights. I wanted to use this, not only for our comfort when staying there and building our cabin, but also for temporary power while building the cabin. By mounting a new electric panel inside the shed, we could connect the existing outlets to it and we’d meet both criteria. In order to do so, we’d have to trench and install 300 feet of cable from the meter to the shed’s location. I chose the spot of the shed carefully in that it is past the entrance for the electric to the cabin. That way, once the shell of the cabin is up I can move the panel and cable to the cabin and only have to trench 14 feet or so instead of the whole 300 feet. It seemed best to me to get the temporary power as close as we could to save us work in the future as we’d have to do it anyways.
I should also note that even though we decided not to go with solar at this time, by having a grid tied system we have the opportunity of selling additional power back to the electric company if we decide to install solar panels in the future – which is something both Bre and I would like to do. This not only will help reduce our carbon footprint but also help us generate our own electricity and even pay us back some (hopefully).
In order to trench the cable I rented a dingo trencher. Actually, I rented two. This leads me to the topic of something that I am grateful I gained from my father – perseverance. Bre calls it stubbornness, but I think perseverance sounds better. I had rented the first trencher and gotten it out to the property with no issues. I unloaded it from the trailer and started to hook up the hydraulic connections on the trencher when, for the life of me, I could not connect the quick-connect fittings. I relieved the pressure on the hydraulic lines and tested the pins. Everything worked, but I still could not connect the fitting. After several phone calls to the rental company, they told me that I’d have to bring it back to be serviced. I drove back into town and their technicians could not connect the fitting either. They told me that they’d have to order a new fitting (which could take a week), but they’d give me a credit on my rental if I still wanted to rent it again.
The problem is that our area is predominantly heavy clay. I knew this; everyone here knows this. What I didn’t anticipate, however, was that our land was so inundated with it. The trench runs through the open field and crosses our driveway. This field has been used as pasture land and hay field for the past 100 years, so I thought that at least the top foot or so would be nice suitable soil. I found out that it was more like 4 inches. The trench needed to be 2 feet deep, and try as I might, the trencher would only get down to about 18 inches before it bogged down. This caused two issues. First, I couldn’t get the implement low enough to run the tiller on the top soil. This spins the freshly dug soil away from the trench so that it doesn’t fall back in to the newly dug trench. Without being able to use it, the bottom of the trench would quickly fill back in. Secondly, we simply could not reach our target depth.
Luckily, I was blessed to have Bre stop out in the afternoon to give me a hand. With the two of us working together, she was able to run the trencher over for a second pass while I cleaned away the mounds of dirt from the first pass. This created a much cleaner trench, but we still could not reach our target depth. I was getting frustrated and upset by this point, but Bre prevailed. Even though she had to leave, she had encouraging words that helped me see the bigger picture, and for that I am thankful. That said, I knew that my only recourse was to dig the last 4-6 inches by hand, and I was in no mood to do so at that point. However, I quickly checked the forecast and found that the next few days were predicted to rain. This would be devastating for us at this point because if we didn’t get the cable in the trench and it rained, we’d risk the potential for the trench to collapse and we’d have to do it all over again.
Using the adze end of a pick axe, I was able to painstakingly dig out the last few inches of the trench – all 300 feet of it. This was difficult in that, not only was the trench narrow enough to the point that I had to perfectly swing the adze to get it to the bottom, but also because I was working almost two feet below the ground which was hard on my back. Also, due to the heavy clay, every swing resulted in five pounds of clay being stuck to the adze which had to be removed before the next swing. Thankfully, because of God’s grace and my “perseverance” I was able to finish it up just before nightfall. All I had left to do was place the cable in the trench so that if it collapsed, at least it would collapse and fill on top of the cable.
When we trench the cable to our house, I’ll be sure to either rent or hire out for an excavator now that I know that a trencher just won’t cut it. Sure, we saved a few hundred bucks and it gave me a chance to pat myself on the back, but efficiency is almost as valuable as cost. If you’ve had experience trenching, I’d love to hear what worked for you in the comments below. In the next post we’ll discuss hooking up our panel and the project moving forward.