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This is my second post of the day - I have a lot of questions haha.
My husband and I are in the process of negotiations for a home we are hoping to buy in the Smithtown area. One thing we noticed is that the power lines are running across the back yard to the house. We'd like to get them moved to the corner of the house rather than the middle of it so that the lines aren't directly over the backyard and deck. We also eventually would want to put in a pool so this could be very dangerous.
I am trying to find out if PSEG would come out and move this for us since there's potential safety risks or if it's something we'd have to pay for. If we do have to pay, does anyone have any idea how much this could cost? The lines aren't attached to a mast, just to the house itself. Just looking for a ballpark range so we know what to expect with the home. Are we talking 100s, 1000s??
This is my second post of the day - I have a lot of questions haha.
My husband and I are in the process of negotiations for a home we are hoping to buy in the Smithtown area. One thing we noticed is that the power lines are running across the back yard to the house. We'd like to get them moved to the corner of the house rather than the middle of it so that the lines aren't directly over the backyard and deck. We also eventually would want to put in a pool so this could be very dangerous.
I am trying to find out if PSEG would come out and move this for us since there's potential safety risks or if it's something we'd have to pay for. If we do have to pay, does anyone have any idea how much this could cost? The lines aren't attached to a mast, just to the house itself. Just looking for a ballpark range so we know what to expect with the home. Are we talking 100s, 1000s??
Thanks!!
It is a little more involved than just having the utility come out. They're only responsible up to the point of attachment, usually where the service drop meets the house. You will need an electrician to move your portion of the service wires from where they are now, to where the new point of attachment will be.
If you're serious about moving the service drop AND putting in a pool, make sure that where you plan on putting the new drop won't interfere with a pool. There are minimum distances that must be met. You may have to consider an underground service ($$$$). At the same time I would also consider upgrading the existing service if it hasn't been done already. Hope I didn't confuse you but it's better to do all this in one shot than doing it piecemeal.
If you are getting a pool you can show LIPA (now PSEG) a plan where the pool would be going. They may move the overhead lines to a different place on their power lines and maybe do a midspan. I had this done at my last house, the lines were hanging directly over a spot where I wanted to place a hot tub. It took time and a lot of back and forth with LIPA, but they eventually moved the line off to the side and did a midspan. Didn't cost me anything either because that work "led to a better overall design" for LIPA.
If the wires from the pole attach to one part of the house and you want to move the lines so they attach to a different part of the house, they won't do that for free. Also keep in mind that to code you typically have to install pools at least 10' away from any overhead wires.
Underground service will run anywhere from $2500 and up depending on the size of your back yard and what is already out there. I did underground at my new house. No overhead wires, looks great and cost me $2500 if I remember. If you do underground, have them run additional conduits for cable and telco/FIOS.
If you are getting a pool you can show LIPA (now PSEG) a plan where the pool would be going. They may move the overhead lines to a different place on their power lines and maybe do a midspan. I had this done at my last house, the lines were hanging directly over a spot where I wanted to place a hot tub. It took time and a lot of back and forth with LIPA, but they eventually moved the line off to the side and did a midspan. Didn't cost me anything either because that work "led to a better overall design" for LIPA.
If the wires from the pole attach to one part of the house and you want to move the lines so they attach to a different part of the house, they won't do that for free. Also keep in mind that to code you typically have to install pools at least 10' away from any overhead wires.
Underground service will run anywhere from $2500 and up depending on the size of your back yard and what is already out there. I did underground at my new house. No overhead wires, looks great and cost me $2500 if I remember. If you do underground, have them run additional conduits for cable and telco/FIOS.
Yes, definitely run more pipe and bury all the utilities if you're doing one.
Know people who've buried their utilities and it wasn't an issue though it was a few years ago. OP should consult with PSE&G as well as a licensed electrician.
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I would definitely confirm the price and that you will be able to relocate the lines. The "safety" argument doesn't matter because the lines have been that way since the home was built and is acceptable per the codes.
If they can't be moved you'll need to decide if this house is still worth it for you...good luck.
I would definitely confirm the price and that you will be able to relocate the lines. The "safety" argument doesn't matter because the lines have been that way since the home was built and is acceptable per the codes.
If they can't be moved you'll need to decide if this house is still worth it for you...good luck.
The safety argument comes back into play when you change the connection point on the house. Then it has to comply with current code.
Thank you all for the help. We got an accepted offer lower than we where planning to pay for the home. So hopefully that'll make up for any additional costs to move the wires. We will definitely wait on moving them until we're ready for the pool so we can make sure everything is done correctly in one shot. I'll probably also look into quotes for running the lines underground. Only issues I've heard with that is if they ever need to access the line they'll have to dig up your yard again and of course the higher cost.
Thank you all for the help. We got an accepted offer lower than we where planning to pay for the home. So hopefully that'll make up for any additional costs to move the wires. We will definitely wait on moving them until we're ready for the pool so we can make sure everything is done correctly in one shot. I'll probably also look into quotes for running the lines underground. Only issues I've heard with that is if they ever need to access the line they'll have to dig up your yard again and of course the higher cost.
They should run the power lines through conduit. They aren't going to just bury power lines in dirt. There should never be a need to dig up the lines. If there is an issue with a line, they can cut the line and always run a new one through and snake the new line through the conduit. When I did my underground I only had cable with no telephone, but I still had them run three conduits (power/cable/telco). The telco conduit was empty and reserved for future use . Verizon was able to snake a new wire through it with no problem, no digging necessary.
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