[tkrussell]

I am in Maine so everybody is out west of me.

No,upgrading the meter socket to a 320 Amp is not possible at all under any circumstance, if that is what you mean.

Yes see if you can use it as a pull box with the right cover he accepts. He may go for it. I would with an appropriate cover, and the proper lugs in the panel.

[ktulu]

Very cool! I will give it a shot when he comes to inspect the rough-in for the slab.

Thank you very much for your help! If I ever get to Maine I will bring you a fat steak to go with that delicious lobster!:D

[ktulu]

I just thought of something. If I am able to install a new meter panel and use a double lug socket and come off that and into my two 200Amp panels will that be considered to separate mains. What I mean is shouldn't I have 2 ground rods? Or do I need to run the two grounds and neutrals in series and only tie one neutral to ground?

If the inspector lets me use my existing panel as a pull box then I will need to install a 200Amp disconnect before I make the 15ft run to my addition right?

Just trying to figure out where it will all be placed so I can show him I have given it some thought.

[dherman1]

To get the conduit under the driveway, you can use water to bore the way. Get a couple of lenths of PVC and make an adapter at one one that will allow a hose to be attached and one at the other end to allow a water jet. This could be as simple as a small hole drilled in the end of a cap.

Dig a pit one each side of the driveway deeper than what you need to allow for the run off.

Turn the water on full bore and start drilling. The water jet will soften the soil and by moving the PVC in and out, it will quickly tunnel through all but the hardest soils. If you use the same thickness PVC as the conduit you will be running the wire through, you will have a hole the correct diameter. Just done use the same conduit for drilling that you will be using for running the wire through. Unless you THOROUGHLY dry them out.

Good Luck, Dan

Connect one end to your hose and the other

[ktulu]

Sounds great! I used that technique to bore under my sidewalk and it worked out great!

The only problem here is I am pretty limited on my space so I may need to run a pump to keep the water level in the pit low. Hopefully I won't run into any problems when I dig the pit. Like running into the existing electrical conduit.. or the gas line! :)

Thanks to everyone for all the help. I am running my sub panel with 2/0 and going to install a 30/40 200Amp panel in the addition and hopefully I will be able to utilize the existing panel with a new meter box.