[4youngs]

We are adding a shed and will be running a new line from the electrical pole. The shed will be approximately 500 feet from the pole. Prior to the pole, this will also branch off to go to a new above ground pool to power the pump. Our question is if we can just run the line straight to the panel in the new shed or if we have to have another transformer since it is such a long run. We were planning to use 2ga wire - is that correct?

Thanks.

[stanfortyman]

Without a lot more detail this cannot be answered.

What is "the electric pole"?
Is 2ga correct for what?

[4youngs]

Sorry - The "electric pole" is the pole that has the main transformer on it that goes to the house. We are building a 60x120 shed that will be approx 500 feet from the main pole that we will run the new electric line from. We called the electric company to inquire if we needed to have a pole added with another transformer due to the length of the run or if we could just go straight to an electrical panel in the shed. They told us to consult an electrician. We also inquired about what size wire to run from the main transformer pole to the new shed and they could not tell us so we need to know what size wire to use for this run. We plan on running the wire inside of tubing when we bury it.
Thanks for your quick response. Hope this helps.

[ma0641]

We have no way to tell you the information you need. 2ga is meaningless unless you know what power needs you have for the building. By tubing I will assume you will use approved conduit. You can also do direct bury cable. What is the AMP capacity of the panel you mention?

[stanfortyman]

They told us to consult an electrician.

Did you?

I get the impression that this project is a bit out of your range of experience. It's also a bit much to DIY.

[donf]

The reasons the power company told you to consult an electrician are legion.

First the power company will only allow 1 service drop to a residential address. Their equipment terminates at the "Service Point". This means that you would have to come off your main service panelboard, not the power company's transformer.

Second, The NEC regulations on supplying power to a pool and its associated needs (pumps, lighting, grounding and bonding) are very exact. If not done correctly you can kill people using the pool.

Third. Since you have to come off your main service panelboard you really need load calculation completed. You need to know how to do this. You need to determine whether to use one feeder to supply two secondary panelboards (pool and Shed) or one (Shed) to feed the shed and pool.

Forth. A four wire underground 2 AWG copper conductor 500' long can only deliver a 25 amps if the ambient temperature is 86 (F) at the end of the feeder. The results are the same if you string the cable overhead.

At the secondary panelboard, you have to set up a new grounding system, isolate the neutral from the ground on the secondary panelboard.

And the list just grows from there.