Install electrical service on vacant land

[Dennis Alwon]

Your building inspections may have something to say about this. Around here they will make you install a septic system and well if you plan on living in it

 

[Poweranytime]

Yes if you get the temp rv or intent to build the septic and water source must be present. For ag it's just water. Some counties limit the well pole to 60 amp because they been ending up with a makeshift illegal mobile park with no septics

 

[Poweranytime]

Rv park

 

[GRAMMAG8]

I have a similar question but for a different reason. I need to pump water from a shared well, the house below us burned down and adult children don’t have the means to put power lines back up, which were cut by Fire Dept at time of the fire. The power company requires whoever owns the land order and get power set back up. How do I pull water up to my home without a pole and power? I have been told I can bury an electrical power wire to pump and pull it up with my power and have a cut off switch on our power box…hope someone has an answer…it’s been a year without water….I have tried to talk to the 2 adult children but that is a dead end. No insurance on the house and no one with any ability to do anything that costs money. One is homeless and one is unable to pay for a paper bag. I have even offered money, over her head in comprehension. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. I have tried contacting well and drillers..they are 1 year out and don’t need a well…I have one just can’t get it to spit water!

 

[hbiss]

Sounds like a problem for your attorney.

-Hal

 

[electrofelon]

I have a similar question but for a different reason. I need to pump water from a shared well, the house below us burned down and adult children don’t have the means to put power lines back up, which were cut by Fire Dept at time of the fire. The power company requires whoever owns the land order and get power set back up. How do I pull water up to my home without a pole and power? I have been told I can bury an electrical power wire to pump and pull it up with my power and have a cut off switch on our power box…hope someone has an answer…it’s been a year without water….I have tried to talk to the 2 adult children but that is a dead end. No insurance on the house and no one with any ability to do anything that costs money. One is homeless and one is unable to pay for a paper bag. I have even offered money, over her head in comprehension. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. I have tried contacting well and drillers..they are 1 year out and don’t need a well…I have one just can’t get it to spit water!

I'm a bit confused here, but if I am understanding correctly yes to the part in red.

 

[GRAMMAG8]

I'm a bit confused here, but if I am understanding correctly yes to the part in red.

So who typically does this type of work. The well and drill people are overwhelmed and I really don‘t know enough to ask the correct questions. Can someone tell what that work might be called and who is the best person to be experienced to do it? I would think an electrician but have had no repsonses to messages left for that type of work…so maybe I am not describing it properly..thanks!

 

[electrofelon]

So who typically does this type of work. The well and drill people are overwhelmed and I really don‘t know enough to ask the correct questions. Can someone tell what that work might be called and who is the best person to be experienced to do it? I would think an electrician but have had no repsonses to messages left for that type of work…so maybe I am not describing it properly..thanks!

So the well was powered from your neighbors, but now because they are shut off you need to power the well from your house? Do I have that correct?

 

[GRAMMAG8]

Yes thats correct.
I have been trying to work with County Code Enforcement since March. They had cited a daughter $1000 for abatement but she pled no money so the 35-40K to clean up the .75 acre has been set aside I guess
I had hoped they would go in, as the law allows, pay professionals to clean it up, put to auction as none of them have the money to pay the county for that bill, new owners would come in and we could go back to a better place than the land had been in 20 years…BUT thats not happened…and now grand daughter has been given the land as she can at least pay for dump runs. BUT she is very non cooperative….I dont’ know why as my son and her grandmother had no issues for 20 years…but i need to figure a way to get water up the little hill from the pump house.

 

[retirede]

If the well is on your land, you should be able to hire an electrician to run power from your panel and remove the wiring to the other house.

You’d still have to think about the pipe that supplies water to the other place - you’re now paying for their water!

 

[GRAMMAG8]

Its a shared well…if it was on MY land I would have no issues….

 

[retirede]

Its a shared well…if it was on MY land I would have no issues….

Exactly!

 

[synchro]

Is there a documented agreement on the use, maintenance, and financial responsibilities for the shared well, plumbing, and electrical supply?

 

[tom baker]

Do you have an easement for the water line that used to feed your property?
Would the current owner of the land where the well is benefit from having water available?
You may be able to make a deal, easement = water

 

[GRAMMAG8]

The land appears to have been split into 2 lots back in the 1940”s….I can not find an agreement. I do have an easement per my paperwork recorded.
The problem is I don’t think they have any idea as to what they want to do but OWN the land…the grand daughter is not responding to any communications from me. I was able to get an appt for end of month with a pump guy to quote me cost to run wire in conduit to well. Going to write her and see if she will finally acknowledge that we are in this together. thus far she has not cared, but if pump is dead due to non use for a year, she may be happy to split the cost with someone. If I am able to get a well dug she is going to find owning the land is not a free project. I am also hounding a driller who supposedly is doing wells NOW…which I find hard to believe as everyone has quoted me 1 year OR LONGER…his voice mail is full…gosh what a surprise@!…

 

[retirede]

The land appears to have been split into 2 lots back in the 1940”s….I can not find an agreement. I do have an easement per my paperwork recorded.
The problem is I don’t think they have any idea as to what they want to do but OWN the land…the grand daughter is not responding to any communications from me. I was able to get an appt for end of month with a pump guy to quote me cost to run wire in conduit to well. Going to write her and see if she will finally acknowledge that we are in this together. thus far she has not cared, but if pump is dead due to non use for a year, she may be happy to split the cost with someone. If I am able to get a well dug she is going to find owning the land is not a free project. I am also hounding a driller who supposedly is doing wells NOW…which I find hard to believe as everyone has quoted me 1 year OR LONGER…his voice mail is full…gosh what a surprise@!…

If you have the means, the best way to end all the headaches would be to buy the lot from them. Start with a lowball offer. They might find a little bit of green more attractive than owning a lot with a burned out house on it.

 

[GRAMMAG8]

Welllllll the real sad part is that a neighbor offered them 3 times its value AND pay the 40K to clean up the land and they aren’t even responding…
the neighbors would really like to have to have gotten that family off the land as they have been a blight for over 20 years..

 

[retirede]

Welllllll the real sad part is that a neighbor offered them 3 times its value AND pay the 40K to clean up the land and they aren’t even responding…
the neighbors would really like to have to have gotten that family off the land as they have been a blight for over 20 years..

Maybe the neighbor will buy your place

 

[Dzboyce]

I'm a water well drilling and pump contractor in Washington State.

You have a shared well, located on the adjoining property. There is no written shared well agreement. You do have a recorded easement of some kind to access the well. The adjoining landowners residence burned down (not sure if it was a structure fire or wildland fire). Power to the residence and or well was cut due to the fire. The neighbor or their heirs do not have or do not want to spend the money to clean up the fire damage or restore power to the well.

Have you previously contributed to the cost of operating the pump or to its upkeep? Are you welling to pay all the costs of reconnecting the pump to power on a well that you do not own? Are you willing to pay to have your own well drilled and pump installed located on your property? Expect to pay 10-50k for your own well and pump.

Yes there are huge backlogs of drilling. Wait times can be 3 to 18 months. Sold a drill rig to a friend that works the Dorris-Weed area. He had a 3-6 month backlog before the wildland fires this summer. That added another 100 or more wells to rehab to his backlog.

 

[Dzboyce]

For the original poster; it depends on your county and your power company. Where I live, the county doesn't have any jurisdiction over electrical service. However they do over structures over 160 square feet, and septic systems. The also do not allow people to reside in RV'S for more than 6 months out of the year, unless they are located in a permitted RV park.

Your power company may have restrictions or minimum power usage to install a service.

I have worked on property that has had a 200 amp service with a 3R panel on a pole. Before any construction had npbeen started, the state electrical inspector did require a minimum of a single120 volt outlet be installed before he would approve the service to be energized.