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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Getting power dropped across a river?
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Fenny
Member
# Posted: 4 Oct 2022 19:34
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Up in Ontario Canada (just south of Sudbury) here and just wondering if anyone has ever had Hydro dropped across a river (around 500 meter)? We've confirmed they will do it but it's been months waiting on a quote. I expect it to be exorbitant and so am preparing to go solar, but I was just wondering if anyone has ever had it done? And if so, what did they charge you?

FishHog
Member
# Posted: 5 Oct 2022 07:54
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Can’t answer your question as I’m on solar but thought I’d say hi as I’m about 30km south of Sudbury near estaire

Good luck with the power.

Bruces
Member
# Posted: 5 Oct 2022 08:09
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I am right in your neighbourhood in Wanup ,on the Wahnapitei River and we have hydro available as there are 6 cabins in my area .I am Solar though with no regrets .

rpe
Member
# Posted: 5 Oct 2022 08:45
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I'm south of you, near Byng Inlet, water access property. Hydro is run to most properties in our area through the lake and river. It was put in back in the 80's. I'd be interested to hear what the quote is also.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 5 Oct 2022 19:55 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Thats gotta be pricey!
And the monthly hook up fee and ongoing use rates will only go up....
In retrospect (and off-grid cabining since '83)right off Id wire properly for 120vac. Use one side of the service box for the heavy load appliances and/or outlets. Then feed that side of the box with an RV type plugin on the cabin exterior or hardwire a line from a RV type post outside. Power that from a quiet inv/gen.
Power the other side of the box for light load stuff and LED lighting with your bat-bank and a small psw inverter.
Charge the bat-bank with a regular ac charger (suitable for the battery chemistry and size) whenever the gen is running. That gets the 'bulk' charging quick.
This gets you usable self produced elec right away with room to improve upon.
Build in solar as you want/can to augment that and get the 'absorb' stage of charging. If you get the right stuff you can start the array smallish and build up over time.
It gets detailed building in the right solar, the first stuff gets you running elec.

Fenny
Member
# Posted: 15 Oct 2022 19:47
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Quoting: gcrank1
Thats gotta be pricey!
And the monthly hook up fee and ongoing use rates will only go up....
In retrospect (and off-grid cabining since '83)right off Id wire properly for 120vac. Use one side of the service box for the heavy load appliances and/or outlets. Then feed that side of the box with an RV type plugin on the cabin exterior or hardwire a line from a RV type post outside. Power that from a quiet inv/gen.
Power the other side of the box for light load stuff and LED lighting with your bat-bank and a small psw inverter.
Charge the bat-bank with a regular ac charger (suitable for the battery chemistry and size) whenever the gen is running. That gets the 'bulk' charging quick.
This gets you usable self produced elec right away with room to improve upon.
Build in solar as you want/can to augment that and get the 'absorb' stage of charging. If you get the right stuff you can start the array smallish and build up over time.
It gets detailed building in the right solar, the first stuff gets you running elec.


That was actually Plan A, pretty much to a "T"! But still curious to see what the cost would be for them to drop a line. I imagine we'd probably get it back in value if/when we sell down the road. But if we don't plan on selling anytime soon then that money could go to better use elsewhere.

rachelsdad
Member
# Posted: 27 Nov 2022 07:45
Reply 


I had called National Grid to run a line to my small island.

The engineering drawings would have cost close to $5,500.

Then I would have to beg the landowner closest to me to place, at my expense, a "telephone" pole and a transformer. On their waterfront property. Ditto on the island. Funny it has an existing telephone cable running under water to the boat house.

I assumed I'd be well over $4,000 for the pole installs IF the poles could be brought to the site...difficult terrain. They float too so getting one to the island would be possible but who could drag a 1,600 lb pole up hill. Then add the cost of power lines, transformers etc.

Then....you get a monthly bill!!!

Fenny
Member
# Posted: 29 Nov 2022 13:26
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Well, it took almost 5 months to get a ball park estimate but the rough number I got today was for: $67,300 to run about 470 meters. That was before taxes (this is Canada so that's another big increase) and possible easement costs as we might need to cross private property. So probably closer to $80,000!

The interesting part was that we might have the option of doing our own install of the cable if we want to cut costs. So I requested a follow up on that with a technician to see what I'd be looking at to do it myself. With that said, reducing the cost by 1/2 would still make it more than we want to pay for the privilege of a monthly bill!

BRADISH
Member
# Posted: 30 Nov 2022 11:57
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Quoting: Fenny
So probably closer to $80,000!


Sounds to me like you just justified an $80,000 solar system

At least that's what I would tell my wife!

FishHog
Member
# Posted: 30 Nov 2022 14:36
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Guess I'll be staying on solar, my run would be about 3km.

Fenny
Member
# Posted: 11 Dec 2022 17:47 - Edited by: Fenny
Reply 


Quoting: BRADISH
Sounds to me like you just justified an $80,000 solar system

At least that's what I would tell my wife!


Yeah...the only other possible option is to do the work myself and just hydro do the final hookup. We're in no hurry to build, it will probably be 2025 or so before we break ground on the cottage so I think I'll look into pricing the setup myself and I can find cabling at a great price, then maybe look seriously at running it myself. But without cutting that quote down by at least 60% I don't see it making any sense.

[edit] For anyone reading in the future looking at a similar idea know that there are some other factors that could have reduced the cost. Primarily, if we could have roped a couple other places into the same run. However, we're completely surrounded by crown land and the closest neighbour is well over a km away so we're on our own.

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