For a year or more, Wayne Secrist has been talking about putting our electrical service underground. A month or so ago, things started happening: he would show up at our house with a lot of pipes, a 4x4 post, assorted other things. Then there were the hieroglyphics on the front lawn -- sign offs from the various utility companies for digging in that spot. Last Saturday (September 6th) Wayne and Zach Dahl came with a ditch digger and cut a deep, narrow trench from the power pole at the front corner of our lot to the back corner of the house and then at right angles, nearly to the basement wall. They encountered a problem when they ran into the sewer pipe out of the basement, but later patched it and all was g
ood. They also ran another trench at the front of the house, off toward the porch; Charter is to use it to put that service underground, as well. They laid pipe in the trench and then covered it all in, except at the ends. I don't know if there is wire in the pipes yet or if that is to come later. As I understand it, they have gone as far as they can. The next step has to be taken by a licensed electrician; he has come by and looked at everything, but we still have the exterior wiring. He will be responsible for hooking up a new meter base (to be placed on the aforementioned 4x4 at the back corner of the house) and wiring it in into the house. I don't know if he does the PUD end, as well, or not. When he has done his work, he will switch over the power and then we can take all of the wiring off the outside of the house. Wayne recommends that we leave the current meter base (non-functioning) so as to not leave a hole in the siding that is currently there. When we can afford to side tha
t portion, the metter base can go. I'll put in some pictures that, hopefully, will illustrate the electrical work and clarify the part of the house that will get sided in the next week or two. We will also be replacing the two side playroom windows and, hopefully, insulating that wall. More on that as it begins to happen
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