Rural VS City living

MC

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I wouldnt think you needed permits or any other "permissions" to replace in kind any electric panel. If you intend to upgrade to more amps then yes as example replacing a 100 amp panel with 200 amp even if you only use 100 amps of the capacity. The box would be capable of adding circuits to fill up the 200 amp capacity which is why they want a new service line. 10K for a service line inside a city seems a bit much even by California standards. You couldnt be running that far in a city. Rural areas I could see when you might have to run 1/4 mile or more.

Welcome to California! The run is about 25 feet. :ROFLMAO:
 

CA_Bgrwldr

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Grass Valley, CA
Welder
Hobarts
I wouldnt think you needed permits or any other "permissions" to replace in kind any electric panel. If you intend to upgrade to more amps then yes as example replacing a 100 amp panel with 200 amp even if you only use 100 amps of the capacity. The box would be capable of adding circuits to fill up the 200 amp capacity which is why they want a new service line. 10K for a service line inside a city seems a bit much even by California standards. You couldnt be running that far in a city. Rural areas I could see when you might have to run 1/4 mile or more.
Living in over regulated CA, you need a permit for just about everything when it comes any property issues, and utility permits are the most expensive. In my area of CA, building new in CA, can set you back about $60k or more in permits and fees.
 

Old Irish

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The River Sticks
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Lincoln SW200,PowerMig 180, A/C225 with rectifier, 2 Chinese plasma, stick, tig- 1-Chinese stick w/hot start&arc force and 1 Chinese 205A mig
about 20 miles to the nearest store, 25 miles to the nearest small town, about 50 miles to the nearest medium size town and about 300 miles to the nearest big town and wouldn't have it any other way. I turn 60 next month and I am a young guy here so it is nice and quite just like I like it.
 

Gary Fowler

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about 20 miles to the nearest store, 25 miles to the nearest small town, about 50 miles to the nearest medium size town and about 300 miles to the nearest big town and wouldn't have it any other way. I turn 60 next month and I am a young guy here so it is nice and quite just like I like it.
I didnt think anyone could get 300 miles from a big town anymore, I guess it all depends on your definition of "big town". Where I live now a big town is one with over 70K population (which would be Little Rock Ar. (75mi), medium 50K (Texarkana 100mi)and small would be the little red light stop (Bismarck)at the local Valero station about 4 miles from me. A really big town would be Dallas / Houston type which I avoid at all cost. Even when I lived near Houston, I only went downtown when I had too. I shopped the 'burbs' for all my needs. One of my girls was totally opposite and always elected to live in the city limits as close to downtown as possible (no accounting for someones taste in living I suppose).

When we lived in Canada (Fort McMurray) it was 400 miles to Edmonton and nothing but maybe a gas station midway between them. I used to tell the wife that you can get anything you need in Ft. Mac but not necessarily anything you want. There was no shopping there, you found something, you bought it because if not, when you came back an hour or so later, it may have been sold. That was the only town where I saw the shelfs almost bare in all the stores more than one time. The town only had about 15K permanent residents but could swell to over 100K with the work camps for the major oil sands projects at that time (not so much now though).
 

Old Irish

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Location
The River Sticks
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Lincoln SW200,PowerMig 180, A/C225 with rectifier, 2 Chinese plasma, stick, tig- 1-Chinese stick w/hot start&arc force and 1 Chinese 205A mig
I didnt think anyone could get 300 miles from a big town anymore, I guess it all depends on your definition of "big town". Where I live now a big town is one with over 70K population (which would be Little Rock Ar. (75mi), medium 50K (Texarkana 100mi)and small would be the little red light stop (Bismarck)at the local Valero station about 4 miles from me. A really big town would be Dallas / Houston type which I avoid at all cost. Even when I lived near Houston, I only went downtown when I had too. I shopped the 'burbs' for all my needs. One of my girls was totally opposite and always elected to live in the city limits as close to downtown as possible (no accounting for someones taste in living I suppose).

When we lived in Canada (Fort McMurray) it was 400 miles to Edmonton and nothing but maybe a gas station midway between them. I used to tell the wife that you can get anything you need in Ft. Mac but not necessarily anything you want. There was no shopping there, you found something, you bought it because if not, when you came back an hour or so later, it may have been sold. That was the only town where I saw the shelfs almost bare in all the stores more than one time. The town only had about 15K permanent residents but could swell to over 100K with the work camps for the major oil sands projects at that time (not so much now though).
If you use 70k then the big town would be the one at 50 miles, I go there for work every week day so i guess that it is to familiar to feel big, and I work on the edge of that county before you get into the city limits.
 

PILOON

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North of Montreal
Welder
Hobart 200 stick
Permits, permits ----
Soon you'll need a permit to apply 4 a permit.

Being rural we have more than our fair share.
Building permit, well permit, septic permit, shed permit, sign permit, tree cutting permit, dock permit, minor change permit, permit to recycle materials, fire pit permit and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few.
yep--- soil analysis for septic, and another for soil stability
Oh some get costly, like a well permit since you need to be 25 feet from any septic hence you need to survey the neighbors as well as your own.
Then the soil stability calls for a core drill to come on site = $$'s
Recently they added semi annual septic pumping law to add insult to injury.

A friend got a permit to cut dead trees ($$) (yes req'd) and they stipulated that he need re plant same quantity.
We live in a forest!

Now all those tests require a certified technician or engineer to be valid.
Not a cash grab!

Ok, I'll show my age, I built my first house (log cabin really), dug septic by hand, used lake water and built my dock, garage and sheds and driveway and NEVER needed a single permit!
Shucks I'd have needed a permit for each log I cut.
 

CA_Bgrwldr

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Location
Grass Valley, CA
Welder
Hobarts
Fortunately in over regulated Cali, a burn permit is the easiest thing to get, it can be done over your smart phone and is free. O the other hand, if you want to build a new home, you are looking at about $60k in permits, fees, and taxes.
 

PILOON

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North of Montreal
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You forgot a burn permit, when you take care of your slash piles.....

Yep!
While one is needed for burn barrels as I said, you are correct in that for burn piles or construction debris another is needed and that is $'s and to be issued for specific day and ONLY outside of city limits, and with fire pump nearby.
As well they specify that no accelerents be used. (gee forgot that old tire was there,LOL)
 

Gary Fowler

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Yep!
While one is needed for burn barrels as I said, you are correct in that for burn piles or construction debris another is needed and that is $'s and to be issued for specific day and ONLY outside of city limits, and with fire pump nearby.
As well they specify that no accelerents be used. (gee forgot that old tire was there,LOL)
So you use 5 gallons of propane on a weed burner torch to get it going instead of a quart of diesel, what is the value in that as far as environmental issues. Any you know it is going to smoke far worse trying to get it started with a burner rather than some accelerant..
 

PILOON

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North of Montreal
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Was just scanning Cottage Life Magazine on line.
They were dealing with folks that wanted to upgrade to year round conversion.
WOW, some upgrades they wanted.
Their main concern hinted that they might be required to winter service roads that were usually not done.

Then I found another permit that I forgot:-- OCCUPANCY PERMIT !
 

CA_Bgrwldr

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Location
Grass Valley, CA
Welder
Hobarts
So you use 5 gallons of propane on a weed burner torch to get it going instead of a quart of diesel, what is the value in that as far as environmental issues. Any you know it is going to smoke far worse trying to get it started with a burner rather than some accelerant..
Typical liberal idiocy of thinking in a vacuum, i.e., oil burns dirty, propane burns clean, therefore propane is a better, never mind how long propane needs to burn to produce the same result. It is the same here in CA, where they add a bunch of crap to the gas to make it burn cleaner, yet you burn more fuel per mile, and wind up with the fuel additives polluting the ground water supply, which what happened with MTBE. Even after many law makers documented a significant loss in mileage, mine was 12%(burned 2.5 gallons more per tank to go the same distance), the Liberals still claimed it was better for the environment, it was only after it was found in Lake Tahoe, that they changed their opinion on MTBE.
 

Old Irish

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Location
The River Sticks
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Lincoln SW200,PowerMig 180, A/C225 with rectifier, 2 Chinese plasma, stick, tig- 1-Chinese stick w/hot start&arc force and 1 Chinese 205A mig
I will never move back to the 'burbs' or city. On my must list for a property is I need to be able to pee outside without being whistled at or arrested.
it is nice to go out in your skivvies to feed up or fetch something from the shop or truck. I have a simple shooting range as do most in this neck of the woods and we don't panic at the sound of gun fire. I built my shop and tractor shed without permits and so far so good and the tractor shed was built in 2007 and the shop a few years ago. pretty much live and let live but we are starting to get some city dwellers that are trying to escape the city and with them will come problems for us locals.
the downside is feral hogs but it is still well worth it in my humble opinion.
 

Bearskinner

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N. Idaho
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Miller
Fortunately, out here you go on line and get a free permit to burn your slash pile. The county fire district just wants to know your location, so they know it’s s planned fire instead of a wildfire.
 

Bearskinner

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N. Idaho
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I use my used motor oil, mix it with s few shovel fills of sawdust, scoop it in a cardboard box. It makes a great candle for getting the slash pile going. It will burn for 15 minutes, so even in the rain, it will get the pile going.
 

Gary Fowler

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I use my used motor oil, mix it with s few shovel fills of sawdust, scoop it in a cardboard box. It makes a great candle for getting the slash pile going. It will burn for 15 minutes, so even in the rain, it will get the pile going.
That is a great idea, I never thought about mixing the motor oil with a flammable substance, likely because I dont deal with a lot of sawdust. I guess I need to start collecting the little bit here and there to mix up some "candles". I guess the best place would be getting the wood chips from my chainsaw cutting.
 

Bearskinner

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That is a great idea, I never thought about mixing the motor oil with a flammable substance, likely because I dont deal with a lot of sawdust. I guess I need to start collecting the little bit here and there to mix up some "candles". I guess the best place would be getting the wood chips from my chainsaw cutting.

That’s exactly where I get my saw dust. I get a few boxes about 12 pack size and save the sawdust for future use. Right before I need to burn, I’ll start 1/4 full of saw dust, pour oil, mix, add sawdust, pour mix etc. get it on the slash pile pretty quick as cardboard boxes will leak thru, and make an oily mess.
If it’s cold and rainy, I’ll take a small gas can with half oil, half gasoline. (Only a quart or so, to avoids huge flare up.) pour it over the box to get it started. Stand back and start feeding the fire.
 

Gary Fowler

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That’s exactly where I get my saw dust. I get a few boxes about 12 pack size and save the sawdust for future use. Right before I need to burn, I’ll start 1/4 full of saw dust, pour oil, mix, add sawdust, pour mix etc. get it on the slash pile pretty quick as cardboard boxes will leak thru, and make an oily mess.
If it’s cold and rainy, I’ll take a small gas can with half oil, half gasoline. (Only a quart or so, to avoids huge flare up.) pour it over the box to get it started. Stand back and start feeding the fire.
Even a small amount of gasoline in oil will cause a big flare up (BTDT) so I always use a little diesel in the oil if needed. Actually, I just pour the oil all over the brush pile and then use about a quart of diesel on the edge to get the oil to start burning, the it is just wait while it burns down. Then a couple or re-piling of the unburned and lastly spread out the ashes. Easy-peasey if you have a tractor with FEL.
 
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