[AT] Using shipping containers for tractor storage

[Richard Walker]

Regarding the issue of a container being defined as temporary or 
permanent by officialdom, how it's wired for power can also dictate 
their decision.  Disclaimer - I'm only speaking from my personal 
experience twenty years ago in southern California, so your locale might 
be different.

Our county regulations stated if you run an overhead or underground line 
directly feeding a shed or other outbuilding, this defined it as a 
permanent structure.   I was advised by a car collector friend who had 
several containers that the way to circumvent this, to keep temporary 
status, was to mount a standard RV power cable connector box to the 
outside wall. From there run your feed wires inside to a small subpanel 
with breaker(s), and wire as desired.  Then you simply plug an extension 
cord/other power source into this connector box.

If power is available close by from a house or other meter, you're 
lucky, as Carl said.  But if you need the power company to install a 
line of poles, a transformer, and a meter, probably way too costly.  
Alternately think about a few solar panels, a few deep cycle batteries, 
inverter, mount LED overhead lights, and install a receptacle or two for 
cordless tool battery chargers.


- Richard


> I’m guessing that your question pertains to an outbuilding with no 
> power. If so, you can run a line to a second breaker box, but it would 
> have to come off of the house meter, connected on the house side of 
> the meter so that you would be billed for what you use. If you’re 
> talking about a pole owned by the utility, you’re not supposed to 
> mount anything on their pole. Now if you’re talking about you own 
> private pole, you can run a line and mount whatever you want to it, a 
> song as you comply with all local ordinances. I’ve seen meters and 
> breaker boxes mounted on plywood sheets mounted between two posts on 
> some dairy farms, but can’t say if this something allowed by local 
> ordinance. But apparently it’s OK with the utility company since they 
> hooked up to it. You can use direct burial cable from the house, but 
> it needs to be buried about three feet deep.

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