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Author Topic: Electrician Fee  (Read 11226 times)

Josh Evangelista

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Electrician Fee
« on: October 21, 2016, 06:41:53 PM »

Hi guys,

How much does an electrician charges if you hire them to tap off the power line of a building for a show?
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Mark Cadwallader

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Re: Electrician Fee
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2016, 06:48:52 PM »

Are you asking about a tap downstream from the meter and the main breaker?  How much power are you talking about?
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Josh Evangelista

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Re: Electrician Fee
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2016, 07:11:52 PM »

Are you asking about a tap downstream from the meter and the main breaker?  How much power are you talking about?

Yes. Sorry I have limited knowledge of electrical power so please bear with me. I will need to power a Danley DNA20k4 and two QSC PLD4.5 amps. I presume I can have two-three 20 amp outlets?
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Mark Cadwallader

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Re: Electrician Fee
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2016, 08:39:57 PM »

Yes. The cost is going to vary based on a number of factors:

1. Are there 3 open spaces in the circuit breaker box?  If not, then you will need a sub-panel (or a new main panel). (I assume that the electrical service to the building will support the additional amperage needed.)
2.  Is this a permanent installation, or a one-off event?
3.  How far do you need to go from the circuit breaker panel to the point you need to plug in?  Is there good access to run the wires (and conduit, if needed/required).  If it is temporary you might be able to run suitable cable to a small distro.

YMMV.
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Jeff Bankston

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Re: Electrician Fee
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2016, 10:33:23 PM »

It varies. A service company in Los Angeles will charge $60-$95 an hour with a 1 hour minimum charge and then 15 minute intervals after. The cost for what you want done will depend on whats involved and if any additional parts are used. Without being there I cant say how much. It will be a time and materials job.
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Josh Evangelista

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Re: Electrician Fee
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2016, 04:06:46 PM »

Yes. The cost is going to vary based on a number of factors:

1. Are there 3 open spaces in the circuit breaker box?  If not, then you will need a sub-panel (or a new main panel). (I assume that the electrical service to the building will support the additional amperage needed.)
2.  Is this a permanent installation, or a one-off event?
3.  How far do you need to go from the circuit breaker panel to the point you need to plug in?  Is there good access to run the wires (and conduit, if needed/required).  If it is temporary you might be able to run suitable cable to a small distro.

YMMV.

Thanks Mark. Its a one-offf event.
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Josh Evangelista

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Re: Electrician Fee
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2016, 04:07:31 PM »

It varies. A service company in Los Angeles will charge $60-$95 an hour with a 1 hour minimum charge and then 15 minute intervals after. The cost for what you want done will depend on whats involved and if any additional parts are used. Without being there I cant say how much. It will be a time and materials job.

Thanks Jeff. Will this rate normally includes teardown?
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Jeff Bankston

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Re: Electrician Fee
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2016, 04:19:06 PM »

Thanks Jeff. Will this rate normally includes teardown?
If the electrician has to come back out it will cost you. Ask if he will give you a flat rate price when he comes.
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Stephen Kirby

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Re: Electrician Fee
« Reply #8 on: October 24, 2016, 06:42:07 PM »

Since you are getting the large Danley amp, I would suggest getting a small distro that feeds of a 50A California plug.  That is the most common supply you'll find other than 10A Edisons or cams (which you don't want to play with).  Your distro can have a 30A outlet to feed the large amp and a few circuits of 20A outlets for other things.

Now what you want the electrician to do (if a CS outlet isn't at the site) is add in a temporary 50A breaker and a pigtail to the CS plug (which you can buy since you'll be using it all the time).  You'll also need enough 4/4 or 6/4 (depending on length) cable to get from the breaker box in whatever venues you'll be working in to where you need the power (typically near your amp rack).
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Geoff Doane

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Re: Electrician Fee
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2016, 08:23:39 AM »


Now what you want the electrician to do (if a CS outlet isn't at the site) is add in a temporary 50A breaker and a pigtail to the CS plug (which you can buy since you'll be using it all the time).  You'll also need enough 4/4 or 6/4 (depending on length) cable to get from the breaker box in whatever venues you'll be working in to where you need the power (typically near your amp rack).

At my day job, we're frequently in the position of having to get a temporary service installed for a mobile recording truck.  The truck feeder is 200 ft. of 2 ga. with cam-locks, but the truck only draws a bit over 30A, so we can run off a 50A double-pole breaker.  We found it was actually less expensive to have an electrician install a NEMA 14-50R and 40 or 50A breaker than to install the cam-lock tails and then come back and take them out.  The return call (especially if it's late at night) costs more than the receptacle, wire and conduit that will get left behind.  You're paying for the breaker anyway, even if it's only temporary, so that's a wash.  If we never come back to that venue, we still break even, and if we do return, there is no additional cost for electrical hookup (as long as it hasn't been removed since we were last there).  The California Connector is a much nicer plug, but are almost unheard of in our market, so we just stick with the 14-50, which is cheap and available almost anywhere.

GTD
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Re: Electrician Fee
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2016, 08:23:39 AM »


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