Why was the temporary pole placed so far away? Can it be moved to the desired location? Or another temporary service placed where you desire?

Bus,
The house is 480ft from the plole transformer. The wire size was getting large and i was being warned I may see light dimming when large demands occur. It was decided that I have a transformer put in under 200ft of the house. The power company wanted the temporary pole within 10ft of the transformer. I believe I could put the temp pole closer to the house but the service to it would be on my dime. I might look into that. I am sure the service to it would have to be code. 3ft deep and in conduit, with a wire size for the 100amp panel. Not sure but worth looking into.

Bus,
The house is 480ft from the plole transformer. The wire size was getting large and i was being warned I may see light dimming when large demands occur. It was decided that I have a transformer put in under 200ft of the house. The power company wanted the temporary pole within 10ft of the transformer. I believe I could put the temp pole closer to the house but the service to it would be on my dime. I might look into that. I am sure the service to it would have to be code. 3ft deep and in conduit, with a wire size for the 100amp panel. Not sure but worth looking into.

Your transformer is on a pad rather than on a pole? The quest to put utility lines underground is not driven by technical superiority as the underground has very few technical advantages. It is driven by those who cannot accept that some things in life are not completely beautiful.
To produce that dish of delicious ice cream, someone had to walk through some manure.
Use of ordinary PVC for electrical conduit is not permissible under the NEC. And shallow burial is not permissible except per NEC Table 300.5 Column 4 and it is debatable whether your situation fits those criteria.
No easy nor low cost solutions for that situation. I wish I had some magic answer.
If the temporary panel offers the option of 240 volt power, running from there with 120/240 to another temporary panel nearer the construction site will reduce the voltage drop at the site under some conditions of use to just 25% of the voltage drop that will occur if the 120 volt line runs the full distance. No, I will not type out the explanation for that but it is correct.

In situations similar to this, I have the contractor frame up a portion of the wall that the service is going to go on (say the garage). I then install the permanent meter base, and run into a 200 amp disconnect (for a standard house). From the disconnect I have a small rain tight panel I have rigged up with some outlets for construction.
The power company can then do the permanent service install, energize it, and everyone has power for construction. When I come back to wire the house I take out the rain tight panel and install the permanent panel wherever the home owner wants usually. Since I have the disconnect in place, I can run to a convenient where they want it and treat the "main" panel as a sub panel.
Done it many many times and it works out great.

Other times, if the transformer (pad mount) is close to the project, I have several temporary's made up that have a meter main mounted to a rail road tie, with some outlets on it. Power company will land the wires in their transformer, pop in a meter and that's what everyone uses for construction until the building is up and I install the permanent service.

Not sure I follow your post about underground bus. 99% of everything around here is underground.

This post was edited by hexus on Fri, Aug 8, 14 at 22:10

Our utility puts up the "saw pole" pretty much right where the service enters the property and no further. We usually run a lenght of SE cable to our own temporary panel closer to where the site is. It's not buried legally for a permanent installation, but nobody gives a hoot.

ronnatalie,
That is my situation. Originally power company was going to run the power to my property line and I would then have to run (buy) 450ft of temporary power to the site. Then at service connection time buy(339') after 200ft of the 200amp service to the house. The wire size would have to be quite large and not cheap. I was warned by several and have experienced from our farm house you would be reminded when and medium to large loads are applied. If I pay for the transformer 339ft closer to the house the they install to the meter at no extra charge. That is not my problem or was it my original question. I was just looking for feedback on a wire size to use for 140ft for the temporary house construction from my temporary pole "saw pole". I am going to put it (temporary power) in the PVC (water type) I have and bury it because I have to go under the driveway to get to the site. "It's not buried legally for a permanent installation, but nobody gives a hoot." Same situation here! I am just trying to run 140' of 20ish amp temporary power to the job site and I know lamp cord won't do it! What would be a acceptable size for this situation?
Thanks!

that is absurd and doesn't even make sense, at all. Not only to go about it this way, but cobbled and hacked together too. Why do things twice?
I don't think you're looking for advice, but more reassurance of what you're doing.

Why on earth would you put it in water pipe? That accomplishes NOTHING.

By something allowed for direct burial or put in conduit.

For construction power using even the smallest (6 typical) would be more than enough.

The other option is to build enough of a structure to get a permanent drop installed.