240v wire to barn size?

[Lineman North Florida]

With what you ordered you can pull it thru 2" conduit all day long with zero problems , stagger your conductors a little bit and have someone push the cable from the end where you start while you pull the jet line or mule tape from the other end, also make your rat out of a small plastic bag and tie your string to it and suck it in with a shop vaccum, this is a real simple project and you can do it , a lot of folks make more out of it than it really is. Also most of your larger double pole breakers will accept #2 stranded wire , I just did a project a few weeks ago and I used a 50 amp breaker and #2 stranded aluminum wire

 

[EddieWalker]

I think I know answer, but appreciate input/ideas.
I'm running underground electric to a new barn from a garage. From panel to just inside barn is 130 ft. From panel to across barn other side is 200 ft.
Neighbor has lots of Square D boxes, etc. I can have. (His electrician Dad passed).
Barn will just have lights (maybe 6-7...so 420 watts max) 10 outlets (1500 watts max), so 25 amps max.
I thought I'd put a 50 amp breaker in garage box, run 8-2 uf wire out to a small panel box in barn. I don't need 240...but it's there and I can split it (2x120v).
I prefer copper...but I'm trying to save money. It would look and be better in conduit to other end...but shorter run means smaller gauge (200ft run=6-2 or maybe 4-2 wire?).
Thanks...ideas.

I'm not sure if I agree with what the others are saying.


If you are sure that you will never need 240 volts in there, why even put in a breaker box? Just run two 10/2 lines off of their own 20 amp breakers in your garage to the shop and use one run for lights and the other for outlets. Buy the grey, direct buy wire and keep it simple. With outlets, you don't actually count everything that you have, it's more of what you will be using at the same time. So if you are using a grinder, or a chop saw, and it draws 10 amps, then you are still well under you max load. How many times will you be using more then one power tool at the same time? And most tolls are going to use a lot less then 10 amps!!!

 

[Gary Fowler]

Since you have already bought the wire, if you want to put it in conduit, make it easy on yourself. What I did when I put my electric in for my camper, I laid out and dug the ditch, then laid out my wire. I put in 10 foot length of PVC and shoved each joint down the wire and then glued it in place. That way I was only pushing the wire thru 10 feet rather than 60 (or 130 in your case). It may seem like a lot of trouble but it really isn't that big of a deal and you can do it by yourself that way. Do it all up on the ditch bank then lower it in. Buy some long radius sweep 90s for the risers at each end.
You wont need the yellow soap lubricant for pulling the cable that way either so you save on that expense and the mess it creates.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Since you have already bought the wire, if you want to put it in conduit, make it easy on yourself. What I did when I put my electric in for my camper, I laid out and dug the ditch, then laid out my wire. I put in 10 foot length of PVC and shoved each joint down the wire and then glued it in place. That way I was only pushing the wire thru 10 feet rather than 60 (or 130 in your case). It may seem like a lot of trouble but it really isn't that big of a deal and you can do it by yourself that way. Do it all up on the ditch bank then lower it in. Buy some long radius sweep 90s for the risers at each end.
You wont need the yellow soap lubricant for pulling the cable that way either so you save on that expense and the mess it creates.

Did mine like this, worked great to do a section at a time. While your doing it, run a length of small nylon rope or heavy nylon string through at the same time. That way if you want to pull something through in the future, it's ready to pull.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Thanks...at my age, I think I'll forget the conduit! My neighbor has loads of electric stuff, he Dad passed and he inherited Square D new stuff.
He just gave me a 100 amp box, 30 asst. breakers, 250ft 12-2, 250ft 10-2, 500ft. Cat 5e, phone line, boxes, switches, outlets, a 36" whole house fan I'll put in 36" cupola.
I have a 30-36" ditch dug. I have the 3/4 black water pipe in, I'll just pack that in with 10" fill then cables.
I'll put box inside building a few feet in, lead in wire in conduit just ground up to box. Out of box I'll run metal conduit everywhere for 10-2 or 12-2. I'm not sure about lights yet. Maybe an outdoor light up at peak, then led ones inside. I'll figure as I go.