Best way to install under ground wire

[Glenn1]

I need to install approximately 300 feet of underground wire to the barn for lights. I have a backhoe but concerned with erosion until I can get grass. I have seen people install wire with a subsoiler without disturbing the sod. Any thoughts?

 

[CTyler]

I'd think the best way is to run conduits so you can run more wire or replace it later. I ran two 2" conduits, one for power and the other for communications.

There have been several threads and pics of peeps that have used a subsoiler with a conduit(sweep) attatched to it. Feed the wire in thru the sweep as you go.

 

[beenthere]

Be hard not to disturb the sod, unless you are going to burrow underground the whole way.
I have used a subsoiler for wire and gas line, making several passes to get down through the rocks and stones below the thin sod. Used a narrow hoe and pick to clean the trench loosened up by the subsoiler. Biggest headache is getting rid of all the rocks. Some people don't have rocks which would make life a whole lot easier, IMO. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Also have used a ditch-witch (rented) for wire but the rocks will give you a wild ride, so hang on if going that way.

If I had a bh, I think I would use it. Pack the fill real good, and not worry about 'erosion' if packed good, and some seed and thatch put back over the top.

 

[CTyler]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( without disturbing the sod. Any thoughts? )</font>

There is a machine that you can rent to pull wire or pipe through the ground with minimal disturbance to the grass. Sprinkler companies use them all the time to pull pipe. Just leaves a small slit in the grass. You would need to check on the depth to see if it meets code and/or your requirements.

 

[EddieWalker]

Why not just cut out the sod, set it aside, then replace it when your done? Your FEL shoudl work pretty good for this, but you can also rent a machine to cut out your sod, or use a shovel.

 

[JD3130]

I agree with running the conduit. The Pvc type is cheap. 300 is a long run. I'm sure everyone here will agree, once you get lights to the barn, you will need a place to plug in the battery charger or drill or chippers or radio for the cow or something. For that you will need at least #10 wire #8 would be better. By running the PVC you can use the lower priced wire. Never cut corners as far as electrical is concerned, Wire rated for direct ground contact is expensive. You can get by with small wire above ground than you can below gound. (Electrical Engineer Handbook) Backhoe is probaby an overkill, but since you have it why not use it. Seed it good and toss some cover on it, you have grass to mow before you know it.
JD

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Glenn, I modified my subsoiler to run wire from my pool house to my daughter's play house. The run from the pool area to the play house is about 60' and the wire is direct ground contact rated high voltage 12 gauge wire. The problems that I see with doing what I did are the wire is fairly shallow, probably only 8" to 10" deep and the fact that there is no way to expand the electrical capabilities beyond what the wire is rated for. Now in the case of may daughter's playhouse, I was not worried about overloading the circuit simply because I designed it with minimal electrical fixtures inside and used compact flourescent outside fixtures. Also, the area I ran the wire is a concern, but again, in my case, the area is open and wire is under a pathway. BUT, if I was powering a barn, I'd be concerned about having enough power for all sorts of things, so I'd take the advice of others and run the wire through some plastic/pvc piping, and I'd probably run 2 pipes, one for communication and one for power. I'd also make sure to bury the wire deeper than I did, unless you can bury it under a pathway that will effectively protect it.

For reference here is a link to my sub-soiler-cable-layer Modified Sub Soiler

On the exterior of the playhouse I used 2 light fixtures, both only use 13 watt compact flourescent bulbs. Here is the light fixture in the playhouse I built for my daughter (before the light bulbs were screwed it, it draws 100 watts with 4 25-watt bulbs) Playhouse Light

Here is a shot showing one of the two outdoor lights (there is one by the back door of the playhouse too). These don't throw a lot of light, enough for a playhouse, but not enough to do any real work under. Exterior light

 

[keeney]

The thing that slices the wire into the ground is called a vibratory plow. It can be used to either feed the wire in from the top through a chute as it goes, or it can be used to pull less flexible wire or conduit into the ground in a fairly straight shot from a starting hole.

I would bet that a vibratory plow will be a little less problematic in rocky soil than a trencher. It will tend to push the rocks aside and or divert itself around them as it goes. A trencher will try and pull the rocks up to the surface and might tend to snag and stall. In either case, larger rocks will need to be dug-out of the way.

The vibratory plow also doesn't care about sandy or mucky soil (assuming any of the machines can get enough traction). With a trencher or a BH, you have to worry about the trench not caving-in or filling-in with muck before you can get the conduit placed.

However, I think the national electrical code for un-protected wire is that it needs to be at least 24" deep. It will be difficult to get that deep with a sub-soiler. The smaller vibratory plows used for sprinkler systems and phone and cable installation will also not go that deep. To get that deep you will need either a trencher, a backhoe, or a larger vibratory plow like on a medium to large ditch-witch.

You can go shallower if you use conduit (12", I think?). If you are going to use conduit, I would stick to the gray PVC piping thats actually rated as electrical conduit and not try and get tricky and use plumbing pipe or sprinkler poly or something. Make sure all the joints are properly solvent-bonded and water-tight.

Quickest would be to rent a small trencher on a day with good soil conditions.

Considering you already have the BH, if you have some time on your hands, you might as well just use that.

- Rick

 

[Glenn1]

Many thanks to everyone for the advice. Now it is decision time.
I also liked the playhouse. That is also a project I have started for my granddaughters. I built the entire house (8X8) inside by shop. I will remove the screws and move the house outside one wall at a time after my wife completes the painting.

 

[Freds]

I used my subsoiler to pull about 60 ft of yellow plastic gaspipe underground that I pulled a driveway alarm sensor through. It worked pretty slick. The pipe followed the subsoiler down to about 16 inches underground and the soil was barely disturbed except on either end for working. I used a shop vac to suck a string through the pipe to pull the sensor through with and then pulled an extra string through just in case when I pulled the sensor.