You are right on the code requirements, and that is also the way I put the wire in the conduit. Much easier then pulling wire after.
Electric in to pole barn question
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You are right on the code requirements, and that is also the way I put the wire in the conduit. Much easier then pulling wire after.
I have not done the installation, yet. I am in the planning phase of it at this point in time, and saving enough money to be able to buy everything I need and rent the trencher all at the same time. I want to run conduit the whole way simply for safety. If we ever move and someone decided to dig there, I want the wire to be in conduit ...
The way I have it planned, I am able to do the run with three 90 degree bends.
Thanks again for all the help guys ... :thumbsup:
The way I have it planned, I am able to do the run with three 90 degree bends.
Thanks again for all the help guys ... :thumbsup:
powerpace
Platinum Member
Even if the wire is in conduit a safety ribbon should be required.
Qapla
Veteran Member
Safety tape and conduit are always good ideas especially if someone digs later with a shovel. However, keep in mind that if you are digging with a backhoe, excavator, trencher, ground saw or some other machine ... conduit and tape will not stop the machine from doing damage unless the operator is careful.
Hitting buried conduit when one does not know it is there, a machine will pull it right up or cut right through it ... don't ask how I know this :confused2:
Hitting buried conduit when one does not know it is there, a machine will pull it right up or cut right through it ... don't ask how I know this :confused2:
Suggest you check with a local professional commercial electrician on the grounding in 2 locations 100 feet apart from one main service entrance at the house. I was told 20 years ago by a good one that this is not correct as you could develop a potential voltage that way. The electric codes can be intrepreted many ways particularly when you are reading it concerning a building versus multiple buildings served from one SE.
I wouldn't ground the metal building either. Many tails about the old lightening rods on houses and barns but I don't think many about them going back to the ground bus bar in a house. Just my opinion, I'm not an electrician so don't consider my opinion as a rule of fact or code.
rambler
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I assume this is a shed. Not a barn, with critters?
Any more, with the stray voltage issues that milk cows especially have gone through, pretty much anything metal gets all bonded together and grounds like there is no tomorrow in a real barn..... Including the rebar in the concrete.
Yes, there are many different ways to go with the Code. If you are in a dairy area and mention 'barn' where the multi-million dollar lawsuits were brought about, then you'll be using a whole lot of copper to bond everything to many ground rods.
--->Paul
Any more, with the stray voltage issues that milk cows especially have gone through, pretty much anything metal gets all bonded together and grounds like there is no tomorrow in a real barn..... Including the rebar in the concrete.
Yes, there are many different ways to go with the Code. If you are in a dairy area and mention 'barn' where the multi-million dollar lawsuits were brought about, then you'll be using a whole lot of copper to bond everything to many ground rods.
--->Paul
Sounds like a different situation than what he described on the 1st page of the query. A dairy barn would be more likely to have a seperate drop from a transformer and it's own isolated electric system if the parlor has equipment.
He is basically running a circuit from his house distribution box to a metal pole barn 100 feet away. It is done all the time but his questions raise questions as to whether he has considered the additional load he intends to apply back to the house breaker panel, the line loss in sizing the wire, using the proper dielectric connections for his aluminum wire and many other factors not to mention what his homeowners insurance may object to if he has a house fire that could be tagged to improper elecrical installation.
He must be concerned to ask the questions in the forum. I am just cautioning that he needs to get the answers from a more legitimate source before proceeding. Nothing wrong with saving labor money by doing it himself as long as he doesn't skimp on the materials that are designed for this application and installs them for proper safety and code compliance..
grsthegreat
Super Star Member
the reason we now run a solid ground wire between the main panel and the subpanel is to eliminate the potential differences. Prior to 2 previous code changes (5-6 years) we never ran the ground wire between buildings and always just installed a new ground rod at each building. NOT any more. Aint allowed. Have to use ground rods and a continuous ground wire with the subpanel having an isolated neutral bus.
The short answer to this is yes, I have considered and know all about this stuff. My main concern was where to put the grounding rod and how to get the electric in to the building. I built the building about a year and half ago and am just now recovered enough financially to do electric. I have been researching the whole time on how to do it, but was fuzzy on the questions I asked...
And no, this is definitely not a barn with animals. This is the closest thing to a farm animal we own ...
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I hope I add more than I take to this conversation!
The grounding rods should be at or beyond the eave drip line (dated info -- 17 years ago this was NEC requiement; there is also a diameter requirement, also dependent on materials). Keeps the grounding rod(s) bonded to the ground (ok, at least a better chance they will stay damp and a better path to ground). And check on the current rating for in conduit versus direct burial (there is a derate for the lack of cooling versus dirt contact of direct burial). Since most folks go direct burial, I would presume the current quote is not for conduit.
I did one thing right, and one wrong when I laid the floor in my shop/pole barn in terms of utility entrances. I made a 2x4 form to leave the freeze proof faucet space and back filled it with gravel when done. Gives me access to it for repair should/when it is needed as well as drain space should there be some spillage (I have a laundry sink under it, but stuff happens when ever fluid is around). But I didn't do it for the electrical, just pre-installed the panel and the conduit, then concreted around it. Now I want to add an outside run. It had never occurred to me to just cut the concrete around it and chip it out as necessary. I watched them do this for a new drain line in a basement on a home improvement show once. They just used a skil saw and some cutoff blades. And a sledge hammer. Probably took a couple of hours, but nothing special to it. Then you would have a smooth edge left and could back fill with gravel.
The grounding rods should be at or beyond the eave drip line (dated info -- 17 years ago this was NEC requiement; there is also a diameter requirement, also dependent on materials). Keeps the grounding rod(s) bonded to the ground (ok, at least a better chance they will stay damp and a better path to ground). And check on the current rating for in conduit versus direct burial (there is a derate for the lack of cooling versus dirt contact of direct burial). Since most folks go direct burial, I would presume the current quote is not for conduit.
I did one thing right, and one wrong when I laid the floor in my shop/pole barn in terms of utility entrances. I made a 2x4 form to leave the freeze proof faucet space and back filled it with gravel when done. Gives me access to it for repair should/when it is needed as well as drain space should there be some spillage (I have a laundry sink under it, but stuff happens when ever fluid is around). But I didn't do it for the electrical, just pre-installed the panel and the conduit, then concreted around it. Now I want to add an outside run. It had never occurred to me to just cut the concrete around it and chip it out as necessary. I watched them do this for a new drain line in a basement on a home improvement show once. They just used a skil saw and some cutoff blades. And a sledge hammer. Probably took a couple of hours, but nothing special to it. Then you would have a smooth edge left and could back fill with gravel.
