Need electrical advice

[smalltown]

All that I need to power up my garage is to strip the wires on each end, and connect to my panels. It's all in the ground covered over, otherwise I would sell it for scrap, and buy something else.
I am used to stripping 12-2, 12-3, etc. without problem. My purchase was on the advice of a sales associate at Home Depot. I have UF-B wiring. It's AWG 6 for the three regular conductors and AWG 10 for the ground.
I am coming up through the bottom of the garage sub panel, and wanted to strip enough to run the wires up each side. So I probably need to strip about 18"- 24".

Turns out this stuff is almost impossible to work with. It's flat about 3/8" thick (all the conductors sitting side by side).
The extra that I cut off with a hack saw I am using to practice stripping without nicking the insulation. Three out of four tries I have nicked something. I will only have one shot at the real thing so I need to keep practicing.

I have seen tools for stripping UF cable, but those appear only to be for round UF cable not the my type.

Anybody have any secrets on stripping this beastly cable!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ray66v]

No, I don't know of any. And, people who work with UF cable all the time, seem to hate it just as much as you do.

I use a sharp razor knife, and good pair of glasses.

Next time run conduit, (I would not bury any wire without it, cheap insurance), and use thhn wire.

 

[smalltown]

Thanks Ray yup I ran it inside conduit!

 

[BeezFun]

Anybody have any secrets on stripping this beastly cable!!!!!!!!!!!!

I slit the last 3-4" of insulation covering one of the wires so I can grab that single wire with my hand or a pliers. Then hold the cable with my other hand and tear the wire through the UF insulation. I've never done this with #6 wire, might require two people. With #12 it's pretty easy. Repeat for each of the individual wires.

 

[dstig1]

I hate UF. You just have to struggle with it and a sharp utility blade. I also recommend using a 2x4 or something as a work surface to cut against. Harder to do in free air.

If all you have is a minor nick, I would use shrink tubing or tape to cover it. I wouldn't scrap it for anything but major damage.

If you put UF in conduit, then you got bad advice. UF is meant for direct burial, which is why it is so flippin hard to work with. You should have run individual wires, as ray66 noted, but a slight correction - you need THWN wire (the W = wet location) for outside burial. Most wire you will commonly find is rated both THHN/THWN, so it is kind of moot.

 

[troutsqueezer]

UF=underground feed.

I use a utility blade as well and a hefty pair of needle nose pliers to manhandle it. I don't use conduit either.

 

[pinetree10]

I slit the last 3-4" of insulation covering one of the wires so I can grab that single wire with my hand or a pliers. Then hold the cable with my other hand and tear the wire through the UF insulation. I've never done this with #6 wire, might require two people. With #12 it's pretty easy. Repeat for each of the individual wires.

That's the best way to do it. Cut the outer sheath just enough to get a steady tear going and then grab the end of a wire and the end of the outer sheath and pull the wire apart from the outer sheath. Beats running the razor blade all the way down the cable while trying (always unsuccessfully) not to cut into the individual wire coatings.

 

[LD1]

Not to stray off topic, but I never trust advise from a box store employee.

What is the amperage of service you are putting in, and is the wire copper or aluminum.

Back on topic of stripping. I always use a razor knife and caution. I am sure there is a tool made, but do you by chance have a hunting knife with a gut-hook?? or know someone that does?? Its worth a shot.

 

[smalltown]

Funny you should ask as somewhere around here I have a gut hook knife. It's pretty thick insulation so it might not work, but will see.

I did not think that I needed conduit save for the section where it exited the ground to enter the house, and a small section I had imbedded in the garage frost wall. So I placed it in the trench, and buried it.
Later I was advised that if it was under a walkway (eventhough I buried it deep) that it needed conduit. Begrudgingly I dug it up installed the rest of the conduit reran the cable then buried it once again.

Normally I over investigate something before I start. I guess I just felt comfortable around wire that I didn't


I appreciate all the replies. I've had my coffee and I'm headed out to practice battling the beast.

 

[smalltown]

I practiced a few times so I made my decision. Rather then cutting the insulation on the flat side I slowly and carefully sliced away insulation on the edge of the black conductor then pulled the conductor away from the the insulation. Going to the opposite side I freed the red, then the ground lead, and finally the white. Whew it came out unscathed.

Before I cut my wires and snug them down could I ask a little more?
In the photo of the sub panel where I have entered the panel using plastic conduit should I be using a plastic grommet screwed onto the exposed threads as you would with metal conduit?
Lastly (I hope) should I install a ground rod outside of the garage with Number 6 wire?

The second photo is just to show what I have been working with for cable.

Won't be able to finish today as Grampa has got to get ready to go camping with the grandson and the Boy Scout troop, for the weekend, but I am a happy camper getting this far! :jump: