? on ditch for electric and water lines

[dannylink]

I am preparing to run electricity, water, and phone lines from my house to my new pole barn. Distance is about 210 feet. I have asked a number of people and get different answers. I plan on renting a ditch witch and dig a trench for the lines. My question is how deep should the ditch be and would it be OK if I put the water line in the bottom of the ditch, put in about a foot of dirt and then put the electic and phone lines in and then fill up the rest of the ditch. Is 3 feet deep enough. I live in Virginia. Any advice would be appreciated about this project would be appreciated.

Danny

 

[Widgeonus]

Your electric company should have a standard depth for running underground electric. Around here it is 4 feet. Overkill if you ask me. They also don't allow anything other than your electric line in conduit to be buried in that ditch. I live out in the country to and they are still that strict.

Would it hurt to run everything in the same ditch??? No, as long as your phone and electric are in seprate conduit. They have a little thing called AC induction that could play heck on phone lines.

Is it against regulations??? Don't know, you'll have to call your provider.

Personally, I would run your electric line in its own ditch and run your water and phone in another more shallow ditch.

 

[tommu56]

dannylink

I think you will see most people use a hoe and lay phone and cable together on one side and power on the other side of trench with screenings around them.

If you use a trencher I would put power in conduit on bottom phone in conduit above it water above that a buried line tape 6" below top of grade.

That way when some one else is digging they hit tape then water then phone then power.

If the phone and power are in separate conduits you shouldn't have any problem.

tom

 

[MarkV]

I believe it is going to vary by local. Here you have to go 2’ deep for electric and are allowed to run whatever you want in the ditch. I have live places where you could not run water lines with power supply. I’ve heard of places you have to run power in conduit. Also heard of places you are required to backfill with a foot of sand.

I suspect it has to do with how deep the ground freezes in your area and if you have much rock that the freeze thaw cycle could cause the rock to compromise the lines.

Seem I have also heard that a phone line running next to the power feed can cause problems with computer data. Someone else here may know more about that.

MarkV

 

[EddieWalker]

I don't know of any place that allows water and electric in the same ditch. The basic rule of thumb is to have undisterbed soil seperating each utility.

The reasoning is if you ever need to get to one of them for some reason. Usually it's because a line breaks for whatever reason. I know it's never expected, but I've had to dig up too many lines to doubt the reasoning for this. If you have a water line break, do you really want to be digging in there with your electric line?

What about twenty years from now, or more when it might be you kid who has your place and they don't know where the lines are? I forget where my lines are exactly in less then a year.

It's not a far run, and you will have the ditch witch. Take the time to dig seperate trenches and never have to worry about it.

Eddie

 

[Sberry]

Water 36 due to frost electric 24. Art 300.5 I wouldn't mind seeing something in writing says water cant be ran in the same trench.

 

[lfalkenh]

make sure you put your water AT LEAST 18 inches down...a friend had his buried in some places only a foot and in the clay area that I used to live, we cracked the pipe several times with heavy equipment driving over it...

 

[Rara Avis]

Water 36 due to frost electric 24. Art 300.5 I wouldn't mind seeing something in writing says water cant be ran in the same trench.

You can put them together...it is the sanitary sewer and water that have to be seperated by at least 10 feet...

Though most places council on separating them, to simplify repairs...

TopQ: Electrical - Can I run a water line and an electrical line in the same trench?

http://www.miamicountyks.org/pdf/FAQ_build.pdf

 

[sandman2234]

Just because you can, does that make you want to? Think seriously about what Eddie said. It may be your kid doing the digging when that water line starts leaking and he hits the electric line with his shovel tip.
Some things just don't mix.
David from jax

 

[randy41]

where in VA are you doing this?