Power to barn

[Jasper]

I am looking for advice regarding running power from my house panel to a barn appoximately 120' from the house service. Some have suggested direct bury cable and some would prefer conduit. I would require sufficient power to run 8 to 10 fluorescent lights and support running small electrical tools and a table saw drawing up to 20 amps.
Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

Jasper

 

[sal64]

hello my barn is 140ft from house i ran gray wire 8 or 10 gage cant remember buried 6 inches i run 5 8ft florecent lights 5 gal air compresor with no problems.i no it isnt to code in my area supose to run it in conduit but i wish i ran 220 so i can run a welder mite do that in future .

 

[Gilford]

Greetings. I had a similar project a few years ago, but wanted a 100 amp service in the shed which is probably 200' from the house. I used #2 copper and put it in 2" conduit. I rented a trencher to make the trench. As I glued the conduit togetner, I inserted rope inside so I could pull the wire through later. I have 16 flourescent light fixtures and often have 3 220v machines running at the same time, there has never been a shortage of power available. Other members will have good suggestions too, but this worked out good for me, no regrets.

 

[studor]

Look at 3acres thread in this forum with same title last week -- most of the advice will apply (I think even the distance is about the same)

 

[jamesa]

I jsut ran a 90 amp service to my shop/barn #2 trailer wire in 1 1/2 . 220 feet put it 2-3' deep would have gone 3' on all of it but we have some water lines in teh 3-4 range.

#2 al is good for 100amp but with drop ill get about 90amps plenty for my 50 amp welder adn 80 amp plasma cutter.

I would put a 50 amp service in at a min if you plan on runing anything but lights

10/3 is good for 30 amps if your only doing lights.

8/3 50 amps less drop for distance

 

[valley]

Hi Jasper, I did close to what you plan last November. I laid plastic coated armored with 10-2 to the small barn. I did put in a sub panel at the house but not at the barn. I have freeze protected water buckets 5 light and several power outlets. It isn't a problem to use a drill or saw out there or a small heater for an animal giving birth in winter. The plastic coated armored is from a house I just wired, given me by the owner, or I would have used PVC. If I were going to put in a table saw and a welder, that type of thing, then I would go to #8 and a sub panel at the barn a sub panel is always convenient. Hope this helps. Richard

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Whatever size wire you decide to use ,do yourself a favor and put it in c onduit, eventually direct buried wire gets nicked during installation and it will burn out causing you to try and find the bad spot and dig up the yard to fix it. Make yourself a rat out of a plastic bag tie a string to it and take your shop vac and put it on the other end and it will suck the bag along with your string in and you are ready to pull your wire in. Hope this info helps.

 

[DTCOOPER]

James,
Not sure where you calculated your wire size.. To get 100amps with aluminum conductors, at 220', you'll need 2/0 wire.. This is based on 3% max voltage drop..
About 58 amps is all you'll get reliably out of #2 aluminum at that distance, in conduit.
check out this link.... Voltage Drop Calculator

 

[buckeyefarmer]

James,
Not sure where you calculated your wire size.. To get 100amps with aluminum conductors, at 220', you'll need 2/0 wire.. This is based on 3% max voltage drop..
About 58 amps is all you'll get reliably out of #2 aluminum at that distance, in conduit.
check out this link.... Voltage Drop Calculator

Not sure I fully trust that calculator. When I put in copper, it will use 60C ratings for the wire, and not 75C or 90C. That makes a big difference. Also the PF makes a huge difference. for most lights, not an issue, for motor loads it can be.
For AL, I would use 2/0 as 2AWG is only rated 90A @ 75C, non adjusted for drop. Should ask the inspector first, his answer is the right one.

 

[ScottK]

I used 10/2 romex (it was much less expensive than separate conductors at Home Depot by some fluke of pricing) and put it inside 3/4 inch pvc conduit 2 feet deep. I laid the romex out straight and then slid the conduit over it as I glued it together and then dragged the whole thing and dropped it in the trench with some helpers (aka kids). Even when I have used outdoor (direct burial) cable, I still put it inside conduit to protect it. The conduit is really cheap insurance. I say don't waste money on the direct burial stuff and get the best deal you can on whatever is available and put it inside pvc conduit.