Questions on burying power and water

[_RaT_]

You'll DEFINITELY want to put it in some sort of conduit.
If you're ever doing some sort of yard work, or running sprinkler lines, whatever, and you put a shove through your buried wire, you could be in for a real surprise. Use conduit, preferrably steel. It's worth the money.
I buried my own telephone cables from the street to the house, about 2 and a half to 3 feet deep, and dang if I didn't cut them myself while planting some trees. Imagine if I'd cut into a nice 120 vac line instead. It would have been adios amigos.

good luck,

anthony

Actually, cutting a 120V line with a shovel fortunately rarely means adios amigos with the possible exception of the power, still not something to mess with. If your line is buried 2 feet deep, your safe from most shovels and with the exception of very large trees you intend to plant, your safe there to as you should never have to dig that deep to plant a tree but do go twice as wide as the rootball. I can't think of anyone that uses steel conduit in the ground anymore except on some commercial work. Its very costly, still rusts, is much harder to pull wire in and much more difficult to install. If you had a huge concern about injury to the PVC conduit, you are allowed to cap it with concrete. That in the end would probably be cheaper then steel conduit. I doubt you would need to do that, it is done on commercial jobs however.

 

[SPIKER]

Sorry I didn't get back last couple days.

anyhow ots of advice. mostly good...

what do you plan on putting out in the barn/garage? welders over head lighting only or a fully equipped shop with tools compressors ect?

this is needed to know what size wires to run for the items you WANT you may never need 50 amp welder or 10 hp compressor but what about re-sale???


ok that said, some places power companies will run it for you others wont. my co-op will run any large feeds free something I fould out a bit late

I ran 200 amp feed from new meter base to my barn, used USE wire (USE = Underground Service Enterance) which is dirrect burrial wire. it that I got came from HD I belive or Lowes? can't remember they list rated amps on the elec devices there.

anyhow USE wire is rated to get wet but codes in many places say not in same trench, others say must be sepperated by at least 2 feet others say 4' of virgine soil sepperating trenches... this YOU need to find out about. I belive NEC only says must be at least 2' appart up/down or sideways... I ran my elec USE wire 4+ feet deep and put a water return un-pressurized line for septic/sink return water from a sub pump in shop back to drain lines wihch I had to cross with and simply cut through them knowing they were there repaird them and added the 2" return splice from sink drain pump. I ran the pressure water deeper in own trench.

anyhow I forgot what you said youhad for service out there now but if you are doing it do it right & only do it once

Phone should be away from the service for simple interfearance problems but if you run the good phone line rated for under ground use it is heavy and itis also wrapped with a sheilding so interfearance isnot an issue. I'm getting ready for phone run now... it is laid out and will be 6 to 20' away from rest of the under ground services...

I would also think about putting in a barn service panel, they are inexpensive and require a lot less running in to fix a popped breaker...

mark M

 

[PorkyCat]

Thanks for all the good ideas and advice. I think I'll get some direct bury wire and stick it in pvc just to be on the safe side. I won't combine it with water in the same trench. Thanks again.

 

[wushaw]

Three feet seperation here in Texas on electrical/water.

 

[_RaT_]

Thanks for all the good ideas and advice. I think I'll get some direct bury wire and stick it in pvc just to be on the safe side. I won't combine it with water in the same trench. Thanks again.

I'd skip the direct burial and go with THHN stranded. Better current carrying ability (thinner insulation), a million times easier to pull...

 

[5030tinkerer]

I'll second the THHN suggestion. I pulled 3 #10 THHN stranded 250' through a 90° curve last summer without difficulty. I couldn't imagine doing that with any other wire. I didn't even need pull lube (for sale in the wire aisle). Don't forget to leave a pull string (they sell these as well in handy 5 gallon pails) in the conduit. Lots of ways to get the pull string in the conduit. I've had luck tying a small plastic bag to the pull line and then sucking it through using a shopvac. Once in, you use the string to pull your wires along with a new string. Separated trenches always a good idea. I'd be tempted to go 4' down for the water line, and then 3' down for power (though 4' couldn't hurt...), followed by laying another smaller conduit at maybe 18" - 2' in the electrical trench for future cable, phone, data, etc.