Splicing underground wire

[Bedlam]

I have to somehow splice three pieces of 12 2 direct burial.does anyone know the least expensive way to do this?it will be buried about 2 foot in dirt and won't be live all the time.thanks

 

[/pine]

I have to somehow splice three pieces of 12 2 direct burial.does anyone know the least expensive way to do this?it will be buried about 2 foot in dirt and won't be live all the time.thanks

They make connector kits that are meant for UF etc. type wire...Ace hardware has them...they are about $10...

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Another key thing to do is to make sure that you put some good heat shrink wraps or mastic pads with black tape to waterproof your splices, it is truly the biggest portion of the longevity of your splice.

 

[/pine]

All the kits I've seen come with heavy duty heat shrink...

Underground UF Splice Kit

 

[dlctcg]

@ /pine - I agree, I believe all kits come with some type of heat shrink or sealant... I believe they have to to be UL listed for burial....

Other brands are:

Ideal: ThermoShrink UF Splice Kit 148 AWG

Tyco: https://www.te.com/usa-en/plp/raych...ts&samples=N&inStoreWithoutPL=false&instock=N

Polaris: Manufacturer of Aluminum and Copper set screw connectors for the Utility, OEM, and Contractor and Industrial Markets

Thee are tons more... make sure it is UL listed for your application

 

[RNeumann]

Do above and put it in a box that comes to the surface. I wouldn’t splice and bury!

 

[dlctcg]

Do above and put it in a box that comes to the surface. I wouldn’t splice and bury!

I understand it's your option not to & that you wouldn't splice & bury... but just wondering why??

The company I work for repairs & buries communication & fiber lines all the time.... & the utility companies or electricians (depending on the repair site) are doing the same to the power lines right next to us. thats what most of these kits are made for & listed for; so just wondering the reasoning.... (not trying to start anything... just curious)

 

[stingray1]

Use butt splices,wrap with Scotch linerless rubber splicing tape then wrap with Scotch 33 elect.tape or use any of the direct burial splice kits. Personally I feel using a box and bringing it to the surface would be trouble later on. This repair isn’t that big of a deal. Good luck

 

[RNeumann]

I understand it's your option not to & that you wouldn't splice & bury... but just wondering why??

The company I work for repairs & buries communication & fiber lines all the time.... & the utility companies or electricians (depending on the repair site) are doing the same to the power lines right next to us. thats what most of these kits are made for & listed for; so just wondering the reasoning.... (not trying to start anything... just curious)

Same reason I run tracer wire with water lines and put 90° bends on the end of my leach lines. It’s easy to do when the hole is dug, but hard to find many years from now.....

I get splices are supposed to be “water proof”. But I believe over time the splice will be a weak point and or something else may get added or changed.

One of my first “construction” jobs was doing plumbing repairs. You learn quickly that a lot of stuff was done fast, cheap and easy- not necessarily the best way. So I tend to build things for the future- I put cleanouts where they are easy to get to and won’t make a mess when the cap comes off. I put underground wire in conduit etc etc. Other contractors, but especially home owners tend to go the other way. It’s just not the service I choose to provide.

 

[coobie]

Another key thing to do is to make sure that you put some good heat shrink wraps or mastic pads with black tape to waterproof your splices, it is truly the biggest portion of the longevity of your splice.

Great advice.Keep the water out.

 

[RalphVa]

Even where I put splices in my poly pipe going down the hill and all, I put a marker in place. Makes sense to mark it, not necessarily to bring it to the surface. The telephone guys splice it with those silicone-filled covers and bury them.

Ralph

 

[LouNY]

Splicing new construction wiring for direct burial can easily be done with any of that above mentioned kits and it would not hurt to add liquid tape or rubber tape covered with vinyl.
The worst thing about underground repair splices is that it usually actually involves two spices as seldom is there enough wire length to do a proper butt spice and insulation job. If you seem to have adequate wire to do a good splice it is usually because the wire has stretched or broken in a second spot but not necessarily broken the insulation jacket. As far as bring the wires up and splicing them in an above ground box it is quite possible to do it adds considerable cost with limited benefits and hazards to the above ground pieces from equipment and animals.

 

[ovrszd]

Same reason I run tracer wire with water lines and put 90ｰ bends on the end of my leach lines. It痴 easy to do when the hole is dug, but hard to find many years from now.....

I get splices are supposed to be 努ater proof? But I believe over time the splice will be a weak point and or something else may get added or changed.

One of my first 田onstruction jobs was doing plumbing repairs. You learn quickly that a lot of stuff was done fast, cheap and easy- not necessarily the best way. So I tend to build things for the future- I put cleanouts where they are easy to get to and won稚 make a mess when the cap comes off. I put underground wire in conduit etc etc. Other contractors, but especially home owners tend to go the other way. It痴 just not the service I choose to provide.

If he doesn't bury the splice but rather comes above ground then he'll have to make two splices and add wire plus open a few feet of trench depending on how deep it's buried.

No reason to not use a bury splice kit.

 

[ovrszd]

Splicing new construction wiring for direct burial can easily be done with any of that above mentioned kits and it would not hurt to add liquid tape or rubber tape covered with vinyl.
The worst thing about underground repair splices is that it usually actually involves two spices as seldom is there enough wire length to do a proper butt spice and insulation job. If you seem to have adequate wire to do a good splice it is usually because the wire has stretched or broken in a second spot but not necessarily broken the insulation jacket. As far as bring the wires up and splicing them in an above ground box it is quite possible to do it adds considerable cost with limited benefits and hazards to the above ground pieces from equipment and animals.

I should have read down Lou. You did a lot better job of explaining it than I did.

 

[oosik]

I don't have any outside nor inside wire splices. However - an old electrician made one recommendation that I did follow. I put the power coming from the meter pole to the house inside heavy duty conduit. I have direct burial power cable inside 3" heavy duty conduit. It's only an 80 foot run. In 39 plus years - no sleepless nights nor worry about those @#$% pocket gophers.

 

[Hay Dude]

Do above and put it in a box that comes to the surface. I wouldn稚 splice and bury!

Found myself thinking that way, too, but if you brought to the surface, wouldn’t the wire be too short?

 

[Birdhunter1]

I don't have any outside nor inside wire splices. However - an old electrician made one recommendation that I did follow. I put the power coming from the meter pole to the house inside heavy duty conduit. I have direct burial power cable inside 3" heavy duty conduit. It's only an 80 foot run. In 39 plus years - no sleepless nights nor worry about those @#$% pocket gophers.

I did the same thing but I think I used 2 1/2", old electrician buddy said conduit is cheaper than replacing that wire, and in the event you ever do have to replace it the conduit already in place will be cheaper than a trencher rental.
The wiring to my horse barn I had to replace last year. I had used overhead triplex wire in conduit simply because I had it, it didn't last long. I first lost one leg and just lifted that leg on each end then when the other went I replaced it with direct burial. Being the conduit was already there it made it less than a hour job for my dad and I for a 150' run.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I watched an electrician extend some underground wire in our yard. He cut the wire so that no splices were beside each other. He then cut back the plastic several inches to twist and solder the wire together. Cover with heat shrink. As he soldered each connection he made sure they they would all end up being the same length. Once he was done then the whole wire got another heat shrink over all the connections and the ends of the plastic wire covering. He used heat shrink with the waxy goop inside. And then he said now you know how to do it. This was about 15 - 20 years ago. It's been handy knowledge.

 

[mwayne]

Here's another vote for splice kits done correctly. This is one phase,14.4KV to ground. We had these high voltage type splices in the ground for years and I believe that low voltage doesn't make the same exacting demands. On a side note, notice the old cable (early 1980's) on the right has the ground/neutral wrapped around on the outside! No one nowadays can explain why they did that back then.

 

[RNeumann]

If he doesn't bury the splice but rather comes above ground then he'll have to make two splices and add wire plus open a few feet of trench depending on how deep it's buried.

No reason to not use a bury splice kit.

Who said anything about being above ground?

It’s interesting you would use my quotes that include the reasons why I would put a box in and then say their is no reason to use a box. Also note my response was in direct response to a question as to why I would use a box. Also note that my comments (including my first) reference what I would do. Not what anyone must do. In fact I point out that many will do it different ways!

You either didn’t read the thread or you were mentally off when you did......so confused by your response.....