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SW9racer

bury a power cable question

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Looking to bury a 10/2 power cable for a 30 amp 110 circuit around the patio. Can I directly bury the UF-B cable, or do I need to encase it in a run of 1/2” pvc conduit?  

There is no chance of the buried cable being damaged, it will be several inches below sand, then below 2 inches of river rock, running along the edge of the patio cement foundation. (And no frost down south)

Thanks!

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6 minutes ago, Golf battery said:

Hey.  Its your property.  Do whatever you want.  Personally.  I’d put it in conduit. 

I'd agree with that. Primarily because he might know where the cable is buried, but the next owner won't, so hitting the conduit while digging, instead of going through the actual wire, might prevent a fireworks show..... or worse...

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Must be 18 inches to the top of the conduit.  I wouldnt do it any other way.  I would check with your local inspector to see if they allow buried cable without conduit.  Some do and some dont.  You also have to put metal tape 12 inches below the surface so the line can be detected in the future.

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5 hours ago, Tunaman said:

Must be 18 inches to the top of the conduit.  I wouldnt do it any other way.  I would check with your local inspector to see if they allow buried cable without conduit.  Some do and some dont.  You also have to put metal tape 12 inches below the surface so the line can be detected in the future.

You sure it's 12" below the surface -- I've installed plenty of buried street light wire, all inspected -- the marker tape was always to be installed 12" above the wire -- didn't matter if it was direct burial or conduit -- this was in sayreville 

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7 hours ago, Tunaman said:

Must be 18 inches to the top of the conduit.  I wouldnt do it any other way.  I would check with your local inspector to see if they allow buried cable without conduit.  Some do and some dont.  You also have to put metal tape 12 inches below the surface so the line can be detected in the future.

This

But I would run outdoor conduit.  This way you can add circuits or replace the circuits you ran.

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42 minutes ago, SW9racer said:

Will do!

For the pvc conduit, use silicone for the connections, or go with that blue pvc cement?

And as it’s in conduit, can I use regular NM-B cable instead of uf-b?

The PVC cement will be gray.

Use regular THHN #10 and use #12 for the ground.

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20 minutes ago, SW9racer said:

Stranded or solid?  I have not used thhn before, is this recommended as it’s cheaper than nm-b?  Will all 3 fit in a 1/2” conduit?  Thanks!

http://www.elliottelectric.com/StaticPages/ElectricalReferences/ElectricalTables/Conduit_Fill_Table.aspx

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4 hours ago, SW9racer said:

Stranded or solid?  I have not used thhn before, is this recommended as it’s cheaper than nm-b?  Will all 3 fit in a 1/2” conduit?  Thanks!

Stranded, you can fit all 3 plus extra curcuits for outlets and lights.

If you need help, let me know.

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UF-B can be direct buried.  As @sota wrote there are markers (https://www.amazon.com/Morris-Products-Underground-Printed-Electric/dp/B01LVW0U73) that make the install easier to detect/avoid damaging.

Whatever you do pick ONE.  Either use direct burial cable or lay pvc pipe with thhn.  Don't try to pull NM cable thru a conduit.  Unless the conduit is ridiculously large you will regret it.

 

 

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Awesome info everyone!  As recommended I will up the run to  50amp 220v.  Outside I will go #8 thhn in 3/4” pvc conduit.  One end to spa, the other a “gfci squareD spa 50a box” on outside wall of house. From there I will go #6-3 nmb thru attic to the main panel with a standard 50amp breaker.  Did I miss anything?

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