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I love to watch your videos - women really can do everything and you are right, we can look great too and I checked out this device, it really has cool features. Thank you!
I’m sure others may have said the same, but it’s not allowed to run NM cable (some call it Romex, which is a trade name) in conduit that goes outdoors. If you are using cable that’s rated for direct burial, you should be okay (but good to check with inspector). So the wire from the panel to the junction box should be non-NM and something like THHN wires, but not standard NM). I’m a master electrician and ICC licensed electrical inspector.
I did a similar install to get a lamp post in my yard. I used THHN in PVC conduit through the garage to an outlet on an exterior wall. From the GFCI exterior outlet I switched to UF-B cable but there is about 2' of UF-B in the conduit before it gets underground. Is this acceptable or should I change it?
I am still amazed that there's a type of cable that you just put in the ground directly exposed to the dirt?! Is it bad to run it within conduit for the entire length? I'm paranoid that moles will eat my electrical wires or something.
@@tomhackett3395 You should be fine. I opted for a buried primary service line instead of overhead wires for roughly a 100 yard run from the road to the house. From the meter to 2' under is in conduit, but the rest is direct burial. In service since '99 and never a problem despite driving tractors over the soppy ground above it and burrowing critters of every kind. Like you, I had my doubts but all's good! Likewise, I have various runs of direct burial lines to several outside locations and have never had an issue.
April, when running power to my shop build, My son had a piece of rag that he tied to some nylon string. He then went in to garage where the conduit was going to the main panel turned on the shop vac and it sucked that rag & string thru in about 2 seconds and he tied and taped the wire and pulled it back to the shop ,the whole thing took just a couple mins.
Every electrical video I’ve ever watched will state “if your not comfortable doing this work, call in an electrician”, which is sound advice. However, anyone can do the manual labor (digging trenches, running the wire, backfilling) prior to calling in the electrician, thus saving a ton of money. Had a project similar and ran a line 75’ from a house panel to a garage. Found out the code requirements, did the labor and then call the electrician. He was happy, because I had set up everything for him and all he had to do was set the wires in proper order. Saved 15 hundred on the project by doing some of the work myself.
It is good practice to lay a yellow caution tape in the trench after some backfill has been added. When someone is digging in the area of the underground cable, they will encounter the caution tape before they get too close to the cable.
That won't do any good if the length of the shovel blade reaches the cable. Tile spade depth is pretty close. Caution tape won't provide any resistance.
This is the most informative tutorial, i have watched on youtube. No filler. No 8 minute introduction and watching you talk for those 8 minutes. You got to the point. You showed us. You educated us. Wonderful. Thank you.
I watched this video 3 times. You make this appear simple. I can't even find the same PVC pieces at Lowes or Home Depot. Love that ( 5:02 ) smile while dealing with not-so-easy cable. Thank you for the video....
April I used to work for a company that made a lubricant to pull electrical wires (romex). The lubricants are just glycerin so one might be able to save some money and just use glycerin. As always great video, very informative.
That's actually what I was hoping to see taught, when I clicked on the video. I've heard water pressure, maybe a pressure washer, can be a good way to go.
1:45 can also buy fittings to allow for different bends, if don’t wanna flex the conduit like this (sweep 90s, [also called elbows], street, bell ends, saddle bends, etc); and if don’t want to buy the different fittings (or can’t find), you can heat up and bend the conduit yourself (pvc only, as emt not gonna be heated and bend, gotta use a bender; and ABS doesn’t heat well and wouldn’t even try it, imo)…..just a tip for ppl if feel weird about flexing the conduit how April did.
This video was at just the right time as I am getting ready to feed electricity from my old shed to the new garage that is right next to the shed. Watching you do this is the exact same process that I will need. Thank you.
Hey April I am a beginner woodworker from New Zealand and I have watched I think all of your videos. I cant thank you enough for all your talant and know how. You explain everything so beginners like me can do anything when it comes to woodworking. I have subcribed to your channel and look forward to seeing alot more videos once again thank you.
Your first run of Romex to the GFCI is a code no-no, even inside of PVC conduit. NM cable (ROMEX) is not permitted in damp or wet locations [NEC 334.12B(4)] and the inside of raceways (including PVC conduit) located outdoors is considered a wet location per NEC 300.9. Your first run should be UF cable or individual THWN conductors. If the latter, the individual conductors should be placed in conduit all the way to the source panel.
@@rayrayber_ The N in NEC stands for national. These are unified codes adopted by many states, including TX, as the baseline for electrical and fire safety.
Good work! But I'll add that 20 years ago I didn't anticipate my similar project would be more permanent than I anticipated at the time. (My purpose then was to get power to a deicer at a livestock water tank.) During this period, the PVC outlet's year-over-year exposure to the sun caused it to degrade and become chalky, brittle and inflexible. A little post movement during an unusually wet year with a super freeze cracked the riser pipe, and the hinged cover on the outlet box fell apart. If I had a do-over, I'd have gone with metal over PVC despite the added work.
I saw others mention the romex issue so check those comments out. I would mention that any electrical pvc pipe exposed needs to be schedule 80 and not your typical schedule 40. I am impressed with your knowledge of the burial depths, not many know that.
Interesting code requirements. By comparison, in Australia we are required to bury the wire in conduit the whole way at 600mm (2ft), with warning tape just above the conduit. It can be shallower (not sure how much) if there is mechanical protection like concrete.
There is flexible conduit, outdoor rated. I used that to run AC, along with outdoor-rated speaker wire, out to my shed. The great benefits: a) flexibility allows you to maneuver around large underground obstacles; b) zero underground junctions, so no leakage or seepage of water into your conduit. It’s been a godsend for Xmas lighting, as well as for outdoor stereo audio. I can run a powered subwoofer. The garden sounds amazing
conduit the full run is a good idea as well and not much more expense and also don't forget to silicone seal those LB boxes at the building to prevent water penetration!
You're not supposed to run Romex in conduit. (it can guard Romex in accessable areas) Sealant definitely, but more likely ductseal than silicone, and possibly intumescent sealant if habitable space. Depending on AHJ
Always have fun watching and seeing what you do next April. Your vids are always fun, filled with different info; and can tell you enjoy doing each project 👍🏻 Also do like the voiceover and are always TALKING TO US, every step of the way, thx. Cheers✌🏻
Hey April, Great video. The nice thing about PVC is if you run into this later on with a project again, you could use a heat gun and apply a slight offset off the metal building over the concrete lip into the ground (1:43). By just applying a few minutes of heat along the pipe, you can shape it without any fittings. I used to do this when I was an apprentice electrician years ago, and it would work great on jobs.
Good morning, April! Thanks for another great video. This project is actually penciled in on my "GET IT DONE" list for the warmer weather. Have a great week! God bless.
Nice job! It is important to understand voltage and amperage needs to be considered when determining depth of wire. A residential 20 amp circuit using 12/2 copper underground rated cable can be installed at a 12” depth as long as it is protected with GFCI device. Electrical codes can be more stringent depending on where you live so please consult an electrician or electrical inspector in your area. Also it is important to note that schedule 80 pvc should be used in this application.
When she backfilled over the Romex, I thought, “I’ve been doing this the wrong way for how long?” My trench was even 17”-18” deep for my simple shed power up. Oh well.
I take it that Romex wire you used was solid wire? When I did underground wire pulls, I always ran conduit from one end to the other, then pulled stranded wire. It’s a little extra work, but it’s easier for one person. Thank you April for another great video
This is a great idea and instruction set. I have a detached building that I need to run power to and will use your method! Thanks so much for your intuitive videos! Have a great day April!
Not including an advisory about the length of the wire run and amperage draw dictating the gauge of the wire needed can set a dangerous situation. As a clerk in the electrical department of a large DIY store, I had many customers who wanted to run 14 or 12 gauge wire in excess of 100' to run shop equipment in an stand alone workshop. I calculated on one case that the fellow would need 4 gauge for what he was proposing. He accused me of trying to make more money off him. I told him that I was paid by the hour and I made the same if he bought the right wire, the wrong wire or no wire at all. Please consider adding such advice.
Thank you, April. I enjoy your videos very much. They are continuously researched and demonstrated perfectly. Thanks for all you do in the community. Felix
Just did a similar project running 50 amp service from from "main" panel to my shop (who builds an 1,100 sq ft shop with only two 15 amp circuits?). I had to chase it across the entire attic in the house so I used 6 AWG Romex to the edge of the house with no conduit, then put a junction box to connect to 3/4 inch flexible conduit. The conduit came down the wall outside, buried two feet under ground for a 13 foot run across to the shop then up to an LB and into the shop, all one continuous 38' bit of conduit and using 6AWG THHN. The shop is 32x32 concrete block. The conduit continues inside for the very short run to the sub panel (about 18"). I could have gotten away with an 18" burial, or I could have used UF to simplify things a bit, but I'm glad I went the way I did. I had a good friend who is a licensed electrician help me with the attic work since I'm too old and inflexible for that rather cramped space. It was really just securing the Romex and splicing the Romex to the THHN in the junction box. He knocked it out in under an hour. Thankfully it was a reasonable cool Florida day in March with heavy cloud cover, so the attic wasn't dangerously hot, which is the default setting for Florida. I did the trenching myself, and learned all about the surprisingly lax codes for PVC thickness and burial depth for irrigation in Florida. Don't ask me how I know. Let's just say that if you made a pipe out of Playdoh, it would be sturdier.
Hi April, great video. I am wiring a new shed. When I attach my LB fitting to the outside of my home, and also the shed, and add a small length of pvc conduit to the LB fitting to get through my shed and also the rim joist of my home, can I switch over to a metal junction box on the inside of my shed and also the inside of my rim joist? From there, I would run to my breaker box for in the home. I would also run inside wire within my shed to any new outlets, switches, lights, etc. from the junction box in my shed. Thanks
Not sure how I feel about that strap on the outside. Leaving polymers in a stretched configuration can lead to creep, or in the winter could snap. PVC may be slightly resistive I don't feel like consulting my textbooks over it but just something to consider. I am sure they make small curve segments for the PVC.
Nice job. The only thing I saw that was not correct is you ran standard NM-b cable from the inside to the box that will have the GFCI. NM cable is not rated for wet locations and any conduit installed outside is considered a wet location due to condensation. To get around this you can run the cable directly into the back of the box that will have the GFCI.
Or put the GFCI indoors, that will protect the GFCI itself from temperature extremes so it would last longer and provide a good place to plug in a Homeplug adapter for extending network to the remote location.
Just remember you could have just back fed the underground cable so you only had to pull 5 feet or so rather than feeding all the cable through the box...
It's decent but here in the northeast the UF (which stands for "underground feeder") will undoubtedly fail. I fix and repair stuff like this all the time and always install the PVC for the full run.
@@scwfan08 lmao yup.. UF.. Underground feed.. Not nm-b.. Crazy people with no research make how-to videos. She also did 220v outlets in her garage and ran multiple outlets off the same breaker.. For 220v..she shouldn't be making electrical tutorials lol
It seems to me that so many content creators avoid showing electrical installations on the videos. However, April you are brave enough to make electrical videos time and time again. Congrats to your “Can Do Spirit “!!! 😃👏
True. Content creators who are not electricians really should not, in my opinion, demo electrical work. I do a little work around my house, have consulted electricians about what I do, but I won’t put electrical work on video. I love April’s channel and work, but don’t consider showing clear code violations as “brave”.
@@DanTheisen Well stated. I agree 100%...IMO, read the code. Follow it. If something is not clear, ask an electrician. Do the work, but don't advertise it.
@@rosewoodsteel6656 read the top rated comment. The one right under April’s. And please know my words are directed at Bear Creek’s comment. I continue to watch all of April’s videos and love what she does, generally.
Great work April. I was running a direct burial line out to my barn, I flunked my inspection because I crossed a driveway at 16" depth, not 18". Geeezz.
@@turdferguson12 I live on a ranch in very rural Colorado out in the middle of God's country. Prior to building the house I built a barn, I was bringing new service in from county roads to barn (4 miles). The only way ANY public utility will bring in new service is with a electrical permit, which are governed by states who share the same codes. I chose to trench 2 inches deeper, rather than spending winter and nights freezing in the dark. Plus my welders and barn heaters don't make good pasture ornaments.
@@RobertBeck-pp2ru Yes, the code is intended to be more or less the minimum that is acceptable. You can go above it to the extent that the gear and budget exists, but code does get updated over time for situations where it proved to be insufficient. It may not seem like some of this is a problem, but things like the spacing on outlets does typically address a problem, just not always an obvious one.
The conduit coming out of the ground should have an expansion joint. You don't need to use UF cable, you can use any cable that has an insulation rated for wet applications. THNW is a lot easier to pull. UF can be used for direct burial. The 12' burial is for 125V max 20 A max.
@@nyetloki I incorrectly assumed that she had run conduit for the full length of the trench. Others have pointed out my misunderstanding. Thanks and Merry Christmas.
Nice video again 👍 Consider adding also Ethernet cable whenever you run cables between or in buildings, it comes in sooooo handy if you need to expand your Wi-Fi on your property … yes, Wi-Fi mesh works, but there are many draw-backs, so good ol‘ wire is a good thing to put in. If you can use cat7, from my experience it’s not much more expensive than cat6(a), but shields against all kinds of interferences ;) Cheers 🥂
@@royreynolds108 Yes, that’s true. And, even if direct burial wires are a thing, conduit between buildings is definitely worth it, to avoid digging later again, if some changes are needed 😉
If running copper utp cable, your nw performance will suck badly. Running utp in parallel with power without shielding is guaranteed to hobble your performance. Worst case I saw was when some Muppet actually wound the utp around the power cable. If using fibre, no problem ( but b3st to have it in its own conduit as its more fragile. Standards state that utp must only cross power cables at a 90degree angle.
You didn't put a service loop on the cable in the LB box. Where you used your foot to bend the conduit to the wall, heating the pipe with a torch would allow for you to bend the pipe to fit the contour of the wall. Also, the conduit where you fitted the male connnector, you can ream the inner edge to a smooth and tapered edge that's no longer sharp.
In my county you also need to pay a small fee, get a permit and have it inspected prior to filling the trench. Later on if you sell the house, get a new mortgage or get homeowners insurance they will make you to sign a form stating no electrical work was done without a permit and inspection.
Just to clarify, the GFCI should be BEFORE the underground cable run, not just anywhere on the circuit. So at the panel (gfc breaker) or an intermediate GFCI outlet as you did.
Code for how deep to run your conductor is 24 inches without protection. If the run is under a sidewalk, driveway, etc you may have it 12 inches under such protection. Recheck the NEC. I did when I ran power to my shed a year a year ago. It had not changed since I was in a NEC class back in the 90's.
Column 4 of table 300.5 in the NEC is what she referenced for her depth. She's running a single 20A 120V circuit with a GFCI and that allows her to use that 12" depth.
In my state, conduit can't have Romex in it. It has to be THHN individual wires. Also, PVC or direct burial Romex has to be down 20 inches, unless you have concrete above it. And you left out the part about the building inspector having to measure and approve your trench depth before you fill it in. But of course, every place can have different rules and procedures. It pays to find out your area rules.
The conduit is only protecting the vertical drop at the buildings. There should be no problem with this in your area if you are using type UF Romex, like April is using. What code # indicates this?
So, in your area code, requires you to use Schedule 40/80 to get the cable into the ground from the source and Schedule 40/80 out of the ground and into the shed but you aren't required to run the Schedule 40/80 all the way from source to shed?
I see a lot of good information from other commenters about using underground as opposed to romex. I've heard this from other sources. The only thing that I would add to the comments about this video is instead of running the full length of the cable that's going to start at your GFCI through that piece of conduit going into the ground and then to the shed, I would pull a string into that conduit and then pull the three or four feet necessary from the underground exit point of the conduit back up to the GFCI outlet box.
I totally agree, TsJuno. In this case, she didn't run the UF in conduit the entire run, just in the vertical drops to protect the cable from grade to the wall penetrations.
I do similar things on my properties…however I like to run continuous conduit in case I need to add another wire or upgrade the installed wire sometime down the line
It is good to check local codes. You mention the depth using pvc and a gfci but looks like you only used that to get into the trench and actually ran the UF cable by itself in the trench. Here, that would be more like 24" deep. They do sell fittings for rigid conduit that are compression so no bending or threading needed.
It would have been nice to show how you wired that into the breaker box. Once in the shed, that wire could go anywhere; into a sub-panel, into a single outlet, into a lighting setup, but wiring it into the breaker box at the source is pretty much the only option (unless, maybe, you are connecting to an existing plug?).
Ive always put the wire in each piece first especially corners or elbows then i would glue the conduit just depends on the job really and anyone’s preference.
I've never fully understood the attraction of UF cable. If you have already dug the trench, why not use PVC the whole way? In my estimation, this allows wire to be upsized when needed without digging a new trench. Plus, UF cable is so challenging to cut and work with, not to mention its lack of mechanical protection. But that's my little nitpick. I appreciate how well you presented everything.
I think the only benefit is that if you have to rerun the wire, fishing it around two 90 degree angles can be a pain. But, by the same token, if you've got the wiring through properly sealed conduits the entire way, the likelihood of needing to do so is also greatly reduced. Also,it's worth using a bit of sand around the wire/conduit in the ground. It makes repair and replacement easier and if you decide you need a larger, conduit it's easier to remove the one you've got. Plus, it's a bit of a warning to anybody that is digging that there's this sudden unexplained sand coming up, perhaps there's a wire or a pipe down there.
How about a catio to go with the notacat door from a while back? It'd probably be similar to the composter you made, lots of hardware fabric and dimensional lumber.
My shead is 250 feet from the back of my Home and about another 60 feet to my electric box out frount what size wire should I use? I want my shead to have at least 4 outlets for fans a tv anf some phone chargers and about 15 led lights to light up the place at night when I do bbq.
In Australia we are not allowed to do any electrical work without a licensed electrician, even changing a switch or wall socket! If you do it on your own, home insurance will not pay out if your house burns down. It's costing me about US $4000 to run single phase power about 200 feet to my shed.
Yep. It took me 6 months and a variance for my county to grant me a permit to build my shed. They took $300 for the permit/variance and didn't even require an inspection. -Just big brother grabbing a piece of the action..@@jefffrayer8238
Others may have said it, but direct bury cable has to be 2’ deep regardless of what material your risers are. Shallower permitted if entire run in conduit. This is to protect wire from damage from digging.
Very interesting to see different electric standards across the world! This wouldn't be legal here in the UK. Might be worth specifying in your video which standards you come under when doing work on electrical work so people don't get (unintentionally) misled into doing something dangerous because they trusted you.
Other than her not being a licensed electrician, could you name the code violations, Jon? I'd like to know what she did wrong, not trying to be a pita. @@JonEHolland
Big thank you to FOREO for partnering with me on this video! Treat your significant other (or yourself) with a great gift by FOREO Sweden at the link below and don't forget to use the coupon code APRILW20 for 20% the UFO 2 collection here: foreo.se/o69q
I love to watch your videos - women really can do everything and you are right, we can look great too and I checked out this device, it really has cool features. Thank you!
get out your hair dryer/heat gun and make that down drop of PVC conform to the wall.
I’m sure others may have said the same, but it’s not allowed to run NM cable (some call it Romex, which is a trade name) in conduit that goes outdoors. If you are using cable that’s rated for direct burial, you should be okay (but good to check with inspector). So the wire from the panel to the junction box should be non-NM and something like THHN wires, but not standard NM). I’m a master electrician and ICC licensed electrical inspector.
I did a similar install to get a lamp post in my yard. I used THHN in PVC conduit through the garage to an outlet on an exterior wall.
From the GFCI exterior outlet I switched to UF-B cable but there is about 2' of UF-B in the conduit before it gets underground.
Is this acceptable or should I change it?
I am still amazed that there's a type of cable that you just put in the ground directly exposed to the dirt?! Is it bad to run it within conduit for the entire length? I'm paranoid that moles will eat my electrical wires or something.
@@tomhackett3395 You should be fine. I opted for a buried primary service line instead of overhead wires for roughly a 100 yard run from the road to the house. From the meter to 2' under is in conduit, but the rest is direct burial. In service since '99 and never a problem despite driving tractors over the soppy ground above it and burrowing critters of every kind. Like you, I had my doubts but all's good! Likewise, I have various runs of direct burial lines to several outside locations and have never had an issue.
Curious what is the reason code won’t allow NM cable?
@@kevinlynch3372 It's not waterproof -it has paper inside
April, when running power to my shop build, My son had a piece of rag that he tied to some nylon string. He then went in to garage where the conduit was going to the main panel turned on the shop vac and it sucked that rag & string thru in about 2 seconds and he tied and taped the wire and pulled it back to the shop ,the whole thing took just a couple mins.
Every electrical video I’ve ever watched will state “if your not comfortable doing this work, call in an electrician”, which is sound advice. However, anyone can do the manual labor (digging trenches, running the wire, backfilling) prior to calling in the electrician, thus saving a ton of money.
Had a project similar and ran a line 75’ from a house panel to a garage. Found out the code requirements, did the labor and then call the electrician. He was happy, because I had set up everything for him and all he had to do was set the wires in proper order. Saved 15 hundred on the project by doing some of the work myself.
Good advice for those afraid of doing this type of work.
It is good practice to lay a yellow caution tape in the trench after some backfill has been added. When someone is digging in the area of the underground cable, they will encounter the caution tape before they get too close to the cable.
I believe the tape is required by the NEC.
I believe it should be Red
That won't do any good if the length of the shovel blade reaches the cable. Tile spade depth is pretty close. Caution tape won't provide any resistance.
@@hotpuppy1 Keep your day job. "-)
Naw.
ALWAYS READ THE COMMENTS. THE BRILLIANCE OF A COMMENTER IS NEVER OVERSTATED!
This is the most informative tutorial, i have watched on youtube. No filler. No 8 minute introduction and watching you talk for those 8 minutes. You got to the point. You showed us. You educated us. Wonderful. Thank you.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
I watched this video 3 times. You make this appear simple. I can't even find the same PVC pieces at Lowes or Home Depot. Love that ( 5:02 ) smile while dealing with not-so-easy cable. Thank you for the video....
They are in the electrical isle, not plumbing.
April I used to work for a company that made a lubricant to pull electrical wires (romex). The lubricants are just glycerin so one might be able to save some money and just use glycerin. As always great video, very informative.
I have always used kitchen dish soap to lube the wire.
The hard part is digging the trench for the wire. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe. Be careful the electrons can bite.🙂🙂
It took my wife two weeks to dig a 20 ft trench so I could put the wires into it, she ran into a lot of rocks, she did cover it up faster though
That's actually what I was hoping to see taught, when I clicked on the video. I've heard water pressure, maybe a pressure washer, can be a good way to go.
@@keithmyers1454 🤣
1:45 can also buy fittings to allow for different bends, if don’t wanna flex the conduit like this (sweep 90s, [also called elbows], street, bell ends, saddle bends, etc); and if don’t want to buy the different fittings (or can’t find), you can heat up and bend the conduit yourself (pvc only, as emt not gonna be heated and bend, gotta use a bender; and ABS doesn’t heat well and wouldn’t even try it, imo)…..just a tip for ppl if feel weird about flexing the conduit how April did.
Another quick project Wonderfully explained. This is time well spent on a Sunday. Thank you April, See you again Soon. Have a Blessed Week.
Thank you! You too!
This video was at just the right time as I am getting ready to feed electricity from my old shed to the new garage that is right next to the shed. Watching you do this is the exact same process that I will need. Thank you.
Hey April I am a beginner woodworker from New Zealand and I have watched I think all of your videos. I cant thank you enough for all your talant and know how. You explain everything so beginners like me can do anything when it comes to woodworking. I have subcribed to your channel and look forward to seeing alot more videos once again thank you.
Your first run of Romex to the GFCI is a code no-no, even inside of PVC conduit. NM cable (ROMEX) is not permitted in damp or wet locations [NEC 334.12B(4)] and the inside of raceways (including PVC conduit) located outdoors is considered a wet location per NEC 300.9. Your first run should be UF cable or individual THWN conductors. If the latter, the individual conductors should be placed in conduit all the way to the source panel.
Texas has very lenient/substandard codes.😒
This is texas are codes are different from were ur from I can see
At about 3:30, the text box says “UF cable”.
@@DragCadRacing Prior to that, ROMEX is used from the inside to the GFCI box....
@@rayrayber_ The N in NEC stands for national. These are unified codes adopted by many states, including TX, as the baseline for electrical and fire safety.
I ran direct burial wire and stayed away from PVC. A little extra work but worth it. You are truly great.👍♥️
Physical protection is required when emerging from grade.
Nice easy description. Don’t forget to water/air/bug seal the holes once finished.
Good work! But I'll add that 20 years ago I didn't anticipate my similar project would be more permanent than I anticipated at the time. (My purpose then was to get power to a deicer at a livestock water tank.) During this period, the PVC outlet's year-over-year exposure to the sun caused it to degrade and become chalky, brittle and inflexible. A little post movement during an unusually wet year with a super freeze cracked the riser pipe, and the hinged cover on the outlet box fell apart. If I had a do-over, I'd have gone with metal over PVC despite the added work.
How much more resistant to corrosion is the pvs vs. meral conduit. It it emt conduit?
There are different grades for the PVC.
I saw others mention the romex issue so check those comments out. I would mention that any electrical pvc pipe exposed needs to be schedule 80 and not your typical schedule 40. I am impressed with your knowledge of the burial depths, not many know that.
It does not have to be SCH 80
@@daveroth8060 Yes it does. It can be sch 40 below 18" or inside the structure, but above ground and outside it must be sch 80.
Interesting code requirements. By comparison, in Australia we are required to bury the wire in conduit the whole way at 600mm (2ft), with warning tape just above the conduit. It can be shallower (not sure how much) if there is mechanical protection like concrete.
Don't forget we also have to use a licenced electrician for all electrical work. 👍
@@Outback_Truckie True dat. 240 scares me!
Here in the states, uf rated wire may be used for direct burial.
@@Outback_Truckie WE DO HERE.HER I SHE NEEDED TO ALSO PULL A PERMIT!!!
US NEC also requires a minimum cover of 24 inches. There is an exception that allows 12 inches but she didn’t discuss this.
There is flexible conduit, outdoor rated. I used that to run AC, along with outdoor-rated speaker wire, out to my shed. The great benefits: a) flexibility allows you to maneuver around large underground obstacles; b) zero underground junctions, so no leakage or seepage of water into your conduit. It’s been a godsend for Xmas lighting, as well as for outdoor stereo audio. I can run a powered subwoofer. The garden sounds amazing
Electric code only allows a maximum of 6’ of use, for flexible conduit.
@@MelissaHuffman-k7x only if the flexible conduit has no reinforcement. Mine is reinforced conduit, and is therefore up to code.
conduit the full run is a good idea as well and not much more expense and also don't forget to silicone seal those LB boxes at the building to prevent water penetration!
You're not supposed to run Romex in conduit. (it can guard Romex in accessable areas)
Sealant definitely, but more likely ductseal than silicone, and possibly intumescent sealant if habitable space. Depending on AHJ
@@jimurrata6785old tale ..
But it's definitely not fun to do compared to stranded
@@luvdady Well, I just pulled 100' of 10/3 in 3/4!!! So I hope it's good.
Thanks for your reply! 😉
Nice, you can use heat gun to form the plastic conduit to fit flush against the wall
Always have fun watching and seeing what you do next April. Your vids are always fun, filled with different info; and can tell you enjoy doing each project 👍🏻
Also do like the voiceover and are always TALKING TO US, every step of the way, thx.
Cheers✌🏻
Thanks! Glad you like them. Thanks for watching.
Hey April,
Great video. The nice thing about PVC is if you run into this later on with a project again, you could use a heat gun and apply a slight offset off the metal building over the concrete lip into the ground (1:43). By just applying a few minutes of heat along the pipe, you can shape it without any fittings. I used to do this when I was an apprentice electrician years ago, and it would work great on jobs.
Good morning, April! Thanks for another great video. This project is actually penciled in on my "GET IT DONE" list for the warmer weather. Have a great week! God bless.
I'm
Your awesome April I wish I had half the talent you have! Thank you for all you do!
What a great vid, thank you! Also like the helpful and respectful comments. Thanks everyone!
Nice job!
It is important to understand voltage and amperage needs to be considered when determining depth of wire. A residential 20 amp circuit using 12/2 copper underground rated cable can be installed at a 12” depth as long as it is protected with GFCI device.
Electrical codes can be more stringent depending on where you live so please consult an electrician or electrical inspector in your area.
Also it is important to note that schedule 80 pvc should be used in this application.
When she backfilled over the Romex, I thought, “I’ve been doing this the wrong way for how long?” My trench was even 17”-18” deep for my simple shed power up. Oh well.
I take it that Romex wire you used was solid wire? When I did underground wire pulls, I always ran conduit from one end to the other, then pulled stranded wire. It’s a little extra work, but it’s easier for one person. Thank you April for another great video
They don’t make stranded Romex cable fool.
@@daveroth8060 yes I know. I was referring to thnn individual stranded wire
No $hit Sherlock. @@daveroth8060
This is a great idea and instruction set. I have a detached building that I need to run power to and will use your method! Thanks so much for your intuitive videos! Have a great day April!
Thanks for sharing April, worked out good and SAFE too. Fred.
Not including an advisory about the length of the wire run and amperage draw dictating the gauge of the wire needed can set a dangerous situation. As a clerk in the electrical department of a large DIY store, I had many customers who wanted to run 14 or 12 gauge wire in excess of 100' to run shop equipment in an stand alone workshop. I calculated on one case that the fellow would need 4 gauge for what he was proposing. He accused me of trying to make more money off him. I told him that I was paid by the hour and I made the same if he bought the right wire, the wrong wire or no wire at all. Please consider adding such advice.
Thank you, April. I enjoy your videos very much. They are continuously researched and demonstrated perfectly.
Thanks for all you do in the community. Felix
Great video. I was wondering if the open pvc in the ground would allow insects to get into the house or building.
Wow! You just solved an issue for me, I was just looking at it wrong, Thanks!
Always love watching and listening to your install April!
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy my channel. Thanks for watching.
Just did a similar project running 50 amp service from from "main" panel to my shop (who builds an 1,100 sq ft shop with only two 15 amp circuits?). I had to chase it across the entire attic in the house so I used 6 AWG Romex to the edge of the house with no conduit, then put a junction box to connect to 3/4 inch flexible conduit. The conduit came down the wall outside, buried two feet under ground for a 13 foot run across to the shop then up to an LB and into the shop, all one continuous 38' bit of conduit and using 6AWG THHN. The shop is 32x32 concrete block. The conduit continues inside for the very short run to the sub panel (about 18").
I could have gotten away with an 18" burial, or I could have used UF to simplify things a bit, but I'm glad I went the way I did.
I had a good friend who is a licensed electrician help me with the attic work since I'm too old and inflexible for that rather cramped space. It was really just securing the Romex and splicing the Romex to the THHN in the junction box. He knocked it out in under an hour. Thankfully it was a reasonable cool Florida day in March with heavy cloud cover, so the attic wasn't dangerously hot, which is the default setting for Florida. I did the trenching myself, and learned all about the surprisingly lax codes for PVC thickness and burial depth for irrigation in Florida. Don't ask me how I know. Let's just say that if you made a pipe out of Playdoh, it would be sturdier.
Hi April, great video. I am wiring a new shed. When I attach my LB fitting to the outside of my home, and also the shed, and add a small length of pvc conduit to the LB fitting to get through my shed and also the rim joist of my home, can I switch over to a metal junction box on the inside of my shed and also the inside of my rim joist? From there, I would run to my breaker box for in the home. I would also run inside wire within my shed to any new outlets, switches, lights, etc. from the junction box in my shed. Thanks
Thanks for this video, April. I'm thinking about a project in our yard, and this gave me some great things to think about in my planning.
Awesome! Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching.
Romex was not allowed in conduit years ago. Has that changed?
Not sure how I feel about that strap on the outside. Leaving polymers in a stretched configuration can lead to creep, or in the winter could snap. PVC may be slightly resistive I don't feel like consulting my textbooks over it but just something to consider. I am sure they make small curve segments for the PVC.
Nice job. The only thing I saw that was not correct is you ran standard NM-b cable from the inside to the box that will have the GFCI. NM cable is not rated for wet locations and any conduit installed outside is considered a wet location due to condensation. To get around this you can run the cable directly into the back of the box that will have the GFCI.
yeah I was going to ask that very same question even looking up the romex color codes...great observation!
Or put the GFCI indoors, that will protect the GFCI itself from temperature extremes so it would last longer and provide a good place to plug in a Homeplug adapter for extending network to the remote location.
I thought GFCIs only protected what was plugged into them, not the circuit they were on?
@@gregbell2117 You can wire them to protect everything downstream of the GFCI by using the LOAD terminals on the device.
@@NiHaoMike64 ... these days they make GFCI outlets with WR printed on them to mean WET RATED so they will last outside.
Just remember you could have just back fed the underground cable so you only had to pull 5 feet or so rather than feeding all the cable through the box...
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Great video though!
It's decent but here in the northeast the UF (which stands for "underground feeder") will undoubtedly fail. I fix and repair stuff like this all the time and always install the PVC for the full run.
The Romex you used from the panel to the outside receptacle is a violation. Conduit outside is a wet location. You should have used UF.
Link please
310.1 O(C)
Thank you. I won't make the same mistake. Hopefully it won't make a difference either way.
Like it says on the screen at 3:28.
So she didn't even follow the rules she statet herself 😂
@@scwfan08 lmao yup.. UF.. Underground feed.. Not nm-b.. Crazy people with no research make how-to videos. She also did 220v outlets in her garage and ran multiple outlets off the same breaker.. For 220v..she shouldn't be making electrical tutorials lol
For your offsets near building, instead of your foot, a happier blow dryer or heat gun on low slowly over conduit will mold conduit .
It seems to me that so many content creators avoid showing electrical installations on the videos. However, April you are brave enough to make electrical videos time and time again. Congrats to your “Can Do Spirit “!!! 😃👏
Thanks! Yes, people love to rake me over the coals for these videos but always show what I did and how I did it. Thanks for always watching.
True. Content creators who are not electricians really should not, in my opinion, demo electrical work. I do a little work around my house, have consulted electricians about what I do, but I won’t put electrical work on video. I love April’s channel and work, but don’t consider showing clear code violations as “brave”.
@@DanTheisen Well stated. I agree 100%...IMO, read the code. Follow it. If something is not clear, ask an electrician. Do the work, but don't advertise it.
What were her violations, Dan? @@DanTheisen
@@rosewoodsteel6656 read the top rated comment. The one right under April’s. And please know my words are directed at Bear Creek’s comment. I continue to watch all of April’s videos and love what she does, generally.
Great work April. I was running a direct burial line out to my barn, I flunked my inspection because I crossed a driveway at 16" depth, not 18". Geeezz.
Codes are meant to be followed. Eighteen inches is the minimum. Play it safe. Go 24" or even 30".
@@turdferguson12 I live on a ranch in very rural Colorado out in the middle of God's country. Prior to building the house I built a barn, I was bringing new service in from county roads to barn (4 miles). The only way ANY public utility will bring in new service is with a electrical permit, which are governed by states who share the same codes.
I chose to trench 2 inches deeper, rather than spending winter and nights freezing in the dark. Plus my welders and barn heaters don't make good pasture ornaments.
@@RobertBeck-pp2ru Yes, the code is intended to be more or less the minimum that is acceptable. You can go above it to the extent that the gear and budget exists, but code does get updated over time for situations where it proved to be insufficient.
It may not seem like some of this is a problem, but things like the spacing on outlets does typically address a problem, just not always an obvious one.
Keep at it April! 👍
Wouldn't it be easier to pull wire through the conduit and use a junction box to connect to direct bury NMC (romex)?
Exactly how I ran power to my back-yard cabin. Perfect!
Thanks!
The conduit coming out of the ground should have an expansion joint. You don't need to use UF cable, you can use any cable that has an insulation rated for wet applications. THNW is a lot easier to pull. UF can be used for direct burial. The 12' burial is for 125V max 20 A max.
This was direct burial
@@Zach_Miller I thought I saw a conduit from grade to the cabinet. No?
@@albatross5466The conduit was only used to get the cable to the bottom of the trench on either end. She didn't run pipe the length of the trench.
@@albatross5466 you have to protect the UFB from depth to above. Anything above depth up to 8 feet needs conduit.
@@nyetloki I incorrectly assumed that she had run conduit for the full length of the trench. Others have pointed out my misunderstanding. Thanks and Merry Christmas.
Nice video again 👍
Consider adding also Ethernet cable whenever you run cables between or in buildings, it comes in sooooo handy if you need to expand your Wi-Fi on your property … yes, Wi-Fi mesh works, but there are many draw-backs, so good ol‘ wire is a good thing to put in.
If you can use cat7, from my experience it’s not much more expensive than cat6(a), but shields against all kinds of interferences ;)
Cheers 🥂
Ethernet cable nor coax should be included together with power wires in the same conduit. Use separate conduits in the same trench.
@@royreynolds108 Yes, that’s true.
And, even if direct burial wires are a thing, conduit between buildings is definitely worth it, to avoid digging later again, if some changes are needed 😉
Nah
If running copper utp cable, your nw performance will suck badly. Running utp in parallel with power without shielding is guaranteed to hobble your performance. Worst case I saw was when some Muppet actually wound the utp around the power cable. If using fibre, no problem ( but b3st to have it in its own conduit as its more fragile. Standards state that utp must only cross power cables at a 90degree angle.
Love your work, ma'am, an good to see a fellow Texan !
You didn't put a service loop on the cable in the LB box. Where you used your foot to bend the conduit to the wall, heating the pipe with a torch would allow for you to bend the pipe to fit the contour of the wall. Also, the conduit where you fitted the male connnector, you can ream the inner edge to a smooth and tapered edge that's no longer sharp.
service loops are not required by code.
Excuse me for asking a dumb question, but was there no conduit in the trench? Is conduit only need from the two ends of the buildings? Thanks.
In my county you also need to pay a small fee, get a permit and have it inspected prior to filling the trench. Later on if you sell the house, get a new mortgage or get homeowners insurance they will make you to sign a form stating no electrical work was done without a permit and inspection.
Just to clarify, the GFCI should be BEFORE the underground cable run, not just anywhere on the circuit. So at the panel (gfc breaker) or an intermediate GFCI outlet as you did.
all the best april
New ideas thank you
PM screwdriver...cool. I bought a couple of sets from Walmart back in the mid 90's. Made in USA. Never seen anyone else use them. Still have them.
Code for how deep to run your conductor is 24 inches without protection. If the run is under a sidewalk, driveway, etc you may have it 12 inches under such protection. Recheck the NEC. I did when I ran power to my shed a year a year ago. It had not changed since I was in a NEC class back in the 90's.
Column 4 of table 300.5 in the NEC is what she referenced for her depth. She's running a single 20A 120V circuit with a GFCI and that allows her to use that 12" depth.
GFCI is the protection, for a 120v 20a circuit with a UFb rated cable.
@@kevinbowers4394 yep, people gotta read all the code, it's not always clear at first glance...
A fish tape also helps get wire through conduit. 👍
the hard part is digging the trench - that is the part I thought you found an "easy" way to do :)
Do you not need to run the PVC piping the whole way only at the beginning and end bends.?
Nicely done April! 😃👍🏻👊🏻
Thank you!
In my state, conduit can't have Romex in it. It has to be THHN individual wires. Also, PVC or direct burial Romex has to be down 20 inches, unless you have concrete above it. And you left out the part about the building inspector having to measure and approve your trench depth before you fill it in. But of course, every place can have different rules and procedures. It pays to find out your area rules.
12" depth ok for direct burial cable where ...residential...
The conduit is only protecting the vertical drop at the buildings. There should be no problem with this in your area if you are using type UF Romex, like April is using. What code # indicates this?
So, in your area code, requires you to use Schedule 40/80 to get the cable into the ground from the source and Schedule 40/80 out of the ground and into the shed but you aren't required to run the Schedule 40/80 all the way from source to shed?
I see a lot of good information from other commenters about using underground as opposed to romex. I've heard this from other sources. The only thing that I would add to the comments about this video is instead of running the full length of the cable that's going to start at your GFCI through that piece of conduit going into the ground and then to the shed, I would pull a string into that conduit and then pull the three or four feet necessary from the underground exit point of the conduit back up to the GFCI outlet box.
Great explanations, and another great video!
Well done, April!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.
Thank you for your time making this video
Glad it was helpful!
in a pinch for small diy wire pulling projects, liquid hand soaps works just as well
Absolutely cool project April ❤❤❤!!!!
I feel like it’s easier to just run the pvc underground all the way and pull in stranded wire after. I hate fighting solid wire.
I totally agree, TsJuno. In this case, she didn't run the UF in conduit the entire run, just in the vertical drops to protect the cable from grade to the wall penetrations.
I do similar things on my properties…however I like to run continuous conduit in case I need to add another wire or upgrade the installed wire sometime down the line
It is good to check local codes. You mention the depth using pvc and a gfci but looks like you only used that to get into the trench and actually ran the UF cable by itself in the trench. Here, that would be more like 24" deep. They do sell fittings for rigid conduit that are compression so no bending or threading needed.
It would have been nice to show how you wired that into the breaker box. Once in the shed, that wire could go anywhere; into a sub-panel, into a single outlet, into a lighting setup, but wiring it into the breaker box at the source is pretty much the only option (unless, maybe, you are connecting to an existing plug?).
Ive always put the wire in each piece first especially corners or elbows then i would glue the conduit just depends on the job really and anyone’s preference.
I didn't see any strain relief for the conduit going into the ground. The conduit can be heaved or pulled down due to frost.
3:40 In this situation it would have been better to go with a GFCI breaker instead.
Another great video and project 👍
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
What gauge wire do I use to go from my house breaker box to my pole barn breaker box.
I've never fully understood the attraction of UF cable. If you have already dug the trench, why not use PVC the whole way? In my estimation, this allows wire to be upsized when needed without digging a new trench. Plus, UF cable is so challenging to cut and work with, not to mention its lack of mechanical protection.
But that's my little nitpick. I appreciate how well you presented everything.
I think the only benefit is that if you have to rerun the wire, fishing it around two 90 degree angles can be a pain. But, by the same token, if you've got the wiring through properly sealed conduits the entire way, the likelihood of needing to do so is also greatly reduced.
Also,it's worth using a bit of sand around the wire/conduit in the ground. It makes repair and replacement easier and if you decide you need a larger, conduit it's easier to remove the one you've got. Plus, it's a bit of a warning to anybody that is digging that there's this sudden unexplained sand coming up, perhaps there's a wire or a pipe down there.
great video thanks for sharing the tips with the pvc conduit have a great week
Thanks, you too!
How about a catio to go with the notacat door from a while back?
It'd probably be similar to the composter you made, lots of hardware fabric and dimensional lumber.
I'm truly a big fan and follow everything you do
Aw thanks!
1:25 You need to ream the inside of the pipe. The inner edge can damage the wire.
Hey April,
What rated wire did you use?
Looks like 14 gauge.
@@chipdayton1625 so like 14/2 or 14/3?
Very nice great information! Always helpful!!
My shead is 250 feet from the back of my Home and about another 60 feet to my electric box out frount what size wire should I use? I want my shead to have at least 4 outlets for fans a tv anf some phone chargers and about 15 led lights to light up the place at night when I do bbq.
So can the electrical wire just run through the dirt with no pvc covering it underground?
In Australia we are not allowed to do any electrical work without a licensed electrician, even changing a switch or wall socket! If you do it on your own, home insurance will not pay out if your house burns down. It's costing me about US $4000 to run single phase power about 200 feet to my shed.
Yup, need more goverment running every little thing in our lives.
I'd make sure my insurance company didn't know that I changed out the switch. :)
Yep. It took me 6 months and a variance for my county to grant me a permit to build my shed. They took $300 for the permit/variance and didn't even require an inspection. -Just big brother grabbing a piece of the action..@@jefffrayer8238
You are very brave to show an electrical project on RUclips.
lol, yeah all the armchair inspectors come out of the woodwork...
Others may have said it, but direct bury cable has to be 2’ deep regardless of what material your risers are.
Shallower permitted if entire run in conduit.
This is to protect wire from damage from digging.
False. GFCI protected UFB cable on a 120v 20a circuit can be direct buried at 12 inches.
@nyetloki Only in schedule 80 conduit.
Very beautiful work. I also love carpentry
Another thing: if you do put in a gfci or outlet outside, be sure it is a weather proof
Can you glue the bend AFTER putting the wire through?
great job!! the trench is laborious!!
Very interesting to see different electric standards across the world! This wouldn't be legal here in the UK.
Might be worth specifying in your video which standards you come under when doing work on electrical work so people don't get (unintentionally) misled into doing something dangerous because they trusted you.
This isn’t legal in the US either.
Other than her not being a licensed electrician, could you name the code violations, Jon? I'd like to know what she did wrong, not trying to be a pita. @@JonEHolland
I’m not sure of code but wouldn’t it be just as easy to feed the Romex through each piece of conduit just before you glue it to the next?