Techniques Involved in Underground Wire Installation

 To send power to your shed, workshop or garage, you want to run 120V electrical underground wiring. Again if you want to a lamp post then also you should have knowledge about underground wire installation. Here is the way of how to do the underground wire installation from one location to the other.

INSTALLATION OF UNDERGROUND ELECTRICAL WIRING:

The very first question that always comes in mind about underground wire installation is that how deep do we need to bury the cable or wiring? It depends on what wire you are using and if you have run it within a conduit or not. You have the options of how deep you install or bury the underground electric wire. 

Burial Depth of deep 24-inches:

You can use underground feeder cable for direct-burial at a deep of 24-inches or more. Though you do need to provide PVC conduit on your vertical feeds starting at 18-inches, you do not have to conduit at this depth with the use of UF cable.

Deep Burial Depth of 18-inches:

Inside of PVC conduit at just 18-inches deep THWN-2 conductors can be run in the ground which protects the wire from having being damaged as if when someone digs on the top of the cable. It is a water-resistant THHN (Thermoplastic High Heat-resistant Nylon-coated wire)

Burial Depth of 12-inches:

You can run direct-burial feeder cable wire at the deep of 12 inches that is GFCI-protected. You should protect it with PVC where it pops up at the house, garage, or shop.

Burial Depth of 6-inches:

If galvanized EMT (metal electrical conduit) with individual conductors inside is used by then you can bury it just 6-inches deep. 

The idea here is that electrical metal conduit can withstand a shovel or other significant potential cause of shorting the wiring.

How to Bury Wire

If rigid metal conduit or even EMT is going to be used in place of PVC for a single line you can use 3/4-inch PVC. Again, when the burial depths that are listed above should be accurate and as such you have to check local building codes first. Using of PVC conduit is preferred when you are to run power to a remote location underground. This is what gives you a more protection in the long-run over direct burial cable.

Finally, you have to understand your options and take the easiest and simplest route based upon your situation. If you can get away without conduit and the underground wire installation within an area you are not accountable for future digging. In that case direct-burial cable ought to be the best. A PVC or metal conduit might seem the better choice if you are on the way of it.

Step by Step Underground Wire Installation: 

If you are in need of Underground wire installation you are required to follow the following steps:

Check before Digging:

Please have a check of your property within few days by the municipalities. It is very much essential to mark the critical lines before you start your work of digging as it would be very foolish to hit any buried electrical lines, water lines, sewage drains or any other things. 

 

Dig the Trench

Please plan your course using a trencher and dig the trench if you have plans to run your PVC pipe. If you are in need of going a good depth with your buried electrical cable, it is recommended that you should rent a trencher.

Cut Your Egress Holes

You are required to cut your egress holes from the starting point to the end of your run. This will help you to use it as a PVC conduit outlet body (LB). These will make easy to feed wire into a building whether it is the source or the destination garage. You can remove the plate using the two screws and feed the wire as needed without being need to worry for making a right-angled turn at the very point of entry. A number of times you can push your cable through minimal runs of PVC conduit. You can also use a metal fish tape or even vacuum a pull line through the pipe if needed and use that in the long-run to pull the wires.

Finalize Your Work of Installation:

Finish your conduit fittings after you have pulled your wires and have made the connections to the electrical panel. This is what includes securing the plates on your PVC conduit bodies of outlet. Now, have a test on your run and cherish to have done a great job of underground wire installation. For doing the work of installation of underground wire in a very efficient and just manner it would be better to call a licensed electrician if you are not sure about your own expertise about the work.

References:

https://www.protoolreviews.com/how-to-install-underground-electrical-wiring/

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-install-underground-cable-1398126