How to Run Underground Power to a Shed the Easy Way
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 มี.ค. 2023
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Welcome to the official April Wilkerson TH-cam channel. I’m April and I’m the creator of Wilker Do’s. I'm not professional or have any training, so I just pick the project I want to tackle and figure it out step by step. On this channel you will find a variety of content like DIY home improvement, How-To’s, construction and more. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
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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!
get out your hair dryer/heat gun and make that down drop of PVC conform to the wall.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nice, you can use heat gun to form the plastic conduit to fit flush against the wall
ALWAYS READ THE COMMENTS. THE BRILLIANCE OF A COMMENTER IS NEVER OVERSTATED!
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!
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.
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.
@@user-dv5bc1cc6z only if the flexible conduit has no reinforcement. Mine is reinforced conduit, and is therefore up to code.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Your awesome April I wish I had half the talent you have! Thank you for all you do!
Nice easy description. Don’t forget to water/air/bug seal the holes once finished.
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.
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.
Always love watching and listening to your install April!
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy my channel. Thanks for watching.
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!
Thanks for sharing the depths needed!
Wow! You just solved an issue for me, I was just looking at it wrong, Thanks!
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.
A fish tape also helps get wire through conduit. 👍
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!
Thanks for sharing April, worked out good and SAFE too. Fred.
What a great vid, thank you! Also like the helpful and respectful comments. Thanks everyone!
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! 😉
You're pretty awesome 😎. Made that look simple. I'm going to have to do this myself this summer, thanks for the tips!
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.
Love your work, ma'am, an good to see a fellow Texan !
Just a thought: Chase the wires through the individual conduit pieces and parts before gluing the conduit. Its easier than chasing around the fixed bends, elbows and boxes.
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.
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.
all the best april
New ideas thank you
Absolutely cool project April ❤❤❤!!!!
Great explanations, and another great video!
Well done, April!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.
Very nice great information! Always helpful!!
Very beautiful work. I also love carpentry
great job!! the trench is laborious!!
in a pinch for small diy wire pulling projects, liquid hand soaps works just as well
Great video. I didn't realize how many different code's there could be. Very informative.
Thanks for watching!
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.
great video thanks for sharing the tips with the pvc conduit have a great week
Thanks, you too!
the hard part is digging the trench - that is the part I thought you found an "easy" way to do :)
Keep at it April! 👍
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.
Very informative! Thanks!
For your offsets near building, instead of your foot, a happier blow dryer or heat gun on low slowly over conduit will mold conduit .
Thank you for your time making this video
Glad it was helpful!
I had to do something very similar when I installed wiring to my well house during the construction of my home. I'm not an electrician, and this wasn't exactly "easy", it's just the way it has to be done! You don't want to do in-ground electrical work the wrong way though!
April,yer a Sweetie! You can bury a wire easily without digging a trench in yer backyard. Step a shovel into the ground and rock it back and forth to make a "V" groove. Lay the outdoor wire in it. And moosh it closed.
Thanks for posting, and thumbs up. Gives me a few ideas.
Awesome! Glad to help.
Thanks April!!
Nicely done April! 😃👍🏻👊🏻
Thank you!
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.
You are very brave to show an electrical project on TH-cam.
lol, yeah all the armchair inspectors come out of the woodwork...
Exactly how I ran power to my back-yard cabin. Perfect!
Thanks!
Thank you. I'm about to do just that.
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.
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.
Another great video and project 👍
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
I'm truly a big fan and follow everything you do
Aw thanks!
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
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.
just ran 10/2 UF to my BBQ shed in conduit into a sub panel, with 2 8 ft grounding rods
Another thing: if you do put in a gfci or outlet outside, be sure it is a weather proof
Sometimes heating the cable at the turning point helps it bend easier.
In cold climates the outer coating can micro crack.
Nice job though!
Larry
In Australia we need to be 600mm minimum deep with warning tape 100mm above the conduit. Also pull your cable through first then make you joins. It makes for a much easier and quicker job without the struggle. Anyway different regulations for different states and countries. Good to see your having a go and not scared to get your hands dirty 😊well done and look forward to seeing your next job 👍👍
She is in violation of NEC 300.5. 24 inch minimum cover for direct buried cable.
@@alamofox1 no, 24 inch min for direct buried cable if not GFCI protected... she alludes to this in the video... 300.5 column 4. 12 inch if GFCI protected and 20 amp max circuit.
thank you! this is just what I need to know!
Glad it was helpful!
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
Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
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.
Good job 👏 😊
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...
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?).
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.
Great job on the wiring. (I see a couple of people are not sure you're up to spec for U.S.) but the physical installation you did was still well done and some good tips aswell for DIYers! (U.S. electrics is way different to U.K. anyway, as our electrical standards are unbelievably over-engineered for safety and update every year!) But appreciate all your hard work in ALL your videos.. always a top job and easy to follow your projects!
Cheers from London 👍🏴🇬🇧
Thank you for your kind words. Thanks for watching.
Thanks
COOP
...
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.
Great video
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.
you can also use a heatgun to heat the conduit and shape it how you need it. this saves stress on the straps
That's a good idea.
Awesome video
Great job!
Thanks!
Put gfci inside garage and pass your wire as you did. gfci won't need waterproof box.
very informative, and thank you for the coupon for foreo UFO device ))
Thanks! Yes, I really love the products. Thanks for watching.
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.
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
I do think you are a hard worker and u r very knowledgeable on electric wiring sorry for the stupid comments I made
I appreciate your apology.
5:39 Make sure to seal those holes in the sides of the buildings around the conduit.
thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Romex was not allowed in conduit years ago. Has that changed?