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#1
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Running wire to freestanding building
A friend was complaining last night about how major repairs often come in
clusters, when you can least afford them. The latest: It seems the AC wire to her freestanding garage has rotted away. The installation's probaby 50 years old. The BX cable comes out of the ground right at the garage, and there's no indication of it having been run through any sort of protective pipe. It enters the house through concrete block, below ground level. The garage is only 18 feet from the house, and although the ground is very easy to dig, the wire has to pass below a sidewalk to reach the house. The sidewalk is adding to her nightmare because she's thinking that removing any soil at all (to run the new wire) will cause some pavement to collapse, so she'll end up needing masonry work, too. Anyone know what's really involved in replacing a wire like this? In a perfect world, there would be no sidewalk or other annoyances, I'd install the wire in the appropriate pipe, there'd be birds and flowers and everybody would live happily every after with free beer. But...ya know.... |
#2
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Running wire to freestanding building
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
A friend was complaining last night about how major repairs often come in clusters, when you can least afford them. The latest: It seems the AC wire to her freestanding garage has rotted away. why does she need air conditioning in the garage? |
#3
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Running wire to freestanding building
"Bra" wrote in message
... JoeSpareBedroom wrote: A friend was complaining last night about how major repairs often come in clusters, when you can least afford them. The latest: It seems the AC wire to her freestanding garage has rotted away. why does she need air conditioning in the garage? Ummm....alternating current. It's all the rage these days. |
#4
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Running wire to freestanding building
It's probably not a BX cable, but a direct burial cable with lead sheath
over the conductors. Easiest thing to do would possibly be dig a narrow trench and bury a pvc pipe "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message ... A friend was complaining last night about how major repairs often come in clusters, when you can least afford them. The latest: It seems the AC wire to her freestanding garage has rotted away. The installation's probaby 50 years old. The BX cable comes out of the ground right at the garage, and there's no indication of it having been run through any sort of protective pipe. It enters the house through concrete block, below ground level. The garage is only 18 feet from the house, and although the ground is very easy to dig, the wire has to pass below a sidewalk to reach the house. The sidewalk is adding to her nightmare because she's thinking that removing any soil at all (to run the new wire) will cause some pavement to collapse, so she'll end up needing masonry work, too. Anyone know what's really involved in replacing a wire like this? In a perfect world, there would be no sidewalk or other annoyances, I'd install the wire in the appropriate pipe, there'd be birds and flowers and everybody would live happily every after with free beer. But...ya know.... |
#5
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Running wire to freestanding building
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
A friend was complaining last night about how major repairs often come in clusters, when you can least afford them. The latest: It seems the AC wire to her freestanding garage has rotted away. The installation's probaby 50 years old. The BX cable comes out of the ground right at the garage, and there's no indication of it having been run through any sort of protective pipe. It enters the house through concrete block, below ground level. The garage is only 18 feet from the house, and although the ground is very easy to dig, the wire has to pass below a sidewalk to reach the house. The sidewalk is adding to her nightmare because she's thinking that removing any soil at all (to run the new wire) will cause some pavement to collapse, so she'll end up needing masonry work, too. Anyone know what's really involved in replacing a wire like this? In a perfect world, there would be no sidewalk or other annoyances, I'd install the wire in the appropriate pipe, there'd be birds and flowers and everybody would live happily every after with free beer. But...ya know.... Is the location where the feed enters the house (basement?) accessible? Is it a straight line (not necessarily right angle) to the garage? If so then for such a short length in easy to dig soil I'd consider a pipe jacking operation with rigid conduit like sch. 80 PVC. Pete C. |
#6
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Running wire to freestanding building
You can use a LARGE Wood bit like a electricians bit with extensions
and drill underground as long as you arent in a real rocky area I used my friends setup on a electric drill just to try it went 15 feet in no time at all. hard on bit but can save oodles of hard work |
#7
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Running wire to freestanding building
Not sure why nobody's suggested a direct-burial wire (UF-B) with no conduit.
Seems like by far the easiest solution. Just water-jet under the sidewalk as suggested. Make sure you're low enough to meet code. -Tim |
#8
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Running wire to freestanding building
"Tim Fischer" wrote in message
. .. Not sure why nobody's suggested a direct-burial wire (UF-B) with no conduit. Seems like by far the easiest solution. Just water-jet under the sidewalk as suggested. Make sure you're low enough to meet code. -Tim I'm aware it can be done without conduit, but this wire passes beneath two flower beds. Enough said? |
#9
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Running wire to freestanding building
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message ... "Tim Fischer" wrote in message . .. Not sure why nobody's suggested a direct-burial wire (UF-B) with no conduit. Seems like by far the easiest solution. Just water-jet under the sidewalk as suggested. Make sure you're low enough to meet code. -Tim I'm aware it can be done without conduit, but this wire passes beneath two flower beds. Enough said? Not really. How deep do you dig your flowers? Code requires unprotected UF-B to be something like 24" (don't quote me). If you're digging that deep for flowers, you're planting something pretty hefty! Just for safety, you could put a conduit around that portion, or a pressure-treated board over it, or... Or you can run the whole thing in conduit -- but it will be much more work. -Tim |
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