Hello everybody, My name is Scott and thanks for allowing me to post my question,
I am in the process of building a new woodshop..Its 16×24 and It’s 30′ from the back of my home.. {Directly in line with my current electrical panel box}
I am going to dig a trench to bury the necessary wiring etc.. from the box to the new shop..The shop is built on piers..{much like a deck}
I am going to hire an electrician to do ALL OF the necessary wiring..
I have a table saw and a planer that run on 220, everything else is 110
My question is –
What kind of conduit do I put in the trench? Made of what? How big? One piece or seperate pieces? How deep?
I would appreciate any and all advice that I could get..Thanks a million,
Scott
Replies
I would run 1.5" PVC conduit
I would run 1.5" PVC conduit buried 18" down minimum. Frost may make that deeper, ask locally. It doesn't freeze here ;)
That will give you the most flexibility. If you think you might want water and low voltage, this is the time to drop those in the trench (3/4" PVC for the low voltage)
The pipe will end up being the cheapest thing in this project and the hardest to change if your needs change.
Thanks for all of the replys.I never thought about water..
what does "low voltage do" I mean what can you use it for..
scott
Low voltage would be phone, cable TV, internet, maybe a doorbell/intercom, etc. Basically all of your non-power wiring.
thanks dan..
Water is pretty handy in a shop, if for nothing else, just washing your hands. If this is just going to be gray water (no toilet) you can usually get away with simply dumping it out on a splash block in the yard. More elegant would be a small dry well, (30 gallon perforated trash can full of rocks buried in the yard). You can get a small under sink water heater pretty cheap.
Extra pipe
I agree fully in pulling "whatever" you might think of (phone,speaker, intercom (I know, old school), 3-4 way switching for outdoor shoplights, NOW.
And an extra pipe don't hurt neither
You can't pull low-voltage through the same conduit as regular wiring, so install two conduits.
When you say you cant pull low voltage through the same conduit as main feed is that code or does it cause electrical problems .
I ran 3 inch pvc to my shop & pulled 100 amp cable through it plus 6 conductor intercom plus 8 conductors for phone ,alarm & fire & so far have had no problems 20 yrs later
I dident realize it might be wrong at the time .
Water for the bathroom is in the same trench about 4 ft deep due to frost & has never frozen .
Just imagine a cracked conductor touching a 120V line to your doorbell. In the rain.
Your electrical contractor will be pulling the wire, so he should be the one to install the conduit.
There are 2 legal ways to pull both in one conduit.
If all of the wire is part of listed cables (power and low voltage cables) the conduit becomes a duct. but you have to terminate them in separate boxes.,
You can pull an innerduct through (another flexible conduit) and pull one of the voltages through that.
It is a lot easier to just drop a separate conduit in the trench and not take any chances that an inspector will have a different opinion. Interferance in the low voltage might be an issue but only if tyou are not running coax or twisted pairs. These days I am not sure why anyone would run anything but twisted pair. Cat5/6