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Matthew–
A few questions–
1) Is it a UF cable? If not, what?
2) Is the proposal to splice it with a UF (direct burial) splice kit? If not, how?
3) How heavy are the conductors (gage)?
4) Aluminum or copper?
5) What’s the rating of the subpanel in the barn?
6) Is it a livestock barn or a utility barn?
7) Will you have stock in the area above the splice on a regular basis?
All these things factor in…6) and 7) because IF it’s a direct burial splice, you’re going to get some leakage. If you’ve got milk cows in the area, production will suffer because of the stray currents.
Replies
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Matthew--
A few questions--
1) Is it a UF cable? If not, what?
2) Is the proposal to splice it with a UF (direct burial) splice kit? If not, how?
3) How heavy are the conductors (gage)?
4) Aluminum or copper?
5) What's the rating of the subpanel in the barn?
6) Is it a livestock barn or a utility barn?
7) Will you have stock in the area above the splice on a regular basis?
All these things factor in...6) and 7) because IF it's a direct burial splice, you're going to get some leakage. If you've got milk cows in the area, production will suffer because of the stray currents.
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Matt,
IF you wind up putting a new wire in a fresh trench, put in conduit.
Had the operator hit the conduit, all you do is pull out the old wires, splice the pipe, pull new conductors- no trenching.
Certainly, I'm sure you don't plan on hitting it again, but I'd always recommend PVC conduit for underground lines, even #12 runs to a pole light.
As CAP points out, underground splices can be tricky. Problem with any "guarantee" is that it would be many years down the road before you had a problem.
If the break is near one end or the other, perhaps you could run a fresh line (in conduit) out to an underground access box. That way, if there was a problem, you could troubleshoot it. Depending on conditions, it might also stay drier and prevent leakage. BTW, I've seen these kinds of concrete boxes with bolt-on lids for Service Entrance cables done by the utility-I've never used one on the other side of the meter. Perhaps someone would comment?
*Usually the hardest part of repairing underground wiring not in pipe is locating the problem.If the trouble and expense of replacing the wire is great, why don't you splice the wire, then record very clearly on a piece of paper the exact location of the splice and stick it in a file. If in the future you have trouble with it, you can dig it up and repair it again. Lee
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Food for thought . . .
Submersible well pumps are installed, not surprisingly, underwater at the bottom of wells. Every one is spliced to its power cable. Splices are not a problem there. I'm certain that a splice would not be a problem in your situation either, as long as it it done PROPERLY. Have a respected, licensed electrician make the repair and then don't think about it ever again. Accurately recording the repair site is an excellent idea that will provide additional peace of mind.
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One of the things I find amusing is the way people shell out good money for an excavator to place something essential in the ground and then promptly forget almost everything about it. Before I bury something I always seek out the owner so that they can see it. In the process I'll create informal offsets using anything that will remain: valve boxes, LB's, boulders, trees, corners, etc. If the routing decisions were mine and I made logical ones, the location of in-ground runs should be able to be ascertained with reasonable accuracy very quickly. If such an informal approach can't work, there are any number of alternatives. Inexpensive galvanized chain can be buried shallowly so that a device as simple as a new stud finder could be used to locate a run. Many new septic installations will be required to have risers to grade, so that solves the perennially stupid activity of having to find the cleanout so the tank can be pumped. A creative contractor can have markers in the shape of disks or arrows cast that can act as benchmarks, passing locating information downstream to the future. Maps identifying these points can be laminated and mounted inside utility closets etc. In short, losing the location of stuff in the ground is stupidly inconvenient and coninues to be done merely out of thoughtless habit.
*Yeh, I take pictures of the open trenches. If I remember.
*Thanks all for your replies. I've been out working at the site the past week and not looking at email (too tired). To answer some of the questions - no conduit was used on this. It was aluminum, direct burial line (don't know the gauge - not an electician). The line was/is to carry 100 amp for the barn. I like the idea of putting the new seciton in conduit. Fortunately it was close to the house where it was severed, so it won't be difficult to dig up that section and put some conduit down.The excavator was told where the line was and how deep it was. I wasn't there when it happened, but it doesn't seem like he did any hand digging. I think he just started digging and hoping for the best. I'l l go with a splice based on these recommendations. Thanks again, Matt
*Matt When I make an underground splice I slide a piece of PVC pipe on the wire, make the splice, tape it real good then slide the pipe over the splice and fill both ends with plenty of silicone. I have never had a problem. If the splice is real big you can use a piece of PVC big enough to cover the splice with reducers on each end down to the size of the wirethen fill with silicone.
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Matt check with your local utility co. tey propably use type uf cable and have had to make repair splices for the same reason you have. They also use a locator tape ( yellow warning tape) buried about 6 in above the cable to reduce the number of dig-ups. By the way type uf cable is rated for direct burial so you don't have to use PVC conduite. Your local electrical supply house should have slice kits and splce boxes. check the local electical code to see if a splice is allowed and if it needs to be reinspected befor you cover it up. a 100 amp direct short to ground can be pretty deadly if the condition are just right,i.e. wet. I am a carpenter that a local utlity company has been trying to make into an electrician for 15 years ( i'm a sloooow study)
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The excavator severed my underground electrical line and water line to the
barn yesterday while putting in the septic system. My questions for you electricians is about the quality and longevity of a splice to reconnect the electrical lines. Being the owner of this house under construction, I want it done right and made like new, and therefore am leaning towards having the GC lay down a whole new line to the barn, but I am willing to research a splice solution so long as it is just as good, and is guaranteed to last as long as a "virgin wire" that hasn't been touched. Not being picky, but the excavator was told there were utilities where he was digging and should have been a little more attentive. I don't want to have to dick with a shorted out electrical line in 10 yrs. I appreciate some input on this.
Matt
*Matt-I can't speak to equivilency, but I can tell you that I've never had a call back for an underground line that I've spliced. I have busted my share of stuff, I'd be included to let him go with the splice. A question: Where the lines marked, or was the operator just told that they are out there. Digging can be really slow if you don't know where something is hidden. It took me about the same amount of time to dig 20' looking out for utilities as it took to dig 250' knowing everything was clear.Did he have anyone hand digging and or watching where the lines/pipe where located? He should have.I assume it was plastic water line he broke.pm