I`m planing on running An electric line from the house to a shed. It will be in buried in conduit. Can I pull romex through the conduit or should I use individual conductors? Is stranded wire or solid best? Thanks all
You cannot run romex, as a buried conduit is considered a "wet" location and the conductors in romex are type THHN, which is not listed for wet locations. You can use stranded or solid THWN conductors. I prefer stranded, as they're easier to pull
I'm guessing (since it's a shed) you are adding only one circuit.
If so, you can pull like a 12/2 or 14/2 uf wire through your conduit.
I do this sometimes.
It gives two levels of protection.
The uf wire is water proof on it's own and the conduit protects it from shovels and other things that may cut it.
Use individual conductors, it is cheaper and easier to pull. "Cables" can be sleeved in conduit for physical protection but you need big conduit to make the "fill" calculation and ease of pull. The jackets are also not "slick" enough to pull easy. THHN/THWN is made to pull, with a teflon sleeve on it.
While I agree with not using standard romex underground. and suggest using UF instead, I did run a line from my garage to a shed (about 15 ft.) underground. and used romex. That was a few years ago and it works fine. However, I used PVC conduit, and glued it properly with premade long sweep elbows on each end. Both ends are inside the buildings and end in boxes at least 2 feet above ground level. Unless we had a major flood, there will never be water getting in this conduit. I actually planned to use UF, but wire has been so expensive, I used what I had. I used 1inch pvc conduit so it was easy to pull it, and would be easy to replace too. Actually I intend to eventually replace it because I want at least 3 (20A) circuits in that shed. Right now I just have one. But with the cost of wire, I've lived with what I have. I just have to remember to unplug the electric heater in the shed when I run my table saw. So far this has only been a problem once, when it was just too cold to work out there without the heater.
I do somewhat question why the coating on the wires inside romex would not be waterproof? I'm not doubting anyone and know it's code, but the plastic coating is not going to dissolve if it gets wet, and the outer coating of the romex adds to the protection.
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I don't believe I've ever disconnected a buried conduit without it being full of water. It gets in through condensation, if by no other means. Romex is made for dry and damp locations, so they don't use thwn conductors in it, I suppose it's a tad cheaper. I once dug up a buried cable to a lamp post. It had been in the ground for over ten years and was working just fine, and it was plain old Romex. Go figure. Sleeved in a conduit, it would probably last as long as anything else, but the OP should know that technically it's a violation.
It's all just a matter of legalities and code. Of course romex works fine in conduit. Hell, my barn is powered by about 250' of 12/2 romex laying on the ground. Works fine. I realize the covering and insulation inside the covering will eventually succumb to UV light deterioration, but it's doing the job until i build on to the house and bury a proper feed.
s
Shame on you !!!!! :)
That's about as bad as my UF cable that runs overhead from my barn to my hayshed. All I wanted was a light in the shed, and the shed is about 10 feet higher on a hill than the barn. It was easy to run the wire out of the side of the barn and up the hill to a pole, and terminate in the shed. It's been this way for 7 or 8 years. Because it goes thru a small woods, I have the wire attached to the post with a plastic electric fence insulator. If a small tree falls, the insulator will break. This happened once. Nothing was harmed except the 25 cent insulator broke and had to be replaced. UF does not seem to be affected by sunlight.
If that was supported by a messenger cable it would even be "legal"
as far as i know uf-b is approved for overhead outdoor use.
swhat is an approved 'messenger' cable made of? I plan to electrify a detached garage at a rental house that is about a 30' span, and was planning on hanging UF-B to do it.
s
Absolutely, as long as t says "U/V protected" on the jacket and you hang it from a messenger cable accordance with Article 396
Any corrosion resistant cable strong enough to carry the wire, securely fastened at each end. Typically that is 1/4" galvanized cable. The cable must be grounded and the UF has to be lashed to the messenger.
thanks.
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