I have to move my swimming pool electrical outlet about 6'.....It is underground 12/2 wire & thus I'll need to splice a short section into it. (There is no danger of any mechanical disturbance of the area...just water & rotting concerns.) I bought a short section of underground rated 12/2 wire & a couple of crimp connectors & heat shrink tubing. How does that sound? (the circuit runs from a GFI protected breaker in my elect box)
It sounds like a jury-rigged Code violation, and would be an accident waiting to happen if not for the GFI. Might be anyway, even with the GFI.
There are connectors that are UL-listed and Code-approved for making underground splices, and that's what you should be using. You shouldn't have any trouble finding them in the electrical department at any major home center or decent hardware store. And they're not all that expensive.
Without the proper connectors, sooner or later you'll get some water infiltration into the splice, resulting in frequent trips of the GFI. Eventually, it will get bad enough that you won't be able to reset the GFI. At that point, you'll need to dig it up and re-do it. Much easier to do it right the first time, no?
The big box stores carry a waterproof splice kit just for this.
It included a splice block and special heat shrink tubing that has a layer inside that melts into a gooey sealant that completely encapsulates the splice when you shring the tubing.
Just ask for a UF splice kit...$10-15.
HTH,
Paul
buy an underground splice kit they are not expensive and you will do it right
I wound up having to buy 2 kits since the nick was pretty long. as extra protection I used a sleeve of black plastic irrigation pipe that I slipped over the splice and then I sealed both ends with almost a whole tube of silicone caulk
Wayne
You could always go with your method, don't tell anyone and play Russian roulette with the occupants of the pool. That should be fun to watch when the sparks start to fly.
The proper thing to do is make the splice above ground in a weather-proof box, somewhere along the existing line or it's existing location. Add a blank cover or a "remote pool filter switch" and from there run a new line to the new pool outlet location.
This is a safer idea, in my view. Is it too difficult or expensive to just replace the whole wire? Jury rigging a connection without a proper junction box sounds like a very amateur job. Your friends or the new owners may not know, but every time you walk over it you will wonder. Better to do the job right.
Dave
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