Underground wiring

[Ivan Vegvary]

Started digging and found the short in the wiring from my house that runs 50 feet ± to the greenhouse. Standard 10-3 w/ ground (4 conductors total) NOT direct burial. It's probably been there for about 40 years.

While I know the right solution (replace with direct burial, or conduit) I do have to drill/fish/pull etc. under a 14 foot wide asphalt driveway. If this were direct burial, or there any approved splice methods that can be buried (2 foot cover) OR do I need to place a utility box over the splice.

Any ideas appreciated.

Ivan Vegvary

[dpb]

Ivan Vegvary wrote: ...

Several of the gel-filled wire nuts are listed for underground application iirc.

I've used them successfully for a repair to the well -- been almost five years now w/ no problem.

Did, of course, use friction/self-fusing tape liberally and a good wrap of high-quality electrical tape over the splices for added measure, of course.

I'd simply go for it and make measured sketch of where the repair is if rest of wire seems in decent shape. Of course, it's quite possible what you'll find when you repower it is another failure, then another, and then another if the overall wire is in bad shape...

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[RBM]

If it's not UF cable, it's not designed to be underground regardless if in conduit or not. There are direct burial wirenuts made for UF cable, such as King one step or Ideal Blue. No junction box is required for underground cable splicing

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[Wayne Whitney]

Can you use the existing NM cable to pull the new UF cable under the driveway?

Cheers, Wayne

[Joe]

The old garden hose fastened to the conduit trick has been used by countless people to bore under driveways, sidewalks, whatever. In your case, with 1 1/2 pieces of conduit you're nicely through to the other side, and left in place to pull or push your underground cable through it. Pretty messy, but works like a charm. No splices, no future failures. Your power company will have recommendations as to practical burial depth of new wire.

Joe

[The Daring Dufas]

There is a splice kit sold at the electrical supply houses that consists of an insulator with metal tubes that have socket head screws for clamping down on the wires and a piece of heat shrink tubing coated on the inside with a hot melt sealer that slips over the splice when it's finished. The setup works very well.

Several manufacturers produce them.

TDD

[Steve Barker]

our feed to our detached had a splice from the get go. Dad soldered the twisted connections, wrapped them with old fashioned friction tape, then stuck the entire splice into a pound coffee can filled with roofing tar. Buried the can, done. Been there almost 50 years, still fine.

steve

[John]