WHat makes burial cable "buriable"

[jmagerl]

I need to bury some cable for a remote vehicle sensor. I have a length of Belden 8451 2 conductor, shielded, PVC outside jacket. It doesn't seem to be "burial rated". WHat is it about cable that makes it NOT direct buriable? Even if its not rated for direct burial, will it work? The sensor is a VR type sensor. no power involved. Phone line would work. I plan on putting it in PVC pipe, does it make any difference? How do I make a splice to the existing cable such that both conductors and the shield are waterresistant.

Of course the alternative is to just break down and buy 200ft of burial cable...but thats no fun....

[dpb]

Jacket -- typically thicker and may have differing formulation(s) for better protection underground. The difference in function initially will not be any different, the longevity may. If you're willing to take a chance it may fail in a few years, that's the risk. If, of course, it's in conduit and pullable, that's less of an issue than directly buried.

[HeyBub]

Mole resistance.

[Karl S]

Of course, direct buriable rated cable is cable that can be but in the ground without any additional protection such as conduit. It has a moisture block layer and doesn't contain anything chemical that will contaminate the soil.

If you are putting it inside a pipe it should be ok.

[gfretwell]

There are two ratings you need to consider. Direct burial means you can just stuff it in the dirt Wet Location is what you need if it is in pipe. All underground pipe is "wet"

[Art]

Reminds me of a funny story.

A friend bought a new house. Had to wait for phone service to come. Eventually they came and put in a temporary cable sitting on the ground. Installer told my friend that another crew would come to bury a permanent cable.

3 month go by. After calling a few times and told they would be there soon, my buddy got tired of mowing around the cable and just burried it himself.

Fast forward 6 years. My buddy comes home from work and these guys are tearing up his lawn putting in a cable. He asks them what they hell they are doing. Seems that they just came across this 6 year old work order.....

[nicksanspam]

Nonono. Mole conductance.

Nick

[Harry]

How to you squeeze the moles into something small enough to fit between copper atoms?

[HeyBub]

You do it at the mole-cular level.