Extension cord for heating water

[yogifink]

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UF-B cable rated for in-ground use without conduit should be laid at least 24" deep to aid in the prevention of accidental splicing of the wire. If you only want to dig down 12" you are required to use conduit. If you use conduit, you can run individual 12 gage wires, and skimp on the 12-2 UF-B cable. It would be almost impossible to run 100' of 12-2 UF-B through conduit if it is not a completely straight line. http://www.doityourself.com/stry/calculating-how-deep-to-bury-outdoor-electrical-wire UF Cable does not have paper insulation to prevent wicking. Meaning, all indoor Romex cable is wrapped in paper before the plastic sheathing is applied, UF cable does not have this paper, so that in the event one end of the cable were to get wet, the moisture cannot travel through the line. Also in UF cable the plastic covering is wrapped around each wire, rather than the group. http://www.doityourself.com/stry/4-differences-between-a-uf-electric-wire-and-romex-cable When you run outdoor cable you also have to consider the voltage drop that occurs over the length of the line. If too much of a drop occurs over the length of the you will burn out the heating element. You can prevent this by caculating this drop and using the proper gage wire and current for the length of 100'. http://www.southwire.com/support/voltage-drop-calculator.htm

 

[432bullet]

What code ???? When we moved here I called to check on building codes, There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Then the guy said if you are big enough to build it just go ahead, But let us know when you are done so we can put it on the tax rolls. I knew We had found a home. Three miles out of town.

 

[yogifink]

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LOL, I hear that. I live in the buyer-be-ware state. I laid some outdoor wire about 10' down a few years back, and then laid a sidewalk on top of it. I'll do this kind of stuff in my own yard, but would not make the same recomendation to someone else, who might think it safe to only go down 12 inches and run the line though a flower bed...

 

[4 the Birds]

What code ???? When we moved here I called to check on building codes, There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Then the guy said if you are big enough to build it just go ahead, But let us know when you are done so we can put it on the tax rolls. I knew We had found a home. Three miles out of town.

Actually around here the electrical code requires 18" burial of electric lines. Just use common sense and you can get by without renting a trencher and an electrician.

1. Protect your lines in some type of conduit (away from rodents and breakage)

2. Don't overload extension cords and use heavy duty cords. If you are handy then you can substitute that with romex and wire a junction box.

3. Outdoor outlets should be GFI (detects current leakage and prevents electrical shock) and those should be connected to a GFCI (circuit breaker) at the fuse box which trips with a short circuit or current overloads.

 

[432bullet]

I agree with safety first and common since. I take pictures for future reference and use dedicated circuits so if there is a problem I know where to look. No one else will be digging anywhere close to my 12 inch deep line. Just what works for us.

 

[yogifink]

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You don't need conduit if your cable lines are deep enough and it’s pretty tough to run UF cable though conduit, so it is recommended to run individual wire though conduit rather than cable. Definitely agree with not overloading an extension cord - use common sense. GFI and GFCI are basically the same thing - they are receptacles not fuses/breakers. A GFI trips when there is a difference in flow between positive and neutral, a fuse trips or burn when too much current is drawn or pushed though the series.

 

[chkickenman4]

Poster above is correct: a GFCI will not stop a fire, but it will still likely trip if the cord is cut. Arcing will trigger a GFCI to trip. Otherwise correct.