Ask Me Help Desk - Questions on a job I'm doing

I'm running motion sensors on 4 corners of my home on one circuit that will also junction off to my storage shed. I will need to bury this. The shed from the structure of the home is only 2 feet. Sucks I can't just extend to across through the air, but I don't want to deal with the inspector down the road when I want to sell.

Is it legal to bury metal conduit wrapped in 20mil vinyl pipewrap? I would like more than the opinion of the electrician at Home Depot.

Also, in addition to the set up in paragraph 1... I'm running another circuit for outdoor outlets, 1 in the carport and 1 in the back yard and maybee one along the eves for christmas lights. I do not want to run the whole thing on 1 circuit for the simple purpose that some crack head neighbor might just tap into my power. (Now my neighbors are fine, but who knows a year or 2 down the line). So I want one circuit to run motion sensors and to power my shed and the other circuit (with a padlock on the panel) to power my outdoor outlets.

I will be not be using a GFI for my motion sensors, but I will have on upstream of everything powered inside the shed. I will be using a GFI upstream of all the outlets.

I know I cannot share nuetral when using a GFI, so will be running a set of hot/nuetral for each circuits. I assume ground can be shared on both ciruits, so I'll be running a total of 5 wires 2 hot/2 nuetral through some (not all) of the conduit, sharing 1 ground for all?

Sharing conduit for 2 different circuits is legal? I will be using black/white for circuit 1 & red/grey for circuit 2

Thanks

You can do whatever you like to a buried conduit, just as long as the fittings are rated for water tight locations. Wrapping the conduit in plastic is a waste of time and money.

Usually PVC conduit is used in the ground, using fittings that are glued with PVC glue. This produces a perfectly watertight connection.

Running more than one circuit in a conduit is exactly the purpose of conduit. Each size conduit has limits on the total quantity of wires, each depending on the size wire and type of insulation. Even each type of conduit, steel rigid compared to PVC Sch 4 and EMT, all have different limits of the different sizes and insulations of wires.

The smallest conduit allowed is 1/2", and 1/2" PVC can handle the four wires you mention, assuming #14 or #12 wire with THHN/THWN insulation.

Any wire pulled through buried conduit must be rated for Wet Location, and these will have a "W" in the insulation code. Do not pull Romex/NM-B cable, or SE cable through conduit.

Along with the four wires you mention, you must pull one additional wire, green, to act as the equipment ground. Assuming a 20 amp circuit, this will need a #12 green copper wire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by corey2444

I do not want to run the whole thing on 1 circuit for the simple purpose that some crack head neighbor might just tap into my power.

Thanks

LOL.. Thought I only had those !!!!!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guest

You can do whatever you like to a buried conduit, just as long as the fittings are rated for water tight locations. Wrapping the conduit in plastic is a waste of time and money.

Usually PVC conduit is used in the ground, using fittings that are glued with PVC glue. This produces a perfectly watertight connection.

Running more than one circuit in a conduit is exactly the purpose of conduit. Each size conduit has limits on the total quantity of wires, each depending on the size wire and type of insulation. Even each type of conduit, steel rigid compared to PVC Sch 4 and EMT, all have different limits of the different sizes and insulations of wires.

The smallest conduit allowed is 1/2", and 1/2" PVC can handle the four wires you mention, assuming #14 or #12 wire with THHN/THWN insulation.

Any wire pulled through buried conduit must be rated for Wet Location, and these will have a "W" in the insulation code. Do not pull Romex/NM-B cable, or SE cable through conduit.

Along with the four wires you mention, you must pull one additional wire, green, to act as the equipment ground. Assuming a 20 amp circuit, this will need a #12 green copper wire.

Thanks, I'll be going pvc on the stuff underground. The wires have a W on them also. I have another problem. I have 125 amp rated panel w/ all the breakers adding up to 120. Looks like I'm going to need a sub-panel installed.

I would install the sub-panel myself and have the electrician do the hook up, but I don't think they like doing small jobs.

Quote:

LOL.. Thought I only had those!!

Yes, damn nuisance they are. If they aren't tapping into your power they are stealing the copper.

We really need to bring some laws from the 1800's back.. I say hang the copper thieves.

Omg what would the libs say about that?

You won't need another box, UNLESS you think you will pull 120 amps all at one time. Adding them up (breaker) is not the way the box will be rated. You should be fine. But if I am wrong others will soon let me know hahah:D

Any electrician that allows a customer to do some part of an installation and then does the "hookup work" is a fool. He better have a good attorney and an even better insurance policy.

Once an electrican does any work on a system, he becomes the responsible party for any and all new work done at that time, and will be liable for any problems down the road.

If you do something wrong that he does not catch because he did not install that part, and there is a loss of life or property, I will not believe you if you say you will not sue him.

You don't think he does small jobs? Did you ever ask?

As mentioned before, adding the rating of breakers is not how a panel is rated. Ask the electrician to do the proper load calculations to be sure the 125 amp rated panel is sized properly.

You can have 2 circuits sharing a neutral, to shed, and separate to 2 GFI protected circuits,
That common neutral only connects to Line side of the 2 GFI's circuits.
If you pulled a couple of extra wires you could have a switch or 3 way switch for lights at shed to be switched from house.

Mut be 18 inch deep if in pvc