Installing Electric To The Barn

[buck1]

My 32X40 barn is 100' from the house. I ran direct burial 6 (UF6AWG??) to the barn and have a breaker box installed there. In the house it's tied to a 50A breaker in my main panel. This stuff was rated at 55amps at this length. Inside the barn I have 16 lights (100 Watt) run off 4 switches and 12 plugs. Barn does have an air compressor but is made to run on 110V. Due to closeness of barn to house I didn't run water but probably should have. Swinging around 150' of garden hose gets to be a nuisance /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Soundguy]

I ran water and phoneto mine as well... ran the water, phone, and electric in3 different trenches... probably didn't have to.. but felt better ( and more exhausted ) anyway..

Soundguy

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

I have read all the posts, WOW a lot of great info, and this is what I plan to do, let me know if this will work, remember this is just a shed, no welding, no high power needs. I will run 200 feet (from the house breaker box to the shed) of 10/3 from a single 20 amp breaker. On one circuit, I will have 2 inside outlet plugs, one on each side of the shed, both on a GFI.. On the other circuit, I will add 2 outside 500 W lights, and 4-100w lights inside. I will run the wire in PVC 12 inches down; the wire will be direct burial type. I will run all inside wire, 14/2, in the shed inside of PVC conduit to protect it from the mice. I will run phone cable outside of the conduit, at the bottom of the conduit.

Questions

If I use schedule 80 threaded conduit pipe, can I only go 6 inches down?

What size conduit should I use with 10/3, 1 inch?

Thanks for all the TBN folks that have added to this thread. I hope I got it right.

 

[Phred]

Tom,

20 amps at 200 feet in 10 gauge will give you a voltage drop of ~7%. Thats a little high. Specs call for no more than 5%.
For 10/3 you could get by with 1/2" conduit over short runs and 3/4" for longer runs.

If it were me I would rent a trencher and run some 1-1/2" or 2" PVC at least 2 feet down. Sleeve some 8/3 as you go and glue the joints. That way you will have about 4% voltage drop and plenty of room to upgrade later if needed.
Afternoons work and a couple hundred bucks, mainly wire and trencher rental.

But then again I am always willing to help spend other peoples money.....
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Fred

 

[Hoeman00]

W/ 10/3 direct bury wire u will need 1" conduit because of width of wire.
The wire is flat and wide and may be tough to pull thru w/ conduit it would be easier to pull 4 10ga. thhn wires.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Ok after some feed back on my idea I have made the following changes:

I will use one inch rigid conduit and bury it 6 inches. I do not have to incur the cost of a ditch witch for a few hours and my lawn does not get totally messed up. I will have one straight run with only 2-90 on each end. I will also add plastic CAUTION tape on top of the conduit before I back fill and take pictures and measurements and attached it to the breaker box for the next guy to own the house.

I will use 2-20 amp single pole breakers.

I will bury the phone line in a separate PVC pipe.

I will look at the cost difference of 8 vs., 10 gauge wire.

Thanks for the comments it has helped me refine the
project.

 

[CTyler]

I'd be scared to have it only 6 inches down. To easy to chop it up. What about building codes?

 

[Inspector507]

The code for rigid conduit burial depth is 6" minimum.

 

[Phred]

Agreed if you are talking UF-B.

But I would use 10/3 THHN. This is much thinner. Will work well if in a conduit.

Fred