"HK" wrote in message
...

I have an exciting day: my wife wants to buy a "fountain" for the garden,
to take advantage of the fact that I have an electrician coming next week
to do some wiring for my kitchenette. I think she thinks I am more than
willing to dig the 50' long, two foot deep trench it will take to bury the
wire. Right. First thing, I'll call the rental store for a Ditch Witch.

Outdoor "house voltage" wiring is a mystery to me. Can it be tapped off an
existing outdoor plug, or will it have to go to the panel?

I will get to the Greek festival this weekend. Dammit.



Sorta depends on how much power the fountain pump requires. Is it 120v or
220v?
Around here, the "ditch" is supposed to be 18" deep minimum.

If it's a light duty, 120v pump only drawing a few amps, I'd use direct
burial wire, #10 (due to the length) and tie it through an outdoor switch or
timer to a GFI protected outlet.

Eisboch

Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
...

I have an exciting day: my wife wants to buy a "fountain" for the garden,
to take advantage of the fact that I have an electrician coming next week
to do some wiring for my kitchenette. I think she thinks I am more than
willing to dig the 50' long, two foot deep trench it will take to bury the
wire. Right. First thing, I'll call the rental store for a Ditch Witch.

Outdoor "house voltage" wiring is a mystery to me. Can it be tapped off an
existing outdoor plug, or will it have to go to the panel?

I will get to the Greek festival this weekend. Dammit.



Sorta depends on how much power the fountain pump requires. Is it 120v or
220v?
Around here, the "ditch" is supposed to be 18" deep minimum.

If it's a light duty, 120v pump only drawing a few amps, I'd use direct
burial wire, #10 (due to the length) and tie it through an outdoor switch or
timer to a GFI protected outlet.

Eisboch




Ahh...direct burial wire...that's what she can use to tie up my casket
after I dig the ditch! 18" sure ought to work here, since our freeze is
a lot less than your freeze. I have an exterior GFI outlet...is it safe
to assume an electrician can wire an outdoor timer to it? As you might
guess, I don't "do" electricity.

"HK" wrote in message
...
Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
...

I have an exciting day: my wife wants to buy a "fountain" for the
garden, to take advantage of the fact that I have an electrician coming
next week to do some wiring for my kitchenette. I think she thinks I am
more than willing to dig the 50' long, two foot deep trench it will take
to bury the wire. Right. First thing, I'll call the rental store for a
Ditch Witch.

Outdoor "house voltage" wiring is a mystery to me. Can it be tapped off
an existing outdoor plug, or will it have to go to the panel?

I will get to the Greek festival this weekend. Dammit.



Sorta depends on how much power the fountain pump requires. Is it 120v or
220v?
Around here, the "ditch" is supposed to be 18" deep minimum.

If it's a light duty, 120v pump only drawing a few amps, I'd use direct
burial wire, #10 (due to the length) and tie it through an outdoor switch
or timer to a GFI protected outlet.

Eisboch


Ahh...direct burial wire...that's what she can use to tie up my casket
after I dig the ditch! 18" sure ought to work here, since our freeze is a
lot less than your freeze. I have an exterior GFI outlet...is it safe to
assume an electrician can wire an outdoor timer to it? As you might guess,
I don't "do" electricity.

Yes. But then again, that's me. The electrician might have other thoughts
or be more knowledgeable regarding your local codes. I have a good
understanding of electrical issues, but don't always follow "code"
precisely.

Eisboch

"HK" wrote in message
...

18" sure ought to work here, since our freeze is a lot less than your
freeze.

Nothing to do with freeze depths. It's to avoid driving a horseshoe stake
into the wire.

Eisboch

Code varys wildly with locality as to the accepted depth so find out before
you dig. Many allow a shallower depth if you put wire in that gray plastic
conduit.

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"HK" wrote in message
...

18" sure ought to work here, since our freeze is a lot less than your
freeze.

Nothing to do with freeze depths. It's to avoid driving a horseshoe stake
into the wire.

Eisboch

If it's a light duty, 120v pump only drawing a few amps, I'd use direct
burial wire, #10 (due to the length) and tie it through an outdoor switch
or timer to a GFI protected outlet.

Eisboch


Ahh...direct burial wire...that's what she can use to tie up my casket
after I dig the ditch! 18" sure ought to work here, since our freeze is a
lot less than your freeze. I have an exterior GFI outlet...is it safe to
assume an electrician can wire an outdoor timer to it? As you might guess,
I don't "do" electricity.



Either direct burial or wire in conduit will work here in Missouri, but must
be 36" deep. This is a safety thing, since our freeze level rarely
approaches 12".

CATV= 18" min (6" house drop)
Phone & Gas = 24" min (12" house drop phone, 24" gas)
Water= 36" min (always 36")
Power= 36" min (always 36", risers in conduit)

I would follow code. There's always a possibility that a shallow A/C wire
could come back to bite you if someone else digs into it.

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...


Sorta depends on how much power the fountain pump requires. Is it 120v or
220v?
Around here, the "ditch" is supposed to be 18" deep minimum.

If it's a light duty, 120v pump only drawing a few amps, I'd use direct
burial wire, #10 (due to the length) and tie it through an outdoor switch
or timer to a GFI protected outlet.

Eisboch


BTW .... all above is assuming the existing outlet is on a 15 amp breaker.

Eisboch (not an electrician)

Eisboch wrote:
"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

Sorta depends on how much power the fountain pump requires. Is it 120v or
220v?
Around here, the "ditch" is supposed to be 18" deep minimum.

If it's a light duty, 120v pump only drawing a few amps, I'd use direct
burial wire, #10 (due to the length) and tie it through an outdoor switch
or timer to a GFI protected outlet.

Eisboch


BTW .... all above is assuming the existing outlet is on a 15 amp breaker.

Eisboch (not an electrician)





Thanks. I'll follow the electrician's directions for the ditch. Took
three guys to get the damned fountain in my vehicle, and of course there
was only one at this end to get it out. One of the pieces weighed 265
pounds. No handles.

On Sat, 5 May 2007 09:00:25 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"HK" wrote in message
...

I have an exciting day: my wife wants to buy a "fountain" for the garden,
to take advantage of the fact that I have an electrician coming next week
to do some wiring for my kitchenette. I think she thinks I am more than
willing to dig the 50' long, two foot deep trench it will take to bury the
wire. Right. First thing, I'll call the rental store for a Ditch Witch.

Outdoor "house voltage" wiring is a mystery to me. Can it be tapped off an
existing outdoor plug, or will it have to go to the panel?

I will get to the Greek festival this weekend. Dammit.



Sorta depends on how much power the fountain pump requires. Is it 120v or
220v?
Around here, the "ditch" is supposed to be 18" deep minimum.

If it's a light duty, 120v pump only drawing a few amps, I'd use direct
burial wire, #10 (due to the length) and tie it through an outdoor switch or
timer to a GFI protected outlet.

Eisboch


one thing... 14 ga can handle 15 amps, and a 50ft run is not far
considering how long most cable runs can be in a house. The pump will
likely only draw a few amps, so that makes the guage requirement even
less of a concern.

You'll be more than fine with 14, use 12 if you want. 10 would be WAY
overkill unless you're planning to rival the Bellagio.