Underground Electrical Wire And Outdoor Conduit And Cable Types

TO AVOID THE WORRY of underground electrical wire and maintaining overhead wire, you'll probably to want bury your outdoor cable or conduit underground.

Burying underground cable in a protective conduit is one choice.

Or, if identified for such use, cable can be buried directly in the ground.

Underground feeder and branch-circuit cable, known as UF cable, is designated for outdoor wiring because it is weatherproof and suitable for direct burial.

UF cable looks somewhat like ordinary NM cable, so be sure that the UF designation is clearly written on the sheathing.

The wires are molded into plastic rather than wrapped in paper and then sheathed in plastic, like NM cable wires.

Aboveground UF cable must be protected with conduit.

Direct-burial cable must be buried deeply enough to be protected from routine digging, yet not so deeply that trenching may interfere with existing water or power lines.

The NEC specifies minimum depth requirements for underground electrical wire cable.

Then 24 inches for direct-burial cable; 18 inches for rigid nonmetallic conduit; 6 inches for rigid and intermediate metal conduit (NEC Table 300.5).

If your cable is powered from a ground-fault breaker, you may be permitted to trench less deeply, but this is not recommended—you might someday plant a tree or shrub over the cable and risk cutting it while digging.

Any special characteristics of newer underground electrical wire types of cable insulation will be identified on the sheathing, such as sunlight and corrosion resistance.

Note that the plastic sheathing on UF cable encases the insulated conductors inside it.

This makes the individual wires somewhat difficult to strip, even using a utility knife.

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