Home Improvement

Erronius said:

If it was me, I wouldn't. I'd just buy UL listed 'grey' PVC, with fittings.

I would never use white pipe on work FOR a customer. White pipe with electrical is usually a big red flag.

The reality is that there's not a huge difference, other than the color and the UL listing. Which really just means that specific conduit was tested and 'listed' for that specific use. Will white pipe work? Most likely. But whenever I've seen white pipe come out of the ground and transition, say, to an LB fitting, then I start wondering WTF is going on.

No idea what size conduit you have though. And this is the sort of thing where...if you were likely to either not use conduit, or use white conduit, then of course use the conduit you have. But I'd go with UL parts.


This thread is kind of tough for me though. If I go full-on pedantic, and go fully by the book, then it's going to be way over the top for most people in this thread. Most homeowners couldn't care less about NEC bullshit. I try to back off a bit so I'm not being too overbearing, but then with questions like this it's too easy to be 'too relaxed' in my answers, I guess. But sometimes people just want the 'What's the minimum I need to do to get'r done?' and at that point I'm like "JUST FUCKING SEND IT, IDGAF"


RE: GFCI outlet, I'm assuming that you have a couple of outlet 'stub ups' along the route of the circuit as it runs through the yard? So yeah, you could install a GFCI outlet at the first stub/junction, but yes, it would only load-protect everything downline from that point.

I would just buy a GFCI breaker for the circuit, myself. But if you've already bought an outlet and you don't want to spend the extra money a breaker, you can always mount the GFCI at the panel with the breaker in it, somewhat like it is a 'convenience' outlet. So run hot/neutral/ground to something like a 4" square box, some sort of nipple (offset, chase or straight), single gang plaster ring. Mount the GFCI in that. Feed into the LINE side from the breaker, then tie your underground UF cable to the LOAD side of the GFCI. You'll then have two trip & reset points (breaker will trip only on low impedance dead shorts, etc, and GFCI will trip when losing current to a ground fault) but that's better than not GFCI protecting the circuit at all.

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I appreciate the candor. Rest assured, I will never take something I read on the internet as an excuse to absolve myself from responsibility of bad ideas or poor execution of good ideas.

I've wired outlets, but never wired breakers. I watched my FIL wire a breaker, and it looks easy enough, but I was looking for a "today" solution with no learning curve. I'm eventually building a timber frame shop on the site where this wire is running and will almost certainly need electrical inspections for it. I'm tempted by the "do it right the first time", but time pressures make this an acceptable risk/interim solution for me. Undoubtedly, I'll be cussing my past-self out when I have to prep this wiring for permitting inspection for the shop.

One nice thing about conduit, is that you can use a shop vac to suck or blow "Jet Line" through it, to use as a pull string. We used to just buy it by the bucket. Electricians will probably have actual vacuums and 'mice' for it, but you can replace the mice by tying the end of the jet line around a wad of plastic. Just make a wad of it so it's about the inside diameter of the conduit.

Once you have the jetline pulled through at both ends, tie it off with plenty of extra and try not to lose the end. The jet line will stretch and if you're not careful you'll lose the end into the conduit and have to start over.

Jet line is usually strong enough for pulling small stuff, but if you are pulling large conductors it WILL snap. Then you need to step up to Pull Tape, or an actual rope.

One thing to try avoiding is pulling jet line in a conduit PAST existing conductors. Depending on the length and how hard you're pulling, Jet Line *WILL* cut right through plastic cable sheathing/insulation if you pull it over/past/across existing conductors/cables in a conduit. Especially at bends and 90s. Then water will get into the conduit and bad things will happen. If you want to pull another conductor into an existing conduit with wires already in it, unland everything, tie the jet line to the end, then pull all the existing conductors out while simultaneously pulling the jet line through behind it. Then tie/tape the new conductor to the old conductors, and pull it all back through together using the jet line you pulled in behind it. That way you're not cutting through other conductors/cables with the new conductor you're pulling in.

Burns said:

I'm not sure the tape is even used in any residential applications

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I used to use it on every underground service run, more or less. Including residential.

It didn't seem to work all that well in heavy clay, though. Once the trench is backfilled full of clay, the warning tape turned into the buttfloss in a fat ladies ass, and by the time you'd see it, it was already too late, LOL.

We'd have to dig conduit up at times, and in clay it would just be completely encased by the clay. Half the time you never even saw sections of the tape stuck inside. We more relied on the operator being able to 'feel' where the conduit was and hoping it didn't shatter (PVC).

But in looser dirt and sandy soil it was pretty decent.

Traveling this week for work, but regarding my closet electrical and where I'm thinking of pivoting.

This completely normal and dirty outlet that is in my office (previously a kids room from prior owner) is on the other side of the same wall on the interior of my closet.

So maybe just cutting through the back of that and running an outlet in to the closet is the fastest and easiest if all I want in there is power for network equipment. If I don't care about the light and switch. That hallway light is plenty bright to see in the closet with the door open. No fishing things through the closet, attic, drilling new paths, etc. Just gets me power in there which is what I want.

So got one quote for a new ac.

$11410 for a 3.5 ton 14 seer single stage. lennox or $17700 for a 4 ton 18 seer variable stage lennox.

Seems a tad bit expensive for the single stage.

Also is there any issues duct wise going from a single stage to a two stage? First guy i talked to said ducts built around a single stage really dont work for a two stage pump.

I think Uber Uberest is our resident HVAC guy

Thaloc said:

Hvac equipment has gone up a bunch in the last 3 years. Always a good idea to get 3 quotes. pick the company that does work instead of the one with the best price.
Re ductwork, your hvac guy might be retarded, no difference in ducts for single/2 stage equipment.

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I wanted to applaud your dedication to lurking.