Tell me more ×
Home Improvement Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for contractors and serious DIYers. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 0 down vote favorite

Possible Duplicate:
How do I run a wire underground to an outdoor post lamp?

I need to run power to an automatic gate operator at the entrance to my driveway. I have 2 questions:

1) What type of conduit do I need to use underground?

2) And how deep should I bury the line?

share|improve this question
2  
An electrician friend of mine, when helping me run a buried line, highly recommended using outdoor-rated Romex even in conduit because as he put it "It seems like no matter how carefully it was laid, buried conduit always leaks at some point." – MarkD Oct 11 '11 at 19:45

marked as duplicate by gregmac, Niall C., Tester101♦, BMitch♦, Doresoom Oct 11 '11 at 21:07

This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote accepted

  1. you need conduit rated for outdoor use. It's typically PVC, gray in color, and is UV rated (so it doesn't break down in sunlight)

  2. check local electrical codes to be certain (though I think 18" is typical)

share|improve this answer
1  
And you need to properly seal that underground PVC with the proper glue. – The Evil Greebo Oct 11 '11 at 19:22
And UF cable too, I think. – Niall C. Oct 11 '11 at 19:27
which is better? metal or PVC for underground conduit? is metal even an option? – roartechs Oct 11 '11 at 19:30
1  
@roartechs If you're running the conduit under the lawn or other low load area, I would use PVC. If you are going under a driveway or other high load location, I would be afraid of the PVC collapsing so I would use metal. – Tester101♦ Oct 11 '11 at 19:51
1  
I believe galvanized is an option (again, check local codes) but the challenge with metal is that it's more work to seal the connections. As Greebo points out, you do want to seal the PVC with PVC cement which is easy to do and makes a complete seal. – DA01 Oct 11 '11 at 19:58

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.