Burying Electrical Conduit

N

Nick

New member
I want to run electricity to a building on my property. It's about 150 feet from the power source to the building. I want to use a heavy gauge wire, enclosed in plastic conduit in a two-three foot deep trench. Unfortunately, the property sits on an expansive rock ledge so I might not be able to go that deep for the entire distance.

Anyway, is there a tractor implement I can use to dig this trench? I can probably rent a 'Ditch Witch' if I have to, but I already have the tractor. There will most probably be other trenches (longer distances) to eventually dig, so I wouldn't mind buying some sort of tractor trench digging implement if such a thing exists. Opinions and thoughts??
 
To go that deep I can think of a couple of things. First is a trencher. Just like a "Ditch Witch" but it goes on the back of a tractor. I've seen them in magazines, but have never seen one in person. The other one I can think of is a backhoe. That will allow that distance and then some. Both of these options are pretty pricey.

Other than that a subsoiler will only get down to about 12 - 16" at best.

Anyone else got anything?
 
I did the same project last fall. I wanted to use my tractor but in the end I rented a ditch witch instead. It dug a nice 2 1/2 ft ditch for me in a few hours. Returned it the next day. Buried my conduit and used the tractor to cover the ditch back up.

Knowing you might end up in some rock makes it all the more to your advantage to rent the equipment for this job.
 
I haven't done it myself, but my BIL said he dug a 4" to 6" trench about 12" deep with a single blade plow behind his tractor. He was doing the same thing. "burying electrical" . Of course here in Louisana we don't have rock.
 
"Ditch Witch" I think is the best option. I agree that it is best to get the right equipment for this job. It will be worth everypenny in the long run. If your small local rental places do not have a heavy unit try out a United Rental or Sunbelt Rental. They rent to the big jobsites and I am sure their staff can help you choose the right equipment.

I used a "Ditch Witch" when I did mine. Very good equimpent. I did not have much rock.

Sometimes we have to give up on trying to use our tractors for every little / big job. Even though we love seat time.
 
My opinion would be a trencher. Whether you'd want to buy one for the tractor (expensive) or rent one you'd have to figure out. If you know from the get go that you're gonna hit rock, they have rock teeth for the trenchers but if you are in dirt they don't clean out the trench real well.

In your area you may not have the bad ol' inspectors to worry about :wave: :respect: . Code would be 18" minimum. Gray electric conduit, not white plumbing pipe.

There is another option. Lots of contractors are now using a directional bore method. If they hit rock, they just steer the bit around or over it. No backfill needed. You don't even want to price out buying one of those machines.

You also mentioned other trenches in the future. How wide and how deep? A trencher will probably do 6" wide, whereas a backhoe a lot wider. Think of the worst case scenario and buy that attachment once and be done with it.
 
OhioTC18 said:
In your area you may not have the bad ol' inspectors to worry about :wave: :respect: . Code would be 18" minimum. Gray electric conduit, not white plumbing pipe.
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You're right, the only activity that's inspected in this very rural area is burying the main electric feed cable (in heavy conduit) from the street utility pole to the transformer, and then from the transformer to the meter. After that you're on your own - zero building codes; so you have to carefully watch the builders, plumbers, electricians, etc. to make sure they don't take any unnecessary 'short cuts' on your house. As of now anyway, there are no county inspectors. In other words, you have to be there most of the time, and have a pretty good idea as to what's going on.

Yes, I was planning to use the gray conduit underground as opposed to the white Sched 40 PVC pipe. I never felt too comfortable with the gray cable you bury directly into the soil, even though this method is frequently used. I'd be afraid of accidentally digging it up when I least expected it!!:wink:

Based on what I've heard and read, and what's been said here thus far, I think the Ditch Witch might be the way to go. I don't have a backhoe, but I'd use it if I had one, even though the resulting ditch would be much too wide, and would require more backfilling. I had thought about the 'potato plow' method too.

My other 'project' would be running and underground line to power an electric gate and/or lights at the entrance to the property. But that's probably a ways off anyway.

Thanks for everyone's input. I think I'll buy the conduit and wire cable next time I go up to the 'property'.

Nick
 
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