Wires to the Shed - Would you choose to bury wire or run conduit?

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20' trench vs 100' trench would be my determining factor. 100' would probably be cheaper to run conduit. 20' would not be so bad to do it over again(not that conduits can/will break underground). If I was going under a driveway I'd run conduit and 2 spares. If I was tucking along a foundation for 20' and then digging over I could see myself tempted to use some of that 200' roll of UL cable I've had for 10 years and never used, but every time I get the trench dug I just end up using conduit.
 
My neighbor who is a NYS licensed Electrician said that when I run power to my barn he will use steel conduit. He feels that this is the best and safest way to go. Now all I have to do is dig the trench and come up with the money to pay him.
 
I'd only spend the money on steel if I couldn't get deep enough. Maybe for sweeps(if you can get away without expansion joints) but that's a.lot of work. Why not backfill with flowable concrete as well?
 
Flatbed, why would you use steel conduit instead of schedule 40 pvc? One rusts and weeps over time and costs a lot more, the other doesn't. This seems like a no-brainer. I wouldn't think twice in this situation.
 
If you have an "in" with the local power company, a lot of times they have "scaps" of direct burial with built in rodent shield metal mesh. Might be worth a shot...their scraps can are usually pretty long....
 
BeGreen said:
Flatbed, why would you use steel conduit instead of schedule 40 pvc? One rusts and weeps over time and costs a lot more, the other doesn't. This seems like a no-brainer. I wouldn't think twice in this situation.
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That's what the pro said to use. I'll ask about PVC when I actually get around to doing it.
 
lukem said:
If you have an "in" with the local power company, a lot of times they have "scaps" of direct burial with built in rodent shield metal mesh. Might be worth a shot...their scraps can are usually pretty long....
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Those days are long gone. Once the front office found out about the weekend beer money those scraps anything over 10' goes back to the shop. I'm being asked to have guys cart back worthless coax "just in case". Just another table scrap that used to go to the underlings that's now seen as revenue by the boss.
 
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