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I'll be running 50' of UF-B, 12/2 w/ground to an outdoor outlet in the garden. The run will be covered with a concrete walkway except on the two ends which will be in conduit. My question is do I need to bury the entire length 18", or can the part under the walkway be at a shallower depth ? I tried an on-line search but couldn't find the situation covered anywhere.
Thanks Rocco. I tried that and couldn't find anything that related directly to my situation. Over 5 million entries, mostly about sales or training. Could not find reference to the Code itself, without buying the book. Now it is buried at a 'safe' depth and the sidewalk is being poured.
I have the NEC book but can't seem to locate it. It must be the ageing process,I have 'lost' several items lately.
Once you pour the concrete I suppose the problem has been solved!
Play it safe bal and if your already at 18'' with your feeder , then take a piece of 3/4 inch conduit at whatever length you need to get under the sidewalk ...punch that baby thru with a sizeable hammer , and prestoe you have your problem solved , and you can use the pipe as well for your wire . As long as it is an existing sidewalk , and there is no heavy equipment going to be running over it . I doubt if you need to be at 18 inches . I would think 8 inches of cover should suffice .
But again ...you can always check with your city or county inspector , and they will gladly give you the answer for free !
12 inches per 1996,NEC 1996 table 300-5 "Residential circuits rated 120 volts or less with GFCI Protection and maximum overcurrent protection of 20 amperes" I would still run it through a piece of conduit
Thanks guys. I appreciate the advice. The DB cable entering and exiting the trench is in 3/4 inch PVC conduit as is everything else which is exposed. The cable is bedded in sand, backfilled,compacted and the trench is covered with a four inch thick by 33 inch wide concrete walkway which will support columns (as per anchors in the photo) for an arbor. The circuit will be on a 15 amp breaker into a GFCI outlet, thence to the outlets further along in the garden. Sometimes I get a little anal about trying to do stuff , but better safe than sorry. Two of the concrete sections are poured, three more, thankfully smaller, yet to go.
Rocck. Asking our State Electrical Inspector for advice means long 'conversations' with a pre-recorded message which may get you a live body, who would no doubt say they can't answer questions without having a permit application in hand. Good thing I'm not a cynic. lol Anyway, it is a done deal now, and when it is time to hook up to the panel I'll have an electrician from the Senior Center job pool come out and do the honors.
JK Thanks for the numbers, They were also what I needed.
Hey congratulations bal ...things are looking up for you now . And as for speaking with the inspector ...I guess I should have been more specific . I was referring to the city or county inspector ! LOL !!!
That was some good info from jko also .
Grats ...looks very professional , I doubt if anyone is going to peer through your concrete to check the depth ...lol !
Kinda strange Rocck, but in Washington State it is the State that has the Electrical Inspectors. Cities and Counties have their own Building and Plumbing Inspectors. Government "at it's best". Everyone has their own empire to build, and add more permit fees, etc.
