My New House & Workshop

[Jim Oaks]

This stupid metal post was concreted in place where my electrical line was going to run, so I had to bust it up and remove it. There was also an old gas line here, some coax cable (no more cable TV for the gophers!), and the old 3/8" copper waterline that I replaced.

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I got that all cleared out and ran the conduit under the old gas line.

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If you're looking for a workout program to burn calories, might I suggest getting an 8-foot grounding rod and driving it into the ground with an 8-pound sledgehammer. This wasn't too bad until I had about a foot to go, and it decided it didn't want to go anymore. I found myself sitting on a 5-gallon bucket beating the shit out of the thing. My neighbors probably think I'm a nut. For like a brief fraction of a second.... I looked at the section still sticking up out of the ground and thought to myself, if I put a mound of dirt around it.....

Yes, I still have to finish driving it into the ground.

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The wheels on the bus go round and round, and the foundation on my shop goes up and down, so I added a slip joint to the conduit. There's one at the house end as well.

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I added a pull box at the corner as suggested by @Curious Hound. I tapered the ground down so that I can get more of a straight-line pull when I start pulling cable.

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Here's a pic to give you a better fell for where it's going.

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I learned something really exciting this week.

There's a tree stump at the corner of my drive, concrete pad, whatever the hell this thing is. I know the corner was broke up a little and there were dirt and grass on it. I didn't know there was a big ass tree stump here. And unfortunately, this is where my conduit has to go. I already ordered the wire, and I don't have very much to spare, so the tree stump had to get cleared out.

I spent three days with a Sawzall, sledgehammer, and chisel cutting and splitting this stump out of my way. I actually filled up five 5-gallon buckets full of wood chunks from this thing. At times I felt like I was building the million-dollar electrical highway.

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It has a nice, neat edge where they framed the concrete to go around the stump. Who does that!!!

Did I mention that I spent three days clearing a path through this thing? There was a huge root about 4 or 5 inches in diameter running under my waterline. So, it's not like I could rip it out with my truck like I would normally do with a stump.

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I'm not sure if it was the idiot with the shovel, or the idiot with the sledgehammer, or the idiot that used a pickaxe for a bit, but SOMEONE broke the PVC my PEX waterline is in. Fortunately, the waterline itself wasn't damaged. If you look closely, you can see where the tree was under it. I'm guessing the guy that put this waterline it didn't realize that there was a big ass stump not far from this big ass root.

Yes, I'm the guy. Don't tell anyone.

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I cemented the big piece (minus a small piece) back on and then found a piece of drainpipe from my sink, cut it, and cemented it over the broken area.

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I'm burying the conduit 20-inches to leave room for the CAT6 conduit that will run above it, so the electrical actually crosses under the water line.

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And because nothing is ever easy, I cut out a section of concrete at the edge of the house so the conduit can run up along the side (corner) of the house and get secured to it. The conduit comes in at 45 degrees and then goes into a 90 up.

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Here's what I have going on. You can see where the main panel is on the outside of my house, and I pointed to the location where my internet enters the house. This is the area where I want to run the CAT6 cable through. The CAT6 has been more of an afterthought. Since I have the trench dug, I might as well put it in.

I know what you're thinking; if I dig the trench up where I cut out the concrete and ran the waterline, I could save myself 58-feet of line and conduit. That kind of seems like a no brainer now that I'm looking at it. I hadn't really considered my options when I bought 150-feet of CAT6, I just knew I wanted to bury it since I was digging a trench to the shop. Digging the waterline trench back up means I won't have conduit or a cable running between my door and step.

I'm kind of tired of digging ditches though.

 

[Snoranger]

Go rent an electric jack hammer or a rotary hammer with a ground rod driver bit. If you were closer, I’d just let you borrow the one I have.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Go rent an electric jack hammer or a rotary hammer with a ground rod driver bit. If you were closer, I’d just let you borrow the one I have.

If you were a real friend you'd just swing by and give me a hand really quick.

 

[Snoranger]

If you were a real friend you'd just swing by and give me a hand really quick.

I do have Monday and Tuesday off. I just have to be home by Friday, I’ve got a dentist appointment.

 

[Curious Hound]

Wow! What a fight, you've had. It looks great. You're doing a fine job.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I do have Monday and Tuesday off. I just have to be home by Friday, I’ve got a dentist appointment.

Cool. Bring the wheels with you too. LOL.

Wow! What a fight, you've had. It looks great. You're doing a fine job.

Thanks, I appreciate that.

 

[franklin2]

If you have the ground rod in that far, don't tell anyone but I cut it off, and batter the end so it doesn't look like it's cut. The inspector will get you if he notices the rod is cut. But one foot to go I would not worry about it. Around here the ground is so poor, they make you put two ground rods in at least 6ft apart.

I use one of those drivers in the hammer drill myself. It's a little awkward starting out,, I have to use a step ladder usually, with that heavy hammer drill way up in the air. But it does beat using a hammer.

 

[Jim Oaks]

The rod slowly works its way down. It's cheaper than giving the gym $30 a month.

 

[Jim Oaks]

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Here's the last pieces that come up to the main box. They're just dry fitted and not connected to the box. That's why it leans back a little. I'll secure it to the house when I'm done.

I feel like I need to put some kind of post here to protect the conduit from getting hit. Suggestions?

Also, I don't know who the jack wagon was that ran the flexible conduit from the bottom of my box up the side of the house to the eave, but they did a shitacular job. The conduit ends at a hole in the eave, and you can see the romex pass from the conduit into the eave. I don't know how this was missed on the home inspection.

I have no idea where the wire goes and wgat it hooks to. First suspicion would be the outlet for the microwave on the other side of the wall. It's by itself. I don't know, but I assure you I would have done a much better job. It's close to where my conduit is coming in. There's no breaker anywhere near there though.

The black wire is an old cable wire running under the siding.

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Check out this hack job. I don't think this fawker even used a hole saw. They didn't even bother to seal it up! I can see the nut on the other side. I need to deal with this too.

The joys of being a home owner.

 

[Jim Oaks]

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Here's another view of the flexible conduit ending and the wire going into my eave.

Another angle so you can see why I feel like I need a post at the corner.

 

[Curious Hound]

Concerning this, the best you can probably do is caulk. If you can back the nuts off, do that. Then squirt caulk all the way around, tighten the nuts and let the caulk dry.

As long as the wires inside turn upwards and not down, it won't be a problem. If they turn down, water could track them to the breaker. But I don't think that's the case. Any little bit of water that does get in through that hole will drain to the bottom of the panel and out a hole or between box and cover. If it was going to be a problem, you would have known it long ago.

 

[Curious Hound]

View attachment 136022
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Here's another view of the flexible conduit ending and the wire going into my eave.

Another angle so you can see why I feel like I need a post at the corner.

View attachment 136023​

If you think you might get close to it with a car or heavy machinery, protect it with a post. I wouldn't be overly concerned there. At my workplace, it would be a whole different story.

In this project, you have learned all the skills you need to re-work that wire and flexible conduit. That's an easy one. Your sense of good workmanship will guide you and you can always ask questions. We're here for you.

 

[Shran]

I hate ground rods with every fiber of my being. When I did my shop I could get it pounded in like 5' but that was it. I tried at least 20 different spots and the bastard would just stop. I ruined several of them because I was mad and tired of pulling them out with a high lift jack. A couple of electrician friends kept telling me yOu GoTtA pUt It iN aLl ThE wAy... so I bent one into an L shape with about 2' on the short leg and buried it horizontally. THERE, it's all the way in.... HAPPY NOW????

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Another angle so you can see why I feel like I need a post at the corner.

View attachment 136023​

I would cement in a post to protect it. You can get those big yellow plastic protectors so you don't hurt your lawn mower when you ram it into the post too.

It would look stupid but it isn't like I have to look at it every day.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'd just plant a tree to protect the conduit.