Excellent information, thank you Roger! I was going to use a 75' outdoors extension cord with my Renogy 5000 Solar generator to power light equipment in my shed and a 4000 watt portable AC unit. Would an outdoor heave gauge-16 AWG, extension cord be adequate to leave outside or as you stated in the video, no, no! Thanks again!
Thanks for the tips! I'd love to see a follow up video on how to properly do it. Question for you: I've got a 14 gauge outdoor extension cord plugged into a GFCI outlet powering a total of 30 watts of led string lights. 10 ft of that cord are buried to go under small section of my lawn. Should I dig this up and switch it to a better system?
The material that an extension cord is made from is not designed to be direct buried and will eventually break down (or be munched on by critters). Proper wire listed for direct burial or pipe and wire is suggested.
@@rogersshop thanks! Do you think it'd be ok if I put the whole extension cord in a conduit? It's unplugged most of the time and hesitant to put a permanent installed outlet back there just for some string lights
wouldn't burying just the cord not any ends keep it out of the direct sun more? I have 100ft 14 gauge cord running a small portable ac unit on an oil rig. I upgraded from a 16g due to the voltage drop in the heat of the day tripping the ACs safety feature and shutting off its compressor. the upgrade to 14g has helped a lot out here but it still happens every now and then when its extremely hot outside. i do have some pvc i can run it through though its bigger pvc which would be really hard to bury with limited digging tools out here i dont wanna create trip hazards. i was thinking if i could get the cord in the ground a few inches to keep it out of the direct sun it would keep the line cooler.. let me know what you think or if theres a better way please. Thank you
The jacket on almost all cords is not listed for direct burial. Critters can chew through the cord leading to a short at the worst, or a slow-bleed into the ground, running up your electric bill. encasing in conduit is the best way, and I still would not use an extension cord.
so they made quite a few mistakes. first get a thick industrial sized cord that's long enough. then wrap that in conduit. no its buried you can use it fine, I've done this and have no issues years later.
Use direct burial cable (listed for direct burial use) or THHN wire inside conduit, such as PVC. Extension cords are not designed, or listed to be buried.
@@rogersshop would it be possible to extend the pump's wire with the thhn wire to be able and bury it? My pond is like 10ft from the house or probably more
I was going with electrical out side wire that 14-2 . Going down about 10 inches or so put into PVC pipe . Instead tie it into the box put a plug on end of it plug it into a timer. For a bird bath go off and on with timer . What your thoughts on that ? I could tie into box . I think 10 inches or so deep enough with pipe . You think should put in pipe? Going be mulch on top of it. I don't know electrical code.. I put plug on then I can just unplug it . I just don't want pull a permit for a bird bath. lol Beside they might not give me 1 anyways case not licensed .
If only going 10" (still not code), definitely put it inside conduit (still not code for depth). Make SURE it is on a GFCI protected breaker or receptacle!!!
@@rogersshop So end up doing put a plug end on it just plug it in when want fountain to work. Have GFI that UF 14-2 plugs into also GFI That the fountain plugs into well protected . Just unplug it if going work in flower bed . You got be a idiot if can not fig it out. Went down more then 10 inches . At 1 time had a house . When put 2 light post in they just went down maybe 8 inches and used just 14-2 wire which was left over in the house . I was not happy camper. What I did just unplug it from the side of the house.
@@danstvguy It depends on your AHJ (authority having jurisdiction), or in other words, your local Code and/or inspector. For direct burial cable, I always go at least 18" deep.
Really the problem is not burying the extension cord it's burying 2 extension chords married together which were not properly water sealed or protected at a water tight box. Many times people say things are not safe because of the potential misuse not the inherent nature of the item. I have used continuous length extension cords with above ground connections for almost 10 years with not problem.
I have to be that guy... What if it was a solid cable? I mean the failure point was the joined cords, and the fact that they didn't use the same gauge was... At beat annoying. But, it probably wouldn't have failed had it been one solid extension cord. At least not that soon. I kniw the answer is still don't. But here's my dufus plan. I just bought a Chevy bolt EV. I'd like to charge with my level 2 charger from the nema 10-30 dryer outlet in my basement. The distance from the outlet to the driveway, with angles considered, is about 50ft. I had a 50ft nema 10-30 extension cord made and plan to drill through the above ground section of cinderblock, insulate, and then bury the cord inside of a PVC pipe to the driveway, where it will then run to the post that I'll make, with a weather proof box at the top where I can plug in my portable level 2 charger, which will also be in a portable weather proof box. (Rubber gasket and clamps) I don't anticipate too many problems and I don't plan for this to be permanent. Is this the best bad scenario?
@@rogersshop Thank you, ignorant question... Isn't that the point of the circuit breaker? The GFCI just adds another layer of protection? Asking to learn. Thanks!
@@mikeakaspike The GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Protection) is for your protection from shock or electrocution as is pretty much required for anything outdoors. It is not an over-current protection device, but a personnel protection device. GFCI breakers are not cheap, but neither are funerals or hospital stays!
Im no electrician. But I just wanted to say this. I live out in the country on a old farm, in the middle of private property. I have a private road that I built. And I stretched two 100 foot cords out to a small camper about 4 years ago. I didn't even bury them. They laid there so long they disappeared under the grass and I cant even see them anymore. There is also a place where I crossed the road with it. It also smashed it into the road and it disappeared. I did wrap the connection with rubberized high voltage tape. This tape is the same tape used for the electrical connections on a submersible water well pump that I installed for my Grandma when I was 18 years old, and Im now 51 years old and still drinking water out of that well 33 years later. So its pretty good tape. But my extension cords are just cheap Walmart cords, and I even drive over them several times a day with vehicles and a 6000 pound tractor. So far so good. Just thought I would throw that out there. But I also live far in the country, and there is no danger of fire getting out. and I wouldn't recommend running something like this through any type of wooden wall.
