Under driveway conduit, seal or no seal?

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Did a search and didnt find any threads relating to this.

After running UF wire through the conduit beneath the driveway should I seal the ends of it to prevent water and dirt from entering?

The ends of the PVC stop little after the edges of the driveway which then the UF will run alone underground towards the pillar for fixtures.

Also, There is a 90 elbow currently at both ends. Is this wise to keep or will it make it worse as water drips down.

Curious if there is code for either of these and what you guys do.

Thanks.
 
Uf is designed to be put right in the ground, subject to dirt, water and anything else. You can seal it, if it makes you feel good. But its not required. Although if you can get rid of those elbows or one, it may help the conduit drain and not hold water.

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UF in conduit? drill some drain hole in the bottom side of the conduit, 1/8" every 1-2 feet, this way water will not fill, and you still get the protection of the conduit. its really a protector and not conduit in the applied use.
 
UF in conduit? drill some drain hole in the bottom side of the conduit, 1/8" every 1-2 feet, this way water will not fill, and you still get the protection of the conduit. its really a protector and not conduit in the applied use.

I call it a sleeve that if anything will make replacement (if necessary) not involve tearing up the driveway or having to tunnel under it.

Otherwise UF cable is direct bury rated, dirt or water inside the "sleeve" is not going to hurt it any.
 
As mentioned you do not need a sleeve or have to be concerned with water. You are supposed to comply with the burial depths in Table 300.5. Residential is 18" or 12" if GFI protected.
 
Thanks for all the posts guys. Was helpful. Since part of the way to the Pillar isn't being piped (driveway edge to pillar is only 3 feet away) I decided to use UF wire to loop the Pillar fixtures. So the UF will have to go through the "sleeve" under the driveway. The driveway was just redone. Paved. And the 1" PVC is in already.

I knew the UF wire is rated for water and dirt but wasn't sure about sitting in water over time.

I guess I'll seal the 90° ends just for safety frame of mind. Will use Duct Seal.
 
I guess I'll seal the 90° ends just for safety frame of mind. Will use Duct Seal.
probably better to leave ends open so that trapped water can migrate out. its almost always the case, water will migrate in, so trapping it in is not the best idea.

Norwalk CT, 18" is not below frost line there. water in that pipe will freeze. any local codes to be below frost line with UF wire? when summer comes, blacktop will transfer heat to that pipe. i myself would probably leave the ends open.
 
probably better to leave ends open so that trapped water can migrate out. its almost always the case, water will migrate in, so trapping it in is not the best idea.

Norwalk CT, 18" is not below frost line there. water in that pipe will freeze. any local codes to be below frost line with UF wire? when summer comes, blacktop will transfer heat to that pipe. i myself would probably leave the ends open.

Hmm, excellent point and reminder about the frost line and freezing water underground. Not sure about local codes regarding that.

I'm guessing the sun hitting the driveway will help keep things warmish underneath and maybe prevent the water inside the PVC from freezing. but I know this area can get some nasty sub surface freezes in winter.

Hence why I prefer sealing to at least help not get water in.

Now I wonder instead of sealing, if I should cut the 90 off and simply leave it horizonal opening vs vertical.

Wonder what everyone else does.

I'll go to job site and grab pics right now.
 
Pics

Pics

Always nice to have a visual.

Just realized the contractor may not have buried the pipe low enough. :happysad:
Anyway - without veering away from the question..

Here are the Pillars.

fS8vL7bl.jpg

Here is one side. UF going from Pillar tube to underground PVC. Short distance. I think I'll leave that 90 there actually. I'm going to duct seal it real good.

fAOWgUJl.jpg

Here's the other side. Still have to dig and find the Pillar tube.

CA9kYjrl.jpg
 
Why didn't they run the line to better meet up with the line emerging from the pillar? Then you could just install vertical piece and junction box or conduit body instead of leaving some cable exposed to physical damage.

I'm still not all that concerned about water entering the pipe.
 
Here is one side. UF going from Pillar tube to underground PVC. Short distance.

View attachment 18160
You can't keep the water out. Condensation always fills sealed conduit, but there's worse trouble.

Your 120v cable should not be subject to damage like this. Must be in Sch-80, LFMC, or RMC. Exposed 120 volt cable gets everyone killed. Think about gardener's lawn mower / weed wacker, normal aging, kids playing, or hungry goats.

Amazon sells Edison base 12v LED bulbs. Make everything 12v with a landscape-lighting transformer and your good.
 
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??? I might leave the stub up and stub up the other side........

bring those stubs to two boxes

sleave the uf but you have the option to change it to thwn down the road if you want other circuits to the other side of the driveway.......

just a thought
 
After running UF wire through the conduit beneath the driveway should I seal the ends of it to prevent water and dirt from entering?
Take a read of Article 100 Definitions, specifically Locations, Wet. You will see that underground is defined as wet.

So, UF and PVC are evaluated to be used in "wet locations". Period. If the horizontal run of PVC, either as sleeve or raceway, had / has a low point that will collect water, I'd be inclined to provide a means for it to drain, but otherwise, nothing more is needed.
 
Always nice to have a visual.

Just realized the contractor may not have buried the pipe low enough. :happysad:


round these parts there needs to be a inspection before backfilling...

landscapers and paving contractors can't just bury pipes ..............

but thats playing by the rules.........


since rules may have gone out the window, maybe the pipe goes down 18" under the driveway and just came up to 12" before coming out.. :D


if not, add a box and gfi protect it before it goes under................????


Not to tell you how to handle it.
 
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