direct burial of telephone cable

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mariner

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I work on a ship and that's where my codebook is so I need a little help. I live on Guam and the local government-owned teleco (and everyone else in the local gov't.) cable installers are total hacks. While digging a hole in my backyard to plant a shrub, I nicked my neighbor's UG telephone service lateral at a depth of 4 INCHES! I know these yokels are going to come out here tomorrow and try to bill me for a new lateral. I need the NEC Article and paragraph governing Direct Burial of Telephone Cables in a residential location.
Thank you sincerely,
Robert
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

Originally posted by mariner:
I need the NEC Article and paragraph governing Direct Burial of Telephone Cables in a residential location.
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Robert I do not believe you will find a NEC burial depth requirement for telephone.
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

Not only is there no burial depth requirement for limited energy circuits, such as telephone, but the installation you speak of was done by a communications utility, making it exempt from any NEC rules.
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

I'll agree with Todd. Why is their cable on your property? You should threaten to sue them for rent if they try to bill you.
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

I thank all of you for your input. I went to the main library here today and they don't even have an NEC code book. So, we will see how this all turns out. I did like the property rental conceptthough.
Thanks,
Robert
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

A lot of telco and catv people just stick the cable in a few inches below ground. The NEC burial depth for low voltage cable only covers irrigation control circuits.

Could have been worse. NEC theoretically allows 480 volt streetlighting conduits just a few inches below a public sidewalk. One time back in the 1990s USA Today installed a vending machine on a public sidewalk and accidentally drilled into a Cleveland Public Power 480 volt streetlighting conduit. Since 480 volts treetlighting circuits are deenergized during the daytime by a central controller nobody noticed what was wrong until USA Today tried to get a newspaper the next time that it rained at night. Poor guy ended up looking at the bottom side of the grass. Since CPP's conduit was "Code" depth they were absolved of liability.

Funny thing is, when a 480 volt steetlighting conduit goes underneath a commercial driveway the top of the conduit needs to be 24 inches below the top of the pavement. Why not bury the whole d@#%ed thing in a 28 inch deep trench?
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

Here all the phone comps. sub out their underground.They love to see new sod,lift and tuck lift and tuck :eek:
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

I forgot to add to my post that NEC contains a few lies and the burial depths for telephone cables and 480 volts streetlighting conduits are among them.
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

Unless they were in a utility easement they cant bill you.Matter of fact you can refuse to even let them on your property.
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

mc5w,
NEC theoretically allows 480 volt streetlighting conduits just a few inches below a public sidewalk.
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Actually the NEC does not apply to that installation if it is installed by the utility. I don't know what the NESC rules that do apply say about this.
Don
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

Again, I thank you all for your comments. So far these yokels haven't even shown up to troubleshoot the problem. I feel sorry for my neighbor and if I could find a UG splice kit around here somewhere, I'd just go ahead and fix it. I will post the outcome whenever that is. I'm sure some of you would be intersted.
Thanks,
Robert
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

Originally posted by mariner:
I live on Guam and the local government-owned teleco (and everyone else in the local gov't.) cable installers are total hacks.
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Sounds like you will lose regardless. I wish ya luck, though.

[ December 04, 2005, 05:02 PM: Message edited by: paul ]
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

90-2(a)(2) and 90-2(a)(5) do apply to 480 volt streetlighting conduits that are installed by an electrical utility. In this case the electrical utility is acting as an electrical contractor and therefore is legally subject to NEC standards and OCLIB licensing and the Ohio Board of Building Standards.

However, 90-2(b)(5) somehow conflicts and there needs to be some clarification as to when an electrical utility is acting as an electrical contractor and thus is subject to NEC and licensing. Common sense says that an underground streetlighting circuit needs to be Code no matter who installs it.
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

Actually, I WON!. When the crew finally arrived today and began to make the repair, I asked them how much this was going to cost. About $400.00 was the reply. I then asked, "Even though you ran this line on private property instead of the easement (ROW) 15 feet away?" That prompted a call to the office and the super showed up about a half-hour later. After some discussions back and forth between him and the office on the cell phone, they then abandoned the existing lateral and laid a new one in the ROW and then tied it in solely on my neighbor's property. Nothing else was said to me after my initial question until they were finished and the super walked over and said there would be no charge. I extend my deepest gratitude to Ty, Larry Fine and Jim Walker for giving me the correct answer to my problem.
Thanks again as well to all of you who responded. And God bless freedom of speech and the USA without which this forum would never have been possible.
Robert L. Stafford
 
Re: direct burial of telephone cable

Mike,
90-2(a)(2) and 90-2(a)(5) do apply to 480 volt streetlighting conduits that are installed by an electrical utility. In this case the electrical utility is acting as an electrical contractor and therefore is legally subject to NEC standards and OCLIB licensing and the Ohio Board of Building Standards.
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Maybe in Ohio, but not here in Illinois. The utility is not subject to the NEC for lighting installation on public property, and for all practical purposes not on private property either.
Don
 
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