post lights

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sparky59

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I am going to be installing lantern lights on brick posts around a customers property. The length of the run is 1000 ft. with 15 lights, at 180 watts each, (three 60 watt candle bulbs)evenly spaced. My plan is to run #2 awg 3-conductor w/ground aluminum USE cable buried in a trench. If i divide the load by using a 2-pole circuit and share the neutral (every other light on different phase) the voltage drop will be acceptable according to my vd calculator. This is the firlst time i have done this type of installation. I would appreciate suggestions from anyone who has did this before. Should i run the conduit down the center of the brick post into the ground and do the splicing at the top of the post in the base of the light fixture...or use a junction box somewhere and tap with #12 up the post? Is there a better way? This is of course on a gfi and moisture is a concern. What would be the best way to splice and tap the #2?
 
Why on earth would you bury a cable when you can install PVC and make the job SOOOOO much easier.... Install a ground box, and then branch off to the light fixtures, this way you can pull smaller wire to one central location, or install two ground boxes... whatever works...
 
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well...i'm making a 1000 ft run on each side of his house....that's 2000 ft of conduit with a junction box and fittings at 30 posts. And approx. 65ft pull between posts. Direct burial just seems like the way to go.
 
sparky59 said:
Direct burial just seems like the way to go.
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I'd have a hard time living with myself if I chose direct burial on my own. I might present both options to the customer (PVC and URD) if I thought it would make a difference in getting the job or not. To just unilaterally pick a direct burial method when you could just as easily roll pipe in the trench seems too much like screwing up to me. Far be it for me to tell you how to run your show, but that's how I roll.
 
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Install like this, pvc from house, then if you wanted uf to each lamp, but I would still run everything in pvc... makes future work much easier...
 
Sparky,You should lay out the run on paper showing the spacing,j-boxes length ,loads at each point along the way.You'll get a more accurate load calc. for the vd. i did a quick lay out with your dimentions and found using a #6 cu. would be fine using 2 circuits alternating every other fixture and only a # 10 awg to the first and last boxes.Keep in mind that the load decreases along the way.
Rick
 
While they are digging for and installing footings, they could be running the PVC. Trench would only have to be 18" vs 24" for direct burial. I would consider running PVC up to and down from the top of the post and plan to make the connections in the light fixture if possible.
 
Ok...thanks for the advice. I think i will go ahead and use conduit. Does everyone think that #6 cu thwn would be suitable for this distance and load spacing. I really appreciate all the input....it's great to have different opinions when you're doing a type of job that you don't normally do.
 
You might consider #2 aluminum. You can buy #2, 4 conductor AL USE cable for about $1.70 per foot. It's called "mobile home feeder" (around here anyway). It's 2-2-2-4 RHH-RHW-USE.
Your conduit size (if you used it) would be a little larger using aluminum conductors...1 1/4" verses 3/4". Also the connections (AL to CU) will cost more but the savings in the wire will probably offset that.
I would probably run direct buried to handhole enclosures (entering from the bottom). From there I would run 1/2" PVC and stranded copper to the lights.
Your voltage drop will be significantly less if you use #2 AL. verses #6 CU.
Just a thought
steve
 
Hello Sparky59, did you do this job yet? I was just curious how you were going to control the lights. A contactor operated by a switch, photocell or timer?? What size breakers will you be using? Since you are increasing the size of the ungrounded conductors due to voltage drop, will you be increasing the size of the equipment ground as well?
 
Hello mark32. I will be controlling the lights with a contactor operated by a switch with a photo cell control in the loop so they will only come at night. I will be using 2-pole 20amp gfi breakers. The equipment ground is #4 aluminum(green insulated) to match the #2-2-2 aluminum conductors.
 
Thank you sparky for the response. One last question to satify my curiosity. From the 20 amp breakers, will you run let's say #12 or #10 to the contactor or will you run your #2's to the breaker panel and reduce them to something that your 20 amp breakers will accept? Thank you in advance,

Mark
 
The #2 run will start at the first post, which is next to the house. I will use #10 cu thwn for the breaker and contactor connections and to the first post.
 
sparky59 said:
The #2 run will start at the first post, which is next to the house. I will use #10 cu thwn for the breaker and contactor connections and to the first post.
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Oh, cool! :cool: Now we get to ask how you'll connect the #2 al to the #10 cu. :-? Hmm? Hmm?



j/k :grin:
 
Hey was that joke directed towards me

Hey was that joke directed towards me

Larry, how did you know that was my next question :) Seriously though, I think this is a cool job sparky is doing. I've been in maintenance for 6 months doing nothing more than changing bulbs and ballasts so this installation interests me.
 
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