Running buried wire ?

[nagard]

I've decided to have my dish installed on a pole mount in my backyard, about 75 ft from the house. I want to run eight RG6 cables buried underground. However I haven't found a lot of explaining (even on this web site) about how to get this done.
- Do I need to buy a conduit pipe for the cables (and if so, what type and brand ?) or just burying the cables underground is ok ?
- Can water infiltrate conduit pipes and cause even more long-term damage to the cables ?
- Do I need special burial cable or my Vextra solid copper Quad shielded RG6 is enough ?
- How deep should this be buried ?
- Do weather conditions have an impact ? Winters in Montreal can be pretty rough.
Thx in advance !

 

[truckracer]

My recommendation would be to run "direct burial RG-6" available from your local electric supply house. It will be rated "direct burial" and will have sticky sealant stuff inside the jacket. You really only need conduit where the cable exits the ground up the pole and into the house if it exposed so you don't hit it with a weed trimmer.

Some people may recommend conduit all the way but it is really not necessary.
Some folks believe the conduit itself will hold more water that just direct burial.

The depth would depend on local codes but for most purposes I have buried them 8 or 10 inches and never had a problem.
Just as long as nobody stabs them with a shovel planting flowers or shrubs in the future.
Be sure to ground your cables with a ground block before they enter the house. Ground it according to your local electric code or to a copper water pipe or your ground rod from your electric meter. (The rod that sticks out of the ground just below where ever your electric meter is located.

 

[AllieVi]

More information is in this thread.

 

[nagard]

My recommendation would be to run "direct burial RG-6" available from your local electric supply house. It will be rated "direct burial" and will have sticky sealant stuff inside the jacket. You really only need conduit where the cable exits the ground up the pole and into the house if it exposed so you don't hit it with a weed trimmer.

Some people may recommend conduit all the way but it is really not necessary.
Some folks believe the conduit itself will hold more water that just direct burial.

The depth would depend on local codes but for most purposes I have buried them 8 or 10 inches and never had a problem.
Just as long as nobody stabs them with a shovel planting flowers or shrubs in the future.
Be sure to ground your cables with a ground block before they enter the house. Ground it according to your local electric code or to a copper water pipe or your ground rod from your electric meter. (The rod that sticks out of the ground just below where ever your electric meter is located.

Good advices truckracer. Really appreciated !

Regarding the grounding, won't I loose "quality" by cutting my wires that way ? I know that everybody mentions grounding, but what are the chances ? Especially if the dish is at ground level.

 

[Mike500]

Likewise, I like direct burial cable.

Conduit is a good idea. For 8 cables, 1-1/4" nominal grey PVC is a good idea. A lot of times I use black polyethylene water pipe. It makes for an easy pull. A lot of low voltage fiber optics, telephone and cable companies use it. It's only a different color.

Instead of sweep bends out of the ground, I prefer to leave the ends semi-open; sealing the cable entry points with "duct" sealant. There is no way to completely seal conduits when cables are entering from water or water vapor intrusion.

I just slope the conduit down to each end from a high point at the center of to drain off water. Digging uo the ends let me conveniently replace the cables.

 

[Andrewwski]

Good advices truckracer. Really appreciated !

Regarding the grounding, won't I loose "quality" by cutting my wires that way ? I know that everybody mentions grounding, but what are the chances ? Especially if the dish is at ground level.

Ground it.

 

[harshness]

Outside of recommending against so many cables in a single bundle, I have the following to offer:

1. Don't waste your money on quad shield unless you're in the shadows of high voltage lines or a broadcast antenna. Be absolutely certain that your cable features a solid copper center conductor.

2. Don't assume that soil is non-corrosive. All below-grade installations should be water tight and designed for burial.

3. After a certain number of cables, conduit may well be cheaper than fancy cabling and it offers considerably more utility if you find that you need additional or different cabling (like an antenna rotator) down the road. Conduit will also give you an extra measure of warning when digging.

 

[Mike500]

Unless the installation is in a swamp or in an area of a high water table, I seal the ends of the main run where the cables enter and exit with puttylike removable duct seal.

If you must use sweep elbows and a riser, do not glue the couplings and leave the top enteies and exits of the conduit open to drain. Unlike line voltage conduits, they don't need to be sealed to provide protection.

Copper plated steel center conductor cable is just fine. The industry, other than satellite, went to it, because it is stronger and more durable when used in service drops and laterals and when pulled through conduits. Copper is only a factor, when it comes to long runs for satellite in runs near 200 feet. This is not for signal transmission, but for lnb switching voltage.

The ends are the key thing in preventing corrosion. Use good compression connectors. Place a dab dielectric grease on the tip of the center conductor before connecting.

The grounding blocks and all connections should ideally be placed in weatherproof boxes.

Following these recommendations, even non-direct burial cable will last for years and years, unless the cable's outer jacket is cut.