Cable run under concrete patio

[N6BY]

We are planning on having a large patio built in our backyard this spring. The cables going to my Birdview dish are in the way and will have to be buried permanently.

I want to be able to run new or additional cable in the future, so I plan to run it inside PVC pipe.

Should I use perforated PVC or solid?

 

[primestar31]

Go to Home Depot or Lowes, and buy the black solid polyethylene plastic "Coiled pipe". Get at least the 1.5inch size. Comes in a 100ft roll. Works great!

If you really want pvc, and deal with joints and glue, get the solid pipe, and always get larger than you think you need. Run and extra pull string through it, for possibly pulling more cables/wires later.

When you actually use the pull string, you also connect a NEW pull string to the beginning of the incoming coax/wires. So, as the new coax/wires get pulled through with the old pull string, a new pull string gets pulled through with them for future use! That method sure beats a Fish Tape...

 

[N6BY]

My fear is that water will pool inside the pipe. I'm wondering if holes in the pipe would help it drain, or would they just let water in?

 

[harshness]

The pipe needs to have a weatherhead at the dish end and it either needs a weatherhead at the house end or to go right through the footing/wall to the interior. Don't get lazy or you'll fight it all the way.

Water can hurt things if the pipe isn't buried deep enough to avoid freezing. Your local building codes will tell you what the jurisdiction considers the frost depth to be.

 

[primestar31]

The pipe needs to have a weatherhead at the dish end and it either needs a weatherhead at the house end or to go right through the footing/wall to the interior. Don't get lazy or you'll fight it all the way.

Water can hurt things if the pipe isn't buried deep enough to avoid freezing. Your local building codes will tell you what the jurisdiction considers the frost depth to be.

THIS ^^. But some ground water won't hurt the wires, as long as they aren't nicked or anything and have proper jackets. You can't keep it out completely, as you can even get condensate water inside the pipe. However, what Harsh says above will help limit it. I've been doing it that way for years, and haven't had any issues in going on 8 years.

Just make sure it's deep enough to survive a wife with her shovel...

 

[N6BY]

Good idea on the weatherheads. I was not familiar with them, but after looking them up they seem like the ideal way to keep rainwater from going into the pipe ends.

It's about a 50' run and 30' of it will be under concrete. The rest will be as close to the house as possible.

... Running this cable is what is holding us up on getting bids for the patio construction. My wife gave me the 'high priority' order today to get the cable done ASAP. She wants her patio.

 

[bobvick]

You might try something like this, it’s what they use to run fiber through when it’s buried https://www.neobits.com/carlon_thom...MI-azfm_v94AIVB1cMCh3Bww_TEAQYBSABEgJkiPD_BwE


Sent from my iPad using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[raydio]

Go to Home Depot or Lowes, and buy the black solid polyethylene plastic "Coiled pipe". Get at least the 1.5inch size. Comes in a 100ft roll. Works great!

If you really want pvc, and deal with joints and glue, get the solid pipe, and always get larger than you think you need. Run and extra pull string through it, for possibly pulling more cables/wires later.

When you actually use the pull string, you also connect a NEW pull string to the beginning of the incoming coax/wires. So, as the new coax/wires get pulled through with the old pull string, a new pull string gets pulled through with them for future use! That method sure beats a Fish Tape...

Run several extra pull strings....as you never know what the future will bring -

 

[N6BY]

I just got back from Home Depot with 60' of 1 1/4" PVC conduit, a couple of weatherheads, some 90s and some glue. I chose rigid PVC because its cheaper than flex and I have worked with it a lot in the past.

On Thursday my son and I will dig the 50 feet of trench and try to get this thing done.

 

[clucas]

What is your opinion on drilling a few small weep holes on the bottom of the pipe and throw a little gravel in those places to keep the dirt from clogging the holes? I don’t know if will be any benefit, I’m just thinking to myself.

 

[N6BY]

What is your opinion on drilling a few small weep holes on the bottom of the pipe and throw a little gravel in those places to keep the dirt from clogging the holes? I don’t know if will be any benefit, I’m just thinking to myself.

That's what I was wondering when I started this thread -- would it help drain any water that found its way in or would it allow water to get in?

 

[Magic Static]

I have a buried run of cables in a corrugated conduit. And I have pulled and replaced the runs and found the cables were wet. I have no splices underground, in fact none at all. I have suffered no problems with that setup though. Make sure you don't have any tight corners. My weatherheads are clamped not glued on.

 

[Cham]

I buried 2" heavy duty water line between the house and the dishes, have it terminated inside a sealed electrical box behind the C-band dish and 90deg accessible conduit fitting at the house with a 2" PVC electrical conduit going through the wall. Biggest issue is the moisture coming from inside the house in the winter; need to use lots of electrical sealant goop to keep air in/out. Lots of cables running through even the 2" is getting full now!
Good advice on not having any connections below grade. I had one connection to a long radius conduit elbow that broke due to ground shifting that caused water ingress. Pulled the cables out and ran a shop vac on the outside end for about 15 minutes to pull out the water. Replaced the elbow with more water pipe and HD union and been good since as far as I am aware. A hair dryer helps to bend the water pipe, it's miserable stuff to work with but really sturdy. Think the pipe is the same they use for buried water lines.
Most of it is under snow otherwise I would include a pic or two... Not much melting here yet.

 

[primestar31]

I just got back from Home Depot with 60' of 1 1/4" PVC conduit, a couple of weatherheads, some 90s and some glue. I chose rigid PVC because its cheaper than flex and I have worked with it a lot in the past.

On Thursday my son and I will dig the 50 feet of trench and try to get this thing done.

Let me warn you to NOT use 90's! Once you do, you will not ever be able to pull additional wire through the pipe when it's in place. IF you are going to use this sort of conduit, you need to change those 90's to 45's.

Stiff coax will not easily make the 90 degree bend, and once it does, it'll never easily allow you to pull additional cable through later.

This is from experience. That's why I much prefer the coiled pipe.

Also, do NOT use perforated pipe. You want to keep ground water OUT of the pipe as much as possible. Letting it flow in and out is NOT a good idea. Any condensation water isn't bad at all, but ground water can have salt, iron, who knows what in it, and can be very corrosive.

 

[Magic Static]

Let me warn you to NOT use 90's! Once you do, you will not ever be able to pull additional wire through the pipe when it's in place. IF you are going to use this sort of conduit, you need to change those 90's to 45's.

Stiff coax will not easily make the 90 degree bend, and once it does, it'll never easily allow you to pull additional cable through later.

This is from experience. That's why I much prefer the coiled pipe.

Also, do NOT use perforated pipe. You want to keep ground water OUT of the pipe as much as possible. Letting it flow in and out is NOT a good idea. Any condensation water isn't bad at all, but ground water can have salt, iron, who knows what in it, and can be very corrosive.

I think he specified it was PVC conduit which uses a wide radius elbow, not a tight 90° corner.

 

[beavs2112]

I agree with primestar31. Try not to use 90 bends or any junction for that matter. I ran some 2" PVC conduit in my backyard for a sat dish and every time the rg6 hit a junction I cursed my stupidity. and Magic Static he did mention he bought 90's in post# 9. Also if you use proper burial cable you don't have to worry so much about water getting into the conduit.

 

[harshness]

The secret to success is to plan not to have anything get in or out of the conduit except through the ends. This means using PVC with no holes drilled in it and making the connections with PVC cement just as if you were doing plumbing. The difference from plumbing for fluids is that you need to use "wide sweep" elbows that have a much gentler transition.

Bends should be done with at least a 3" radius for most coax (maybe more for RG11). Any drip loops should be 6" or larger (again, the bend radius is important).

 

[N6BY]

I think he specified it was PVC conduit which uses a wide radius elbow, not a tight 90° corner.

Yep. The 90 degree elbows use a little over 1 foot to do their turn. Should be easy to pull cable through in the future.

Now I'm worried about getting a good concrete contractor for the patio and walkway. I read the Yelp reviews and there are good and bad stories about all of them -- don't know who to believe. My wife wants a very fancy patio with raised planter boxes and possibly a gas fire pit, but I am more inclined to keep it simple. I know from experience that if we get anything that requires a building permit (like a fire pit), it will trigger a reassessment of the value of our house for property tax purposes. From what I've read, a plain patio and walkway don't need a permit as long as its not raised above the ground more than a foot or two.

 

[harshness]

From what I've read, a plain patio and walkway don't need a permit as long as its not raised above the ground more than a foot or two.

You should ask the candidate contractors what they think. I'm betting that doing any plumbing or electrical through the slab as part of the project will trigger a building permit.

 

[N6BY]

It's well below the slab (in dirt). The contractor won't even know its there.