Underground pipe - to run services in

FrankRizzo

Hello

I am up to my knees in mud landscaping my gardens 😀

In the future I would like to run a steel armoured electric cable for both a socket and light for my hut. I would also like to run alarm cable and ethernet for a camera and alarm.

I don’t really have the capacity just now to think about the full end to end solution as I’m too focused on the garden landscaping.

I’m at a stage however that I could dig a deep enough trench to put a pipe in eg a 110mm soil pipe in that I could then use post landscaping to run pull/rod services through. I know running the power beside Ethernet may not be great practice due to interference but does anyone think of any other issues using 110mm soil pipe for this?

Any help appreciated!

many thanks
Frank

knightstyle

I used cheap underground pipe which comes with a drawer wire in it.  Mine was orange something like this from screwfix...

Eldi_Dos

It is good practice to put a warning tape above pipe/duct before backfilling, someone in the future might thank you for it.

Bookworm105

aside from the fact you will either need the electrics themselves done by a registered electrician or, if DIYed you find an electrician willing to inspect and certificate your work (probably costs the same as they would charge to do it in the first place), the issues will be:

armoured cable
- does not need to be in a conduit but will require a warning tape to be placed above it 
- minimum depth of at least 450mm

unarmoured cable
- Must be placed inside appropriate conduit (colour code black for electrics)
- minimum depth of at least 450mm

Tip - don't back fill the trench until the electrician has seen it, otherwise they may not sign the certificate.

FrankRizzo

Thanks for everyone’s help.

Sounds like a plastic waste soil pipe would suffice. I’ll also cap each end to prevent rodents using it as an underground tunnel.

Bookworm105

FrankRizzo said:

Thanks for everyone’s help.

Sounds like a plastic waste soil pipe would suffice. I’ll also cap each end to prevent rodents using it as an underground tunnel.

only if you never intend to sell the property and therefore will not be asked for a building regs certificate covering any electrical works done to the property 

FrankRizzo

Thanks I know what you mean. I don’t intend of moving from this house. If did move I could disconnect it and would not include as a house selling point.

Murmansk

I think your nice big pipe will be better than that 20mm pipe shown in a post above - I used some of the 20mm stuff and you'd be surprised how hard it was to pull just a CAT5 cable through it once it had been installed and had a few bends in it

Section62

FrankRizzo said:

Thanks for everyone’s help.

Sounds like a plastic waste soil pipe would suffice. I’ll also cap each end to prevent rodents using it as an underground tunnel.

uPVC soil/waste pipe is a poor choice due to the cost and the limited range of (tight radius) bends available.  To thread cables through you need bends with a fairly large radius.

The right choice would be flexible ducting - similar in appearance to the one knightstyle linked to, but note that one is only 20mm diameter.  You'll need something much larger.

EssexExile

Whatever pipe you use, leave a draw rope in it. When you come to put the first cable in you can pull it, and another draw rope, through. Every time you pull a cable through pull another draw rope for next time. Much easier than pushing rods through, especially if the duct is corrugated.

FreeBear

Put two lengths of pipe in the trench with a gap of 100mm minimum. You can then use one for power, and the other for data cables. Take some photos of the trench & pipes before filling it in (and have a measuring stick to show the depth).