What did you do today?

[76c12091520h 3,635]

Spent another Saturday at the office:

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,369]

  Started digging the trench from house to shed for power. Typical of me…I waited to long and now I’m fighting with a couple inches of frozen ground. Having to pick-axe my way thru the top layer, then shovel it out. 
  

 

[Brockport Bill 1,687]

You can rent cheap a trench digger from Home Depot 

[wallfish 17,055]

13 minutes ago, Sparky said:

Started digging the trench from house to shed for power. Typical of me…I waited to long and now I’m fighting with a couple inches of frozen ground. Having to pick-axe my way thru the top layer, then shovel it out. 

My offer to run the trencher for it still stands. $0

They rent the same one at Home Depot and it's only $125 for 4 hours. It will take you longer to pick it up and bring it back to the store than it will to cut that trench. Maybe 10 minutes for that short run

[Wayne0 492]

8 minutes ago, Brockport Bill said:

You can rent cheap a trench digger from Home Depot 

Yeah, but where's the satisfaction!

[adsm08 2,157]

5 minutes ago, Wayne0 said:

Yeah, but where's the satisfaction!

 

In being able to move the next day.

 

A few years back one of my friends needed a trench run from the house to the shed, 6ft deep to not have to run conduit. It was me, about 30 at the time, and a bunch of guys late 40 through early 60s, most on meds that reduce physical strength/endurance.

 

I dug about 80% of the trench while the rest of them played with a single rock blocking the entrance to the shed. I couldn't move for 3 days.

[Brockport Bill 1,687]

More important to save lumbar discs L4.5 than have "satisfaction "...

[SylvanLakeWH 25,730]

11 minutes ago, Brockport Bill said:

More important to save lumbar discs L4.5 than have "satisfaction "...

 

Oh... those L4 L5 numbers hurt just thinking about them... 

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,944]

"Use it or lose it".

 

Gotta learn to pace yourself correctly. 

 

Mechanical trench digger is great and all...  but hand work keeps the body strong and burns a calorie or two. 

 

Age with grace and strength. Know your limits and when to push them or those very limits WILL keep shrinking.  

 

 

[oliver2-44 9,805]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

"Use it or lose it".

 

Gotta learn to pace yourself correctly. 

 

Mechanical trench digger is great and all...  but hand work keeps the body strong and burns a calorie or two. 

 

• Age with grace and strength. Know your limits and when to rent that power tool. 

 

 

Fixed it for you,

[ebinmaine 67,944]

3 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

Fixed it for you,

 

Absolutely. 

That's part of knowing your limits.  

[953 nut 55,538]

12 hours ago, Sparky said:

digging the trench

You all seem to forget that Mike @Sparky is one of those exercise nuts.  Haven't you seen his bike trip posts             he rides from point A to point A, never gets anywhere but loves it. More power to him.

11 hours ago, adsm08 said:

6ft deep to not have to run conduit.

National electric code only requires 24", who was running that job?

[ebinmaine 67,944]

26 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

 

National electric code only requires 24", who was running that job?

 

That's definitely a depth code that can be localized.  And, we're required to use an approved conduit too. I've never seen a code legal underground utility ditch without it. 

 

A lot of southern Maine requires a utility ditch with MINIMUM depth of 48" or 48" plus the width of the conduit.  So a 2" diameter conduit would have a 50" or deeper ditch. 

I've seen several builders using a 54" to 60" depth to avoid issues.  

 

 

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,369]

53 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

You all seem to forget that Mike @Sparky is one of those exercise nuts.  Haven't you seen his bike trip posts             he rides from point A to point A, never gets anywhere but loves it. More power to him.

National electric code only requires 24", who was running that job?

Thanks! 
  My bike has been hung up for the winter so that 45’ long trench is all the exersize I’ll get for awhile.

  Here they want to see 18” depth if using conduit which I am. Hope ya’ll can keep a secret, this trench is more like 12-14” deep 

[ebinmaine 67,944]

12 minutes ago, Sparky said:

Thanks! 
  My bike has been hung up for the winter so that 45’ long trench is all the exersize I’ll get for awhile.

  Here they want to see 18” depth if using conduit which I am. Hope ya’ll can keep a secret, this trench is more like 12-14” deep 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ed Kennell 38,411]

13 minutes ago, Sparky said:

Hope ya’ll can keep a secret

 

The wire ai layed to my shed in 1965 is probably 6" deep.  

[Wayne0 492]

13 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

 

Oh... those L4 L5 numbers hurt just thinking about them... 

 

 

Yeah, I have L4-5 as L9 now.(fused)

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,369]

  Finished the trench and got the conduit in! Screwed up the first hole thru the shed floor 
   Backfilling was much more fun that digging! The 308-8 with a 42” blade, 75#’s on each rear tire plus 4 link chains made that task fast and easy. This spring I’ll have to level and seed it. 

 

 

 

 

 

[wallfish 17,055]

17 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

but hand work keeps the body strong and burns a calorie or two. 

Yeah, Mike is pretty soft with that cushy job he has and could definitely use the exercise! LOL

I get plenty of that on just a normal day of working everyday. No need for a gym or slave digging trenches. (Although we still hand dig short trenches of 40 ft or less )

The boney New England ground can be tough to hand dig at times and I can see plenty of it in Mike's pics, so he definitely got some exercise out of it

[adsm08 2,157]

7 hours ago, 953 nut said:

 

National electric code only requires 24", who was running that job?

 

After more than 15 years of association with the property owner in various professional and personal capacities (and no, it is not me) I am confident in saying "An escaped mental patient".

 

6 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

That's definitely a depth code that can be localized.  And, we're required to use an approved conduit too. I've never seen a code legal underground utility ditch without it. 

 

 

Local codes in that borough allow for certain types of wire being used for certain applications (like power to a utility shed) to be buried directly without conduit, at a depth of "more than 5 feet".

[ebinmaine 67,944]

35 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

(and no, it is not me) I am confident in saying "An escaped mental patient".

[wallfish 17,055]

6 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

to be buried directly without conduit, at a depth of "more than 5 feet".

It makes zero sense to not to use conduit as it's just as easy to lay it in there as wire is. The cost is negligible, it protects the wire and the wire can always be changed or added to. Use a shop vac to pull a string through it after it's in for pulling the wire through and that also sucks out any dirt left in there. In fact, an extra conduit should put in the trench as well for any future upgrades or more capacity. Any low voltage like cat5 or 6 should be in a separate conduit. I'd still put direct bury wire through the conduit too. Rocks move through the ground and roots can damage the soft wire.  

Mike might be living out there someday when his wife has had enough of him so an internet connection would be nice. LOL

[SylvanLakeWH 25,730]

33 minutes ago, wallfish said:

 

Mike might be living out there someday when his wife has had enough of him

Or... orange extension cords on the ground if she doesn't give him much time to "move"... he can lay it down while he's running out there and dodging pots and pans... 

Edited Sunday at 08:08 PM by SylvanLakeWH

[ebinmaine 67,944]

9 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

Or... orange extension cords on the ground if she doesn't give him much time to "move"... he can lay it down while he's running out there and dodging pots and pans... 

 

That'd be quite the feat of athleticism. 

[wallfish 17,055]

1 minute ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

Or... orange extension cords on the ground if she doesn't give him much time to "move"... he can lay it down while he's running out there and dodging pots and pans... 

She would just unplug those anyway, screaming "You don't deserve any heat you cold SOB"

He should start insulating that place now! LOL