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In this tutorial I am showing you how to get power to anywhere in your yard! This is super helpful when you need lighting or an outlet. A homeowner can DIY this job and safely bury the wire along the way. I also show how to make a small lamp post with lighting, a useful exterior outlet and finish it off with a nice post cap and finial. Check out the video for details!
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Direct burial tip. Sand over top of wire then run red danger tape and more sand. This way, when digging, the tape and sand help raise awareness to something they may cut into.
came here to say this...but absolutely should have been done
@@mwrslr7845 Agreed with both.
Or just fill the trench with concrete on top of the cable.
@@mjh5437 at that point, wouldn't conduit be cheaper
Actually if the wire is not 24 inches deep it needs to be in conduit, THEN place the tape.
April, nice job, but I agree with one of the other posts. Also, a few small tips for you from an electrician.... First (and especially in places that have a colder climate and ground is susceptible to frost, at the very least, a small bed of sand above and below the UF cable you are running. A small rock or boney backfill can and will penetrate UF. For the cost of small PVC, we usually run PVC especially in the northeast. Next, when you payout your wire (Whether you are running Romex or UF, do not just pull it off the reel. "Walk Out" the cable by putting the end under something heavy and roll it hand over hand out as you walk as to roll the cable off itself. It will come off the reel perfectly straight and lay in the trench much better and pull through conduit better as well. (Also really helps if you are stapling up wire). Lastly, the weakest point in the install is at the base of the post. While I cannot say 100% because the video did not show it, a better method when you either cut the post or do the install is to leave a spot where the wire comes out so that the weight of the post is not sitting on the wire. Maybe you did that. Also, lots of sand at the base helps make sure that if the post moves, the wire has some give. 99% of the time, that is where the cable failure will be. Not trying to be critical of what you do, really just trying to help. I watch and enjoy a lot of your videos. I wish I working with wood came as easy to me as working with wire. Keep up the great work.
I'm sure you have fun with more rocks than dirt digging in the northeast :)
Yup I go nuts when the wire is pulled like that 😆 🤣
That shovel you trenched with is called a trenching shovel and it's intended purpose is to shovel trenches.
If you can't find one, try a sharp shooter shovel, almost the same thing
Big if true
@@jack002tuber They’re ubiquitous at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, ACE Hardware, Tractor Supply, etc. If you cannot find one, you ain’t looking for one.
What's it called though???
@@Heypistola Tile Spade. When clay tiles were used for drains.
Imagine having April as a personal friend to help! ❤
Imagine having April as a tutor so you can learn from her, first hand, and helping on her projects.
Pro tip, always put in conduit, makes it very easy for upgrades later.🍻
Easy to add another circuit or pull out broken wire.
Did you have to connect to the breaker box with different wiring or change the breaker to a GFI?
Plus because it is direct burial, if you ever cut it, you will have to dig up the ENTIRE thing and replace
Yeah, personally I'd use RMC if the cable run is through a flowerbed where a lot of digging happens. UF cable in a flower bed is just asking for trouble no matter how deep it is.
That pipe hammered under the path to make a tunnel for the wires is just BRILLIANT!!!! So much easier then trying to dig a tunnel and something I wish I knew about 20 years ago when trying to run a cable under my Gran's path! 😅👍👍
Thanks!
APRIL, how did you protect the ends of the pipe so they don’t get damaged when pounding it in?
She did☺️
April, I bought one of those red shovels and it was marketed as a trenching shovel. Before college and university grad school I dug lots of holes. I loved it and now in 67 and pace myself. I used it for a French type drain and it worked great! Much continued success
It's called a trenching shovel! 🤣 Good install. I like this.
We call those foreman spades. Seems like the foreman on the jobs use them to lean on since they are longer. lol
@@LaraLovesBees I thought Ditch Witch was a brand name of a power machine that digs the trench, not a human powered shovel...
Great video, shovel is a trenching shovel. Good idea to mark with danger tape in trench also. Take photos of “ exactly “ where stuff is buried 20, 30 years go by in a hurry. Nice to be able to plant a bush and know exactly where that line is. I also like the NEW materials you used I haven’t seen these things yet
As others are saying, locate, locate, locate. Also, I always use HDPE innerduct or PVC jacketed steel armored 12/2 cable for direct burial. Homeowners can pick up innerduct tails (tail ends of large reels that don't get used, but are too small to take back out in the field on a job) at industrial supply houses in cities. Worth the trip.
Good job April. Hope you're having a blessed Easter Sunday and I'll see you on your next video. Take care and GOD BLESS.
Great project, thank you. I used that expanding foam for the first time last summer. Amazing. Total game changer. The post saver product is brilliant, thank you.
Hi, April. That was a great project. I did something similar after building a 12' x 16' pergola in my back yard and adding a 2-outlet weather protected GFCI outlet near the top of it so I could add some hidden remote controlled rope lighting behind crown molding. Additionally after my wife and I built a large pond next to the pergola, I wanted a 4-outlet above ground GFCI outlet box that is about 2 1/2 ft above ground and has some backlighting in it so that you could see the outlets at night if you need to unplug anything. Also in line with it, I connected it via and a weather proof quick shut-off switch next to the house to shut the power off to that outlet box with one click (just a safety feature I thought would be cool). Finally after digging somewhere between 18 - 24 inches deep to lay down the wire, I added a red-colored electrical wire warning strip (it says, "Warning: buried electrical wiring!" repeating these words along the entire length of the strip), that I laid on top of the sand that I surrounded the wire with before finally covering it all up in dirt. The reason I did this is because if someday when I either sell this house or I move onto happy hunting grounds and a new owner were to simply start digging anywhere I laid the wiring underground they will hopefully uncover the red warning strip before their digging tool touches the live wiring. Great also if you forgot where the wiring was laid ...... exactly..... and you or someone else starts digging along the wiring path. While all codes everywhere may not require it, it sure is a bit of a emotional saving feeling should that person discover live wire was buried somewhere in the back yard where they happen to be digging. Can't wait to see your next project.
Just finished doing the trench today. By hand 18” deep 120’ through the yard. Came across a lot of these same obstacles. Cheers!
Looks great, thank you! As others may have mentioned, you may not want a pointed post top at that height, as it is a hazard to anyone falling and being impaled. Similar to an exposed piece of rebar.
April - Love your 216 (Cleveland) t-shirt! Also, I used the 2-part "concrete" about 5 years ago, and it's as solid as Quickrete, but faster. It doesn't need water, so I think it's used for places where water is not easily accessible.
Bought the fraction to decimal chart last summer and it has been a real time saver.
very cool project!, this is something I have been wanting to do for several years to accommodate an outdoor fountain in my back yard... thank you!
This turned out very unique and very well and I will most definitely be doing this. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Keep Making. God Bless.
Started using the foam instead of concrete 3yrs ago. I can't imagine going back. The time and Labor saved is amazing.
I set a post in that foam 4 years ago and loved it for the ease of use, but I’ve found that post is horribly prone to frost heave even though it’s 42” deep (frost depth recommendation in this area). My other posts are just in ground sand and don’t heave yet they aren’t as secure! Science mystery! Lol
She says it sets hard as a rock; but then easily cuts it with a hand saw. The purpose of fixing posts with cement is to weight them into the earth. Does the foam do that? It looks light.
Thanks April for showing us all how to do so many cool things!
The first episode of "assembly required" aired here in the UK. You came across very well, relaxed in front of the camera, maybe all the hours on KZhead you have completed.
Nice outdoor lamp project April, been watching your vids for a while and you are an inspiration to all aspiring woodworking newbee like me..you have a new fan here from Philippines, take care👍👍👍❤❤❤
A lot of the time you can hook a water hose up to a pvc pipe and the flowing water will push the dirt away and make it move and you'll be able to basically jab the pipe under ground. I've used this to run sprinklers under side walks and down short runs. Also that skinny shovel is for laying pipe in the ground for electric or irrigation so perfect use. Tends to be my favorite shovel for alot of jobs. Precision.
You seriously motivate me to complete so many tasks that need done. I think I will start tomorrow with my new mailbox-post!! Gonna see if I can find that foam at ace hardware!
Great show. Thank you. That small spade with the long handle is ( *I believe is a telegraph shovel* ).?? for putting in long post, telephone poles, etc.
The trenching shovel is awesome and first time I have seen one. I started to look closer at it and am going to weld one up with some angle iron and steel tube I have. Thanks for sharing and I really like all you do.
Great idea! Thanks for watching!
Depending on your soil condition a flat spade can be used to cut a slot in the ground that you push the direct burial cable to the bottom of. I used this method to run power to back yard shed.
Another video explaining a little more about how you made the post would be awesome I’m actually gonna be doing something like this when I get back from working out of state and wood working ain’t my best but I’d love to replicate this. Totally awesome!
What perfect timing! I'm currently in the stages of planning our backyard landscaping (we've been with a dirt lot for too long) and this was something I was looking for on how to do! Thanks and great video as always.
Just a tip is to put the direct burial cable in a conduit of sorts, so as to protect it from the errant fork, you, or some gardener, will invariably poke through it. A double layer of danger tape, applied right on the conduit, and a second layer after 4in of fill, will also help for when the next person comes digging in the yard. If you are doing garden irrigation bury another conduit with the irrigation pipe, with a draw cable in it, so that later on you can pull through cabling for garden lighting without having to dig up the entire area again, as you will at least have conduit there already. Conduit is cheap enough, and remember to use a good amount of PVC weld on the joins underground, to keep it at least from getting full of water and freezing, or drowning the joins.
Incredible work April Wilkerson it's really beautiful.
Just ran a cable to my shed. The rules here in Australia apparently include 500mm trench, conduit with a orange plastic tape on top warning of power line. Would also recommend some indicator above ground to warn late comers of power along path because I would be tempted to install a garden bed along said path.Great build by the way, like the post and will be looking for the foam for small retaining wall project coming up.
The narrow shovel is called a trench spade or sharpshooter and is designed and intended exactly for narrow trenches as you used it for. Good show.
Good to know even April gets roped into helping friends and family with projects!
Gives her topics for videos. It not all one sided :)
We used pressured water through a pipe to clear out under a sidewalk or other obstacles when building swimming pools in Florida. Quick and easy :)
The post over post design makes a lot of sense. Especially while adding electrical features. This project gives me an idea for my back fence flower planting area. Maybe some low voltage lights but in the post over post style. Most of the store bought lights for this application do not look as nice or homey. Besides you can custom make to any height desired. Take Care and God Bless
Great video April. My wife and I are planning to build a shed on our property and we were wanting to at least have a light in it. A lot of great tips here that will definitely be useful for us when we come to putting up our shed.
Glad it was helpful!
Glad I found your channel. I’ve got to get power from the house to a lake fed irrigation pump for a sprinkler system. Straight shot, nothing but 100 feet of grass and pine tree roots. My OCD will make me run the romex thru schedule 80. Instead of bothering you, I’ll find someone I can buy off with pizza and beer to get the pump and timer wired correctly.
Seriously, great job, very nice tutorial & thanks for the foam tip, haven’t seen that before!
Down in the 'sand hills' of So. Tx. I have seen digging with a combo of a power washer and an industrial vac on a trailer --- a 2 ft. by 3 ft. by 15ft. cutting thru thumb size roots and under a sidewalk took less than an hour ---
Hi April, Nice video. Happy Easter to you and the family and you all stay safe.
Great to see a normal job April. Fab work 🤩
I hope you put a threaded plug on the top of the box mounted on the house. Also when back filling any trench, its a good idea to pack it, as you put the original material back in the trench. Nice job BTW.
Excellent idea 👌🏼 This helped me make my own using 1x8x8 red cedar to make an almost perfect 8 inch square post sleeve. Turned out to be 8 & a 1/8 inch, I’m hoping the 8 inch topper from Amazon will fit. The larger post sleeve allowed me to mount & hide my Philips Hue transformer for my landscape lights. The sika post fix was super easy to use as well, I only used a little so I didn’t have to cut off the excess. Thank you!
Glad it helped! Thanks for watching.
As expected, this job got the immediate attention of every sparky! Small wonder, as we spend far too much time fixing DIY short cuts. My first comment: Forget about “meeting” code. Experience has a aught me “code” often isn’t enough. I like pipe. For burial, PVC, buried two feet deep, Makes it deeper than a casual shovel bite. Using pipe let’s you replace the wire later, if there are problems. I hate digging twice! Use primer to mAke sure the pvc glue holds strong. GFCI protect at the house end; that way you’ll know what f the wire run is damaged. All GFCI’s need to be outdoor rated / corrosion resistant. Look for “WR” on the device.
Good points. As I once heard, NEC, aka 'code', is the minimum required standard. You can always do more than the minimum.
Im sure you figured it out that was a trench shovel... i found one specifically for that reason and it works so good for small projects like this .. awesome
Good job April, very good information and easy to follow. Thanks for sharing with us. Fred.👍👍👏🏻👏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
She is absolutely the best & one of a kind
I know this is rather old but I came here for the post design. Love your videos. A tip on the shovel: Instead of using it like a normal shovel with the handle angled 45 degrees toward your back, shove the handle forward so its about 45 degrees in front of you and the blade is standing straight up. Now you have a smooth surface to stand on top of the blade and can shove the blade into the ground with a simple jump on it. Now pull the handle back toward you and remove the whole plug of dirt at once.
Cool, the horizontal "hydro drill" works well in Florida, with our sandy geology, not so much with a denser dirt. Im glad to see the "hammer drill" worked well for you.
Im up in cleveland ohio and using duct tape to hold a running garden hose spray nozzle to a broom stick was the only way that i could get through the heavy clay we have under our sidewalks
The pipe trick is brilliant. I have not seen that before and I love it
Glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching.
Very informative. Thank you. A change from the shop videos which is nice (not that I don't really like your vids in the shop, all your videos are awesome). In life, change is good and, at times, needed. Keep the videos coming young lady. I always look forward to the next one.
Hello, I did a similar trench, but ran #2 Aluminum wire to a shed. Trench was about 55' and again, 12" deep, but used a post hole digger all the way due to lots of gravel and clay in the earth. Had an electrician install and connect a box in the shed to allow me to run a generator when needed. I am adding the lights and receptacles to shed myself (it is a new shed). Thanks for your video. I will tackle running power from house to fountain and/or pond.
Awesome! Glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching.
Thank you April. I need to do this too.
That post is the perfect height to top with a combination bird feeder / cat feeder.
Nice project. Did they think about the pond electrical use? Pump for water fall or to keep the water agitated to keep bugs out? That's the idea for conduit. But I did electrical work, so I'm thinking to the future. Might not ever be used, but dig one time. My old house I ran water and power to the street post and misting for the flowers. Thanks for sharing! Be cool, be safe! Beach,NC
Looks great! UF rated wire is good stuff.
Nice job. The simplest ideas are usually the best
very helpful and useful video. Many thanks April!
Great work on the outdoor lighting and outlet April! Thanks for sharing the video with us!💖👌👍😎JP
Cant get enough of your videos! So cool!...You're very special!!
Thx April, I need to change a bunch in my barn
April I have adored you for years and always love your videos and somehow lost track of you but doing a recent online search I again found you on this video and subscribed again for future videos . Great job on this smaller project as I said I have watched before so I know you have done many Big jobs. I like this project so much I may look for this light to add to my outdoor outlet for a nice decorative touch . Laterz Cyber friend - Leland
Neat project. Thanks for the tip on the post foam. Love the (216) T-shirt! Greetings from Northeast Ohio!
Love the 216 shirt!
Just awesome! Simple back splitting, calorie burning pleasure! Thank-you. -- Woodprobie
Cute! Thank you. Always enjoy your videos.
Whoa I really liked that fence post mix foam. Too cool!
Cool product!
A lesson from similar trenching projects to outbuildings and distant outlets - for me, always pull more amperage than you think you need! In your case if powering a little light and maybe a fountain pump, you decided on 15A - but for others, for instance if you ever wanted to plug in some beefy tools for outdoor work or daisy chain other outlets later on - I'd suggest, again, pulling more than you think you need! Way easier just not to use what you what now than to replace wire or do a whole new home run in the future. Two cents!
Great job looks nice should last a long time. HAVE A HAPPY EASTER 🐣. THANKS 😊!!
Know this is an older video but didn’t catch anyone mention this. To get under the side walk, if you want to avoid the mess water creates and the beating a pipe. Goto the electrical aisle and buy a flex bit. They are long enough to get across sidewalks and drilling it will have you done in seconds. You can then pull a piece of conduit back (best) or just the cable (likely get tore out if replace sidewalk). A lot of times you can find this for cheap 2nd hand and they come in useful if ever running wires inside as well.
I welded a coring bit to a length of pipe and attached a hammer drill to the other end. It too just a few minutes to bore under my walkway. You are right. Water boring is messy.
Wow, awesome box. You’ve given me some ideas!
My parents, within the last year, purchased a cabin out in the countryside that needs upgrades. I'll be showing them this.
Love your stuff April, but any video at all about digging in a yard to run wire or hosing should include the advice "Make sure you've contacted your local power company to make sure no wire already runs through that area." It's not always applicable, but is always a safe option and a good idea. Love the cute post though!
The narrow shovel is often used for irrigation spray heads. I’m Sure it’s used for lots of different jobs but that’s where I see them used.
Bravissima, bella idea per una colonnina per l'illuminazione ed una presa elettrica, molto utile per il giardino di casa. Ciao
Looking good April. I wish we would have this foam here to buy.
Enjoyed watching this great content thanks for sharing
Beautiful
This video is wonderful as I know so many would love to have a light in their yard. . . I know I WOULD. :)
Getting it done! Great work. Sometime I enjoy getting out of the shop and getting my hands dirty as well.
Thanks!
Great video, this is exactly what I was planning to do in my back yard
Glad it was helpful!
Love April’s videos. Great info!
Glad you like them!
The post with the e-outlet is excellent to add a security camera on top of it.
"Call Before You Dig" Kudos for use of the American Flag!
refreshing to see an American 🇺🇸 handy woman
To pick up a trenching shovel and use it for trenching without knowing that it's a trenching shovel. I think that's quite clever because you knew in your mind what properties a good tool for this job would have and sought that out.
April you are amazing.
Depending on local codes the steel tube under the path should be grounded as it is metallic and part of the electrical system. I have used this method before and then replaced the metal tube with plastic or tie the cable to the tube and pull the tube out.
I have that same shovel! The label on mine was just called trenching shovel! Not very original, but it was pretty direct!
It looks relative similiar to a spade. The shank is not straight but the shape of the blade is the same.
Thanks! Pretty useful little shovel
Wow looks awesome
Awesome project!
love the idea, thank you
Hey Friend, Saw you on TIM's show.. nice job.. Yeah I need to run some electric to a water feature in the BY.. Taking a look here! You're great! DMAX
Looks good.... it's so "CUTE" !!! 😁
I like the foam idea.
nice little project
When burying you should do something to indicate the live power, there is a tape that serves as a warning. Sand is also an option. You don’t want someone “finding” the wire in 10 years when doing the sprinklers or planting a tree.
Excellent information....thank you.
Awesome job April! 😃👍🏻👊🏻
Thanks Fred!