running over heavy elec cord

[HoosierMark]

I am building a new house and just bought a used (good condition) heavy black electric cord to run from the temporary elec pole to the house. Seller thinks it is # 6 wire. I know enough about wire that I am sure it is # 10 or bigger . Since I am only using a power drill or circular saw, etc I am not concerned about current draw. I am concerned about my need to cross a gravel drive way. The framing contractor just laid his cord across the drive and the trucks drove over it. Now it will be across the drive for a couple of months. Should I put it in a pipe and trench so it does not get damaged? Or due to it being flexible, will it be ok to just leave it exposed.

HoosierMark

 

[Stuart in MN]

truck tires grinding it into the gravel will damage it eventually. I'd run it through a trenched in pipe.

 

[G_P]

A few sticks of conduit will be very cheap. Bury it under the driveway.

 

[ForceFed70]

Lots of factors here - soil type being the most important.

I agree tho - it should be protected somehow.

 

[Zeke]

No problem over a smooth hard surface. Gravel? Protect it.

 

[rsanter]

I don't like driving over large cords ever
16ga occasionally may be fine but not the nice big ones

Bob

 

[rockwithjason]

Lash some timbers together and lay the cord between them so the timbers take the load

 

[HOTFR8]

A few sticks of conduit will be very cheap. Bury it under the driveway.

This is what I would do. Also if you can indicate in some way the cords location so some one does not accidentally try to cut it or drive over it.

 

[HAY YOU]

All the construction jobs I've ever been on you never drive over a cord. If you're not going to bury it. The first thing that's done is you lay 2x4's on each side of the cord & at the ends of the 2x4's you nail a short piece of 2x4 on the top of each end to keep the 2x4's from closing up on the cord. And if you do that at least it will look like you know what you're doing. And you won't turn you cord into scrap.

 

[shamrock12]

Never ever drive over any electrical cord no matter how smooth the surface is. The rubber insulation will compress under load and so does the soft copper conductors. A good way to trip the breaker. Cords are not designed to be run over and won't last for very long.

When I was in electrical wiring shop at college, my professor would YELL at every person that stepped over the extension cord and deduct some points.

 

[G_P]

No problem over a smooth hard surface. Gravel? Protect it.

There are people near me who have lakefront property across the road from their house. Every summer they have a party on the waterfront and lay an extension cord across the road. I have seen them go through 3 different cords in one day.
Even on a hard surface running over extension cords destroys them.
Big heavy construction vehicles will just destroy them faster.

 

[2ManyProjects]

I am building a new house and just bought a used (good condition) heavy black electric cord to run from the temporary elec pole to the house. Seller thinks it is # 6 wire. I know enough about wire that I am sure it is # 10 or bigger .

It SHOULD be clearly marked; hence, there should be no confusion here. If it is indeed unmarked, it would surely be illegal to use in a "permanent" installation; how this applies to a temporary lashup such as you are describing, I don't know.

But all that said, you are aware that AWG 10 is considerably SMALLER than AWG 6, right? Also, are the conductors aluminum, copper-clad aluminum, or solid copper?

Since I am only using a power drill or circular saw, etc I am not concerned about current draw.

You should be, especially if it is only AWG 10. While the NEC-rated maximum "ampacity" of AWG 10 wire is at least 25 amps, that does not take voltage drop into consideration. So, depending on the length of the run between that temporary meter pole and your saw, drill, etc., it very well COULD be an issue.

I am concerned about my need to cross a gravel drive way. The framing contractor just laid his cord across the drive and the trucks drove over it. Now it will be across the drive for a couple of months. Should I put it in a pipe and trench so it does not get damaged? Or due to it being flexible, will it be ok to just leave it exposed.

As several folks have already told you, NEVER allow an exposed wire to be driven over, period.

 

[2ManyProjects]

There are people near me who have lakefront property across the road from their house. Every summer they have a party on the waterfront and lay an extension cord across the road. I have seen them go through 3 different cords in one day.

These are not what you'd call "Risk-Averse" people, are they? Got'ta wonder how long before they get sued when that flailing broken extension cord damages someone's car.

Are there no decent-size trees near that road? Given their track record, "up & over" would seem a pretty obvious countermeasure.

 

[malibu101]

When I was in electrical wiring shop at college, my professor would YELL at every person that stepped over the extension cord and deduct some points.

Why?
You mean that he wanted people to step on the cord?

 

[HoosierMark]

Thanks for all the replies. This is what I thought but when the framer left the cord across the driveway and kept driving over it, I wondered if something had changed. I will fire up the bobcat and scratch a trench to lay some plastic pipe in for the line to go thru. Yes, I am aware that #10 is smaller then #6 wire. I just bought the cord yesterday and need to have my prfessional electrician tell me what size it is. I also understand the voltage drop that occurs with distance and wire size. I plan on having my elec guy guide me to make sure I do not burn out a motor or ruin a tool

OK now I will come clean. I was 99% sure I needed to protect the wire. But it was 25 degrees out and that bobcat seat will be cold and I am a wimp when the first cold weather comes! After I grow my thick skin I am OK but until then I do not like it! I was hoping I had missed something on care for wire. I thought maybe I hit the wire lottery and could just lay it across the drive. Now you know the rest of the story. LOL

Thanks again for your comments

 

[niferous]

We use these out on drilling rigs because they are always moving from one location to the next. So they are cheaper than trenching and then digging up the wire for that application. They also work on concrete. They are really expensive though.

 

[JakeKohl]

Lash some timbers together and lay the cord between them so the timbers take the load

^ This ^. We do this with RV's all the time. A couple of 2x4's, some nylon webbing, and a staple gun is all you need. Put the two 2x4's together with the cord between, cut several pieces of nylon webbing and staple them to the 2x4s. Flip it over, staple more webbing.

 

[D KRAGER]

Do not drive over it. I've had a welding cord that looked good from the outside but was shorted between two conductors on the inside from being drove over.

PVC and bury, or use the 2x4 method.

 

[shamrock12]

Why?
You mean that he wanted people to step on the cord?

No, if he see anyone stepping over an extension cord, he would shout at the "victim" and then deduct some points.

 

[G_P]

These are not what you'd call "Risk-Averse" people, are they? Got'ta wonder how long before they get sued when that flailing broken extension cord damages someone's car.

Are there no decent-size trees near that road? Given their track record, "up & over" would seem a pretty obvious countermeasure.

There are trees but its clear these people dont care. They have even put cones out to close one lane and put a huge BBQ in the road as they ran out of room. Police came quick and made them clear everything off the road but let the cord stay.

Another guy on the lake did the smart thing and had the POCO install a meter on a short pole right next to the power pole. Now he has a lockable panel with multiple outlets and does not need to stretch cords across the road.

 

[malibu101]

When I was in electrical wiring shop at college, my professor would YELL at every person that stepped over the extension cord and deduct some points.

Why?
You mean that he wanted people to step on the cord?

No, if he see anyone stepping over an extension cord, he would shout at the "victim" and then deduct some points.

Maybe I'm slow today but I'm still missing the point.

He does not want people to step on the cord and then points are deducted for stepping over the cord.

So how do you get to the other side of the cord? Walk around it?

 

[Dustball]

I just bought the cord yesterday and need to have my prfessional electrician tell me what size it is. I also understand the voltage drop that occurs with distance and wire size. I plan on having my elec guy guide me to make sure I do not burn out a motor or ruin a tool

There will be markings on the wire or cable you just bought telling you what size it is.

Post on here what the markings say if you're not sure. You're looking for either a number followed by an AWG (8 AWG for example) or a combination of numbers divided by a slash (3C/6) for example).

Here's an example of markings of 3, 4 and 5 conductor cables with 6 gauge wire.

 

[HoosierMark]

Now that it is daylight and I can see it better, it is 10/3. That should be heavy enough to run at most a saw and a couple of lights at the same time.

 

[RECox286]

You should be saying to yourself; Self, how would I hold up

if I lay in the road knowing trucks were going to be driving

in and out of the property ? How much trouble would be

caused by letting the trucks run over the cable and if the

cable were damaged ? How much down time and (lost work

time) repairs would there be when we want to be using and

not fixing the darned thing ? It brings another saying to mind:

Ounce of Prevention / Pound of Cure.

I think you know better than to ask such a question in the

first place.

Protect the cable now...

Uncle Bob

 

[Dustball]

Now that it is daylight and I can see it better, it is 10/3. That should be heavy enough to run at most a saw and a couple of lights at the same time.

You'll be good to up to 140 feet at 20 amps or 175 feet at 15 amps with a 5% voltage drop.

 

[2ManyProjects]

You'll be good to up to 140 feet at 20 amps or 175 feet at 15 amps with a 5% voltage drop.

Which is considerably more V.D. than you really want; but for a temporary lashup such as this, you/he can probably get away with it.

 

[cort]

You will probably want a conduit under your driveway anyway, so why not go ahead and trench the conduit now?

 

[HoosierMark]

You all convinced me. I bought 30 feet of 2 inch electric conduit and installed it. I used the bobcat with the teeth bucket to create a 6 inch trench and buried it. I marked both ends with small fence posts and survey tape. I can either leave it in or dig it out as the plug end will slide thru it. The ground is soft below it so it has plenty of room to give. I will have a front unload conc truck out there one more time and then nothing larger then 1 ton trucks should be there.
The cord the framing contractor had left on site as a courtesy was about 150 feet of #12 wire. Glad I upgraded.

 

[shamrock12]

Maybe I'm slow today but I'm still missing the point.

He does not want people to step on the cord and then points are deducted for stepping over the cord.

So how do you get to the other side of the cord? Walk around it?

Ummm ... I believe most of human beings today are capable of walking over the extension cord without stepping on it? That is if they're paying attention.

 

[shamrock12]

Okay, I now see what you are saying. I meant he would deduct point for anyone stepping on the cord. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[sberry]

Which is considerably more V.D. than you really want; but for a temporary lashup such as this, you/he can probably get away with it.

n Just out of curiosity,,, where did you learn all this?