Bringing phone,cable,etc to detached garage

[MustHang]

I just moved in and the new house already has a detached garage. They brought power from the house with an inground wire but now I would like to bring phone, internet and security to the garage.

Now to the question, what would be the best way. I'd like to put a pipe so I could bring some wires later. I know I have to trench and then route the wires in but how deep should I go ? What kind of pipe(material,size) should I use ? How should I fill back ?

The main question however is how to bring them in the garage ? It already has a slab in.

Thanks.

Looking forward to starting my (inner)build thread soon.

 

[groove grabber]

It is typically laid in pvc conduit around 1 inch with at least 3 extra string runners incase something needs pulled later. Get your phone line from phone company, get coax rg59 from electrical warehouse or cable guy. Just put it far enough down to feel comfortable 12-20 inches typical. When going into the slab, you can drill into slab or just come up building along side then route in once you hit siding.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

The hole restrictions (depth, conduit size), should be checked locally. (You don't want this to bite you when you eventually sell, or cut the phone line, when digging a tree hole).

The entrance, should be just like the below ground service entrances to a house, up the side in conduit. That said, that becomes a weak spot for the alarm/phone lines. I would consider a cellular backup for it.

 

[Ira]

It is typically laid in pvc conduit around 1 inch with at least 3 extra string runners incase something needs pulled later. Get your phone line from phone company, get coax rg59 from electrical warehouse or cable guy. Just put it far enough down to feel comfortable 12-20 inches typical. When going into the slab, you can drill into slab or just come up building along side then route in once you hit siding.

For cable, you may want to consider one of the RG-6 "flavors" instead of RG59. It's a better quality cable and has superceded RG59 in most cases. For phone, running cat-5e or cat-6 works well. Four pairs of conductors in a single cable allows you to run a computer LAN connection (two pairs) and two phone lines (one pair each). You may even want to run two cat-5e/cat-6 cables for "future expansion.

Regards,
Ira

 

[MustHang]

Thanks all. I wonder if it would be hard to drill in the slab ? If would be better for security and cheaper since I wouldn't need a conduit for the wall.

 

[Steve in Mi]

Just my random thoughts on this. First get an underground survey done (MISS DIG around my neck of the woods at no cost). Low voltage doesn't usually require a deep trench but you want to avoid running into gas, water or electric already in your path. As already mentioned check depth requirement with local code folks. Personally I wouldn't put in less than 2" pvc for the main run (I know how things get added later - like an air line etc.). Use a long sweep to bring it out of the ground (makes pulling easier) next to the garage and then a JBL, ****** thru the wall or into the wall cavity (your choice), perhaps another JBL and to a distribution box. The portion above ground and exposed would provide greater protection if it were rigid galvanized and anti-theift cover on the JBL.

 

[Steve in Mi]

Thanks all. I wonder if it would be hard to drill in the slab ? If would be better for security and cheaper since I wouldn't need a conduit for the wall.

My galvanized conduit is routed inside the foundation cement block so I didn't have to involve the slab. Your slab can be drilled, if you must.

 

[MustHang]

What is a JBL ? And thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Steve in Mi]

It's one of these LB's and I can't explain the J at the moment except it is neither a left or a right.

http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/gampak-threaded-conduit-body-type-lb-p-17144.html?

 

[dragonhead08]

This dosnt address security. But for phone you could buy one of those multi handeset phones. Only the base station needs to plugged into a phone jack and the extensions just need ac power. For internet service you could set up wifi in your house. But alot depends on how far from the house your garage is. Mine is about 20ft away and my wifi signal and phone work perfect.

 

[Terry Kennedy]

This dosnt address security. But for phone you could buy one of those multi handeset phones. Only the base station needs to plugged into a phone jack and the extensions just need ac power. For internet service you could set up wifi in your house. But alot depends on how far from the house your garage is. Mine is about 20ft away and my wifi signal and phone work perfect.

You can never have too many conduits between the house and the garage...

I have one for power, one for phone and data cables and one for a water line.

I ran 4 CAT 5 cables in the data conduit. One is used for the phone (a Panasonic KX-TD1232 multi-line phone system) and doorphone / door opener (the Panasonic lets me trigger the garage door opener from any phone in the house, or when someone rings the garage doorphone and I decide to let them in). One is used for a wireless access point in the garage. Two are spares for future use.

The water conduit has a 3/4" PEX line. In the garage I have a de-ionization system and both "tap water" and "de-ionized water" hose reels.

 

[FunfDreisig]

This dosnt address security. But for phone you could buy one of those multi handeset phones. Only the base station needs to plugged into a phone jack and the extensions just need ac power. For internet service you could set up wifi in your house. ...

I'm with you bro' -- wires for phone and internet are like last century

My garage location is over a hundred feet from our cabin and I have no problem getting phone service there with even a 900 MHz wireless phone. FWIW the main reason we even have a land line is for faxes during construction. Unfortunately many contractors seem to be mired in this pre-internet technology.

I can't imagine needing anything more than a WiFi connection for internet access. In fact, our current internet connection is entirely wireless -- a USB cellular modem plugged into a laptop that shares the internet connection via a wireless hub with all our other computers.

Funf Dreisig

 

[larry4406]

Hey Funf Dreisig (german for 35?) - Can you elaborate a little on how your setup works? I can't get cable broadband or DSL where I live so options are a wireless card or satellite ($$$$). I would like to do what you have done, except use the household desk top in lieu of a laptop to share the wireless with the other computers in the house (hopefully, the other computers in the house could then send back to the desk top to also access its printer). Although I can use computers efficiently, I am not real knowledgeable with routers, hubs, etc, so any dumbed down made simple "how to" would be appreciated.

 

[KenBaker]

Linksys.com has a Learning Center that is linked through their Home Page. The people who wrote their documentation was extremely good at targeting their docs to people of all computer levels. All of their products are great, in my opinion. I would get all of your stuff at the local BestBuy or Office Depot that you need, when you can catch it on sale. I do Networking for a living and deal with their products everyday. I also refer to their documentation for my own reference at times. Just go ahead and run 2 CAT5 Lines as the cable is cheap and wired connections are faster.

 

[ddawg16]

No DSL or Cable Broadband? Yuk. The other options are not cheap. Satellite is not cheap and the typical Wifi connection using a cell phone network usually charges by the minute when you go over limit.....and the bandwidth is not that much better than hard copper (phone line).

If you want to use a desk top with the Wifi card as the central conection for any type of network so more than one computer will work, you will need to set it up as a server...which means you will have to have it on for the other computers to get a network connection. Not exactly a task for a novice.

Ditto on the Cat 5 as phone line...it is as cheap if not cheaper than the old phone line wire you bought from Radio Shack...and has much better performance...especially over long distances.

As for the pipe to the garage...I would go 1" min using the gray PVC...it's desigined for being underground...try to go at least 6" deep....and don't put any high voltage wires in there (110Vac). And yes, have a couple of extra pull strings in there and do use the long 90 bends...no sharp 90's....

LB refers to a conduit type of T with an access cover....you will know what it is when you see it.

 

[stricht8]

You want to run water lines? Is the garage going to be heated all winter long?

 

[FunfDreisig]

Hey Funf Dreisig (german for 35?) - Can you elaborate a little on how your setup works? I can't get cable broadband or DSL where I live so options are a wireless card or satellite ($$$$). I would like to do what you have done, except use the household desk top in lieu of a laptop to share the wireless with the other computers in the house (hopefully, the other computers in the house could then send back to the desk top to also access its printer). Although I can use computers efficiently, I am not real knowledgeable with routers, hubs, etc, so any dumbed down made simple "how to" would be appreciated.

Funf Dreisig => 530 as in BMW 530i

Our set up is simple and we could just as easily use a desktop as a laptop as our internet connection. I just happened to have an older unused PowerBook. So we used that. Our service is via AT&T using a Seirra Wireless brand 875U USB cellular modem. The cost is 69.95/mo for "unlimited" usage*.

You can get the whole kit at an AT&T store. Ater loading up the free Sierra Wireless application called Sierra Watcher you plug in the 875U or 881U into an unused port of a PC/Mac. Open Sierra Watcher and click Connect. Then turn on internet sharing on that PC/Mac. The rest of the details depend on your local network and whether you are using PCs/Macs, etc. I'll be glad to help you with Macs but have little knowledge of how to configure PCs.

Funf Dreisig

* the service has a soft limit of 5GB/mo. which gives AT&T the option to cancel service for very heavy users. But there have been almost no reports of people losing their service to date. FWIW I had WildBlue satellite internet service (oxymoron alert) for a little over a year and their rolling monthly limit was stricly and harshly enforced. So I monitored our usage in detail. We never reached 5GB/mo. So AT&T's limit is not an issue for us (two adults) who don't do YouTube etc.

The performance of the AT&T cellular service can be quite variable. The older and more widely available EDGE service is better than dialup and generally better than Satellite service due to the lower latency. The 3G service is roughly equivalent to a reasonable DSL connection with a little higher latency.

 

[FunfDreisig]

No DSL or Cable Broadband? Yuk. The other options are not cheap. Satellite is not cheap and the typical Wifi connection using a cell phone network usually charges by the minute when you go over limit.....and the bandwidth is not that much better than hard copper (phone line).

If you want to use a desk top with the Wifi card as the central conection for any type of network so more than one computer will work, you will need to set it up as a server...which means you will have to have it on for the other computers to get a network connection. Not exactly a task for a novice....

It is if you use Macs Really. It is as easy as sharing a printer. All you do is check "personal web sharing" and click "start" in the Apple:System Preferences:Sharing dialog. The go to the other Macs and set their Apple:System Preferences:Network settings to use the Mac with the USB modem as their "Router".

BTW one advantage of using an antique PowerBook is that is a silent dedicated "server" with full battery backup built in and very small package.

For people who are out of reach of wired internet access (e.g. DSL, Cable, etc.) and have LOS problems for conventional "wireless" a cellular USB modem beats the heck out of satellite and dialup

But back on topic the issue was telephone and internet access in a garage which presumes that the "house" already has both services. Unless the garage is over a hundred ft from the house...
Using a wireless phone is a no brainer.
And setting up a wireless hub is not that difficult.

FWIW I don't even plan on putting much Cat5 in our new house. It's just too limiting w.r.t locations etc.. I went wireless the week Apple introduced the original AirPort and have never looked back.

Funf Dreisig

 

[Terry Kennedy]

You want to run water lines? Is the garage going to be heated all winter long?

In my case, I have a PEX water line inside a Schedule 40 conduit (in case the PEX ruptures I can pull it out without re-trenching) and I have a shutoff in the basement along with a drain fitting - so at the end of the season I shut the line down and drain it.

 

[oldgoat]

When I built my garage they ran new service to the garage then 100 amp service to the house. The just took some of the gray PVC conduit that they used for the wiring and dug a trench between the house and the garage, which was only about 4 or 5 ft. so that I could run my cable and telephone through it. They didn't go through the slab though. They just drilled a hole through the wall just big enough for the conduit to fit through. It fits up tight to the wall of the garage and isn't a normal walkway anyway, so it isn't a problem. Since my cable and telephone box was on the outside wall of the house next to the garage it was easy to run a new line from it to the garage.

 

[tatra]

remember to take into account emf interference if additional highvoltage is going to be run at a later date............extra pipes are worthwhile.........

 

[sdetweil]

Assuming everything depends on power, here is an option for phone/network..

use one of the Powerline network adapters.. also with wireless extension

this plugs into your router in the house, and then into the power outlet,
then on the other side there are power output to device, and power outlet to wireless access point.

For those that can't run cable, but have power this solves some problems.

Sam

 

[rburke65]

The fitting, "LB" is just an "L" fitting with access from the BACK, hence 'LB". They also make a "LL" and a "LR", if you want to get real specific, and you guest it, that means the acess is on the Right or the Left. There are also a "LRL" with acess on both sides.