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Cable/U-verse underground questions...

elav

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Nov 12, 2008
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122
Our neighbor is building a new house (although I'm not sure you can call it "new" as they have been building it for over 2 years now). Anyway, the telephone pole is in corner of our backyard and the neighbors ran their electricity and Comcast cable down the pole and underground to underground city owned utility boxes. From there they are running their electricity and cable underground. While the Comcast people were running the conduit to the other house they offered to run conduit to our house for just the cost of the pipe. We decided to go ahead and have them do it while they were here.

I get home from work and my wife said that they used pipe that they had left over and didn't charge us at all - which is great, but they ran out of pipe and only ran it to my side of the fence. I now have this pipe sticking up out of the ground on my side of the fence sticking up out of the ground. I saw how they terminated the pipe on my neighbor's house so I'm not upset that I'm going to finish the rest. OK, onto my questions...

1. They used black PVC pipe with a 1" ID and 1/8" walls. The PVC they used was on a large roll so when they run it up a wall from the ground they just let the natural curve take care of it. I can't find 1" ID PVC pipe in black and generally black is used for plumbing/drainage with sharper curves. Where can I find this PVC pipe? Stores like Home Depot and Lowes didn't carry it (only the gray pipe meant for electrical).

2. Comcast just ran the pipe to the side of the house and the contractor just drilled a hole in the side of the house and ran the coax in. He said he was going to seal up the end of the pipe with some plumbing dope (not the best look in my opinion). I think I would like to run this to a demarcation box. Can anyone recommend a demarcation box and can they post a picture of a clean install? I don't have a basement and I have a slab foundation so it will have to be on the side of the house. Current small demarcation box is under the eave of the roof near where the phone line comes in via the roof.

Thanks in advance! We are going to have an electrician upgrade our service panel (most likely required by the city when we run our power lines underground instead of through the masthead. Perhaps I should have them finish the cable run too).
 
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elav

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Nov 12, 2008
Messages
122
Could it be polyethylene (HDPE) pipe and not PVC?
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General contractor said it was PVC but he wasn't the one to put the pipe in the ground - so not sure. Unfortunately the foot or so of pipe sticking out of the ground isn't marked with anything. I looked on McMaster-Carr and it appears that it could be UV-resistant black PVC tubing. It has the same dimensions and appears to connect with barbed fittings/connectors.
 
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pattenp

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I really believe it's HDPE conduit, not PVC. Since it's just coax in it, use the black HDPE water pipe from where ever you can get the size diameter you need. The thing is the HDPE electrical conduit is UV resistant, not sure about the HDPE water pipe. Why not change over to the regular gray PVC conduit for the remainder of the run?

http://www.carlonsales.com/pdfs/HDPE/HDPE_Brochure.pdf
 
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elav

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I really believe it's HDPE conduit, not PVC. Since it's just coax in it, use the black HDPE water pipe from where ever you can get the size diameter you need. The thing is the HDPE electrical conduit is UV resistant, not sure about the HDPE water pipe. Why not change over to the regular gray PVC conduit for the remainder of the run?

http://www.carlonsales.com/pdfs/HDPE/HDPE_Brochure.pdf

Gray PVC is typically reserved for electrical. Plus if you are correct and it is PE, I can't solvent bond PVC to it. I'm OK with continuing it with HDPE - the issue I now have is finding it as it isn't available at any of the home stores (well, I can order 300' of it, but I only need less than 10').
 
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KenC

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I really believe it's HDPE conduit, not PVC. Since it's just coax in it, use the black HDPE water pipe from where ever you can get the size diameter you need. The thing is the HDPE electrical conduit is UV resistant, not sure about the HDPE water pipe. Why not change over to the regular gray PVC conduit for the remainder of the run?

http://www.carlonsales.com/pdfs/HDPE/HDPE_Brochure.pdf


I think he's right. I've never seen PVC as rolls, just 10' sticks that glue together.
Regarding UV issues, here is a quote from the plasticpipe.org website:
Q. 17 Will sunlight adversely affect HDPE pipe? Sunlight is not a concern if black pipe is used.
Carbon black, utilized in most all HDPE pipe is the most effective ultraviolet stabilizer and therefore, black
is the recommended pipe color for exposed long term service or storage. Pipe of this color will provide
decades of outdoor use similar to that of black power-line cable jacketing. HDPE pipe produced in nonblack
colors may also be supplied for outdoor exposure (storage and use) but its life expectancy is much
less and is usually specified for a particular time period. Questions on this topic should be referred to the
pipe manufacturer.
 

pattenp

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Location
Virginia - USA
There's no issue I know of for using the grey PVC conduit. Why glue the joint? Use a PVC to HDPE transition fitting.
 
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elav

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Messages
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Here is PVC in a roll: http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-pvc-tubing/=qju4oa
In looking at the pipe, it looks waxy so I think you are both right that it isn't PVC.

I'm OK with running whatever if I can find it. When I went to the various home stores in my area, I couldn't find anything that had the same OD and my experience is truly limited to running irrigation. What is this tubing typically used for? If I know that I can search places that carry this stuff and order it.
 
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