Detached shed conduit junctions

[MerlinsBeard]

I'm trying to get supplies before I get the electrician in for making a subpanel connection to my shed. I've got 4-4-4-6 copper for the power 1 1/2" PVC conduit, and a 1" PVC conduit for network (fiber), possibly coax. The conduit will be coming from the ceiling in the house, down the wall, punch through the siding, then connect to the conduit.

On the shed back, I have the same conduit, plus a grounding electrode conductor wire (4 AWG) that needs to get to the subpanel. I could have a 1/2" PVC conduit go all the way up to a junction box or enter the shed closer to the ground in an LB. There is a stud between the two PVC conduits so that the data conduit is in the corner stud bay and the power conduit would enter the next stud bay over into the subpanel. I plan to have something that converts fiber to RJ45 so looking for an enclosure to house that gear.

I'm looking for the cleanest install (pay once, cry once), so willing to spend some extra on enclosures vs LB if it will make the electrician's / low voltage installer's life easier, and maybe look a little better. I could also use help with minimum enclosure sizing and vendor so if you have suggestions (I've done some browsing of my own, but I don't do installs so I don't know what's easier to work with), that would be swell.

 

[mike93lx]

Unless you need to transition wire types, I don't see a benefit to an enclosure on the exterior. Just use a LB and either go into the bay with an LB on the inside or go high enough to use a LB straight into the subpanel.

For junction box sizing, it's 6x conduit size for a right angle junction, 8x for straight through.

What kind of wire are you using for the feed? SER can't go underground, regardless of conduit, so hopefully not that.

Your electrician is letting you buy all the supplies? Have you confirmed that is OK with him?

 

[MerlinsBeard]

I’m using individually stranded xwwh-2 for the feeder which he was ok with me buying. And he let me do the PVC trench work which I did all the digging and PVC conduit work.

Mostly it’s boxes and covers to match the existing house electric, but all the subpanels, interior conduit work and transitions he can do how he wants. But I should ping him again.

 

[sparky 1971]

I'd go into the back of the panel with an LB. Going in low, then using another LB to go into the bottom of the panel is a pain in the *** and exterior junction boxes look like ****, especially in a residential setting. As far as the GEC, if the shed isn't finished on the interior, just go out the bottom of the panel and drill a 1/4" hole at the bottom of the wall angled out for the wire then silicone it shut. It will be darn near invisible. You could put it in an LB, but it's not necessary and another pain in the ***. Then put another LB on the 1" at the same height as the 1-1/2". That will look the cleanest and be the easiest route by far.

 

[MerlinsBeard]

Thanks for the tips mike and sparky 1971. Much appreciated!

 

[75gmck25]

My wife did not want the conduit to be easily visible on the garage exterior, so I ran it up the wall about 12 inches, through an LB into the garage, and then used another LB to turn 90 degrees and go up into the panel.

I had to drill through exterior brick, so I ran the ground wire through the wall next to the conduit and then mortared it all after it was connected. On the inside its zip tied to the back of the conduit and then run up into the panel.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

My wife did not want the conduit to be easily visible on the garage exterior, so I ran it up the wall about 12 inches, through an LB into the garage, and then used another LB to turn 90 degrees and go up into the panel.

I had to drill through exterior brick, so I ran the ground wire through the wall next to the conduit and then mortared it all after it was connected. On the inside its zip tied to the back of the conduit and then run up into the panel.

Hopefully you didn’t bury the LB in the wall cavity

 

[Jim greengo]

Dont forget expansion joints ,depending on your location of course.
Mount them a foot or so above finished grade.

 

[75gmck25]

My install was relatively simple because there was brick on both sides of the wall. A little tougher to drill a clean hole (maybe 8" total thickness through the wall), but the LB's are definitely accessible. My panel is surface mounted to a piece of 3/4" plywood screwed to the brick wall. Conduit runs from the inside LB directly up into the bottom of the panel so I could run MHF all the way up.