Electrician-guys -- Could use some help/advice (1 Viewer)

[gianmarco]

On the side of our house where all the lines/gas/etc comes in, there's a box that has the wiring that goes out back to our pool equipment. I'm pretty sure it's a 220 line, but, it's definitely substantial as there's a box on the pool panel with 8 breakers on it and these lines are what feeds it. It's a long run, all underground, installed 20 years ago when the house was built.

There's been some settling of the ground where this is and the conduit where these lines run has come apart. I wanted to try and dig around it and see if I could pull it back up, but it makes a 90 degree turn and there's just no give or play to it and I'm afraid of breaking what's in the ground.

I called an electrician, and he said it's basically going to be a few hours of work to pull the wire out, modify the conduit, and reinstall the wire. In other words, not particularly cheap.

Now, if that needs to be done, then so be it. I went to look for some kind of coupling materials at Home Depot but the guy I asked, when he looked at the picture, said I definitely do not want to do that. He advised it's against code and would also be dangerous.

So, any ideas on how to take care of this without calling the electrician? Or does it even have to be? I don't want water/animals getting inside this so I've duct taped it in the meantime. Here's the pictures:

Conduit coming apart
Digging around it
Current situation

 

[MTskibum]

If it was me I would keep the temporary solution in place. Maybe paint the tape to prevent UV degradation.

 

[belljr]

all that conduit is glued. I see a couple options but they wont be quick.

Open the box and take the conduit out from there, will need to undo the wiring, cut it away , buy longer piece cut it down reinstall.

or open the box, remove wiring and cut down lower piece and install new on

Its basically just PVC.

Ideally if you could lift it and reglue that would be the easiiest. Maybe you did along enough to get a brick under the corner to raise and reglue

Maybe dig a couple more feet along it to try to get some more play in it

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-8-oz-Medium-Gray-Electrical-PVC-Pipe-Cement-31040/206751887

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Dude, EASY fiX.....

Instead of replacing it from the ground up, cut your power from inside the house (just turn off the main breaker if youre unsure), open the exterior box, disconnect the wiring, pull it out, get a longer section pvc, run the wire back up and into the breaker.

I would never call that electrician again. What a Richard. This should take him an hour+travel time.

 

[ChiefD]

You dug with a tire iron? Let's talk about shovels.....

 

[belljr]

You dug with a tire iron? Let's talk about shovels.....

i didnt even notice that

 

[ChiefD]

You dug with a tire iron? Let's talk about shovels.....

i didnt even notice that

I think he did that just to mess with me. It worked.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Dude, EASY fiX.....

Instead of replacing it from the ground up, cut your power from inside the house (just turn off the main breaker if youre unsure), open the exterior box, disconnect the wiring, pull it out, get a longer section pvc, run the wire back up and into the breaker.

I would never call that electrician again. What a Richard. This should take him an hour+travel time.

This is the correct answer. Take a pic and/or label everything before you take anything apart (wires)

 

[E Street Brat]

You could try digging a little more under the 90 and slide a block under it to lift it up. But think a new section of PVC from the box down is the way to go.

Good luck filling the hole back in with that tire iron.

 

[wilked]

This is DIY

Get new conduit. It’s easy to “shape” conduit by heating it up, use a heat gun. Once shaped and dry fit you glue it all. Watch some YouTube’s.

Be sure to turn everything off before working! Use a NCVT to verify its off. I’d do some basic checking to ensure the wiring looks good / undamaged

 

[belljr]

Dude, EASY fiX.....

Instead of replacing it from the ground up, cut your power from inside the house (just turn off the main breaker if youre unsure), open the exterior box, disconnect the wiring, pull it out, get a longer section pvc, run the wire back up and into the breaker.

I would never call that electrician again. What a Richard. This should take him an hour+travel time.

This is the correct answer. Take a pic and/or label everything before you take anything apart (wires)

So exactly what I said

 

[AAABatteries]

Duct tape

 

[AAABatteries]

Oh, and....

LOOK AT ME, I'VE GOT A POOL!!!!

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Duct tape

I know you’re kidding but just in case, Duct tape is not waterproof.

 

[wilked]

Don’t half ### it. Fix it right…

 

[NutterButter]

I would so just stick with the duct tape, but my house is filled with half *** fixes like that. My kids are gonna have the hardest type selling this thing when I die.

 

[gianmarco]

I would so just stick with the duct tape, but my house is filled with half *** fixes like that. My kids are gonna have the hardest type selling this thing when I die.

That's the thing, for some things that's me too. I'm like a 3-4 on the Offdee scale of handymen, I can do some basic stuff, but there's things that are out of my comfort level.

That said, I'll probably give this a go because I don't want it to be an issue later on.

 

[NutterButter]

I would so just stick with the duct tape, but my house is filled with half *** fixes like that. My kids are gonna have the hardest type selling this thing when I die.

That's the thing, for some things that's me too. I'm like a 3-4 on the Offdee scale of handymen, I can do some basic stuff, but there's things that are out of my comfort level.

That said, I'll probably give this a go because I don't want it to be an issue later on.

I certainly ain't gonna be the one to try to talk you out of the correct way of doing it. You've got this.

 

[belljr]

For real I think you can get enough slack to lift back into place and glue.

Then put some stone or soil under it. Might need a bigger tire iron

 

[tri-man 47]

all that conduit is glued. I see a couple options but they wont be quick.

Open the box and take the conduit out from there, will need to undo the wiring, cut it away , buy longer piece cut it down reinstall.

or open the box, remove wiring and cut down lower piece and install new on

Its basically just PVC.

Ideally if you could lift it and reglue that would be the easiiest. Maybe you did along enough to get a brick under the corner to raise and reglue

Maybe dig a couple more feet along it to try to get some more play in it

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-8-oz-Medium-Gray-Electrical-PVC-Pipe-Cement-31040/206751887

This is about what I was thinking ...find a solution from the top down, not the bottom up. How is that rusty box mounted? Could it be angled just enough (and maybe dropped an inch) so the existing pipe shifts into a workable position?

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I would so just stick with the duct tape, but my house is filled with half *** fixes like that. My kids are gonna have the hardest type selling this thing when I die.

That's the thing, for some things that's me too. I'm like a 3-4 on the Offdee scale of handymen, I can do some basic stuff, but there's things that are out of my comfort level.

That said, I'll probably give this a go because I don't want it to be an issue later on.

You have to fix it. You don’t want that pipe to fill up with water with a 240 line running in it.

 

[Osaurus]

Did you get a quote from your neighbor?

 

[DocHolliday]

You could try digging a little more under the 90 and slide a block under it to lift it up. But think a new section of PVC from the box down is the way to go.

Good luck filling the hole back in with that tire iron.

I would try lifting the conduit going into the ground and then gluing it back together first.

 

[arrow1]

Duct tape

I know you’re kidding but just in case, Duct tape is not waterproof.

Flexseal Tape is.

 

[E Street Brat]

Don’t half ### it. Fix it right…

Dad?

 

[AAABatteries]

Duct tape

I know you’re kidding but just in case, Duct tape is not waterproof.

yeah, I was just joking - I think Gian isn’t that dumb.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

You used a tire iron? You animal.

 

[Ned]

Dude, EASY fiX.....

Instead of replacing it from the ground up, cut your power from inside the house (just turn off the main breaker if youre unsure), open the exterior box, disconnect the wiring, pull it out, get a longer section pvc, run the wire back up and into the breaker.

I would never call that electrician again. What a Richard. This should take him an hour+travel time.

This.

 

[3C's]

Dude, EASY fiX.....

Instead of replacing it from the ground up, cut your power from inside the house (just turn off the main breaker if youre unsure), open the exterior box, disconnect the wiring, pull it out, get a longer section pvc, run the wire back up and into the breaker.

I would never call that electrician again. What a Richard. This should take him an hour+travel time.

This.

I would say maybe this. The concern the electrician may have is that the UF cable has been stressed/stretched. If the run was already tight with little slack and the conduit has settled that much to split the joint the wire could be a hazard. Stretched wire equals increased resistance.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Dude, EASY fiX.....

Instead of replacing it from the ground up, cut your power from inside the house (just turn off the main breaker if youre unsure), open the exterior box, disconnect the wiring, pull it out, get a longer section pvc, run the wire back up and into the breaker.

I would never call that electrician again. What a Richard. This should take him an hour+travel time.

This.

I would say maybe this. The concern the electrician may have is that the UF cable has been stressed/stretched. If the run was already tight with little slack and the conduit has settled that much to split the joint the wire could be a hazard. Stretched wire equals increased resistance.

I agree with this but any electrician worth his salt left some slack in there.

If I’m going to knit pick id say he might as well replace the rusty box while he’s got it all disconnected. In that case he can always slide it down a hair.