How Do I Locate A Buried Deck/junction Box

I'm in the process of planning to wire up two spot lights on the face of my deck as well as running an outlet (which will also be under the deck) for a LV transformer to plug in to. I will need a few junction boxes to achieve this, as well as electrical boxes for the two spot lights. I'm planning on running 12AWG THWN through some sort of conduit run along the joists to the various lighting locations and junction boxes. This will be between 3' to 8' above the surface of the ground and under roof for the most part (we built a roof over the majority of the deck as well).



So, do you recommend PVC and plastic boxes or EMC and the appropriate boxes?
      

This is kind of a complicated question, but I  think I have figured out how to do it right.  I wanted to run it by some folks here before going to the city code enforcer.  See the attached diagrams for details.



I  am planning a fairly elaborate lighting scheme for my home theater  area, mostly because I plan for the theater automation to be a hobby for  me. (I'm an electrical engineer)

 

I want to have banks of lights that I could later choose to group  differently onto dimmer switches.  For example, I have six can lights.   Some people I have talked to think I should dim the front four together  and back two separately.  Some think I should dim the front two together  and back four separately.  Some say I should dim them all together. 



So I decided I'd run each group of two cans to a junction box, run  the switches to a junction box, and then wire the switches to the lights  in the junction box - then I could later change it if I decided it should work  differently.  In addition, this would keep the junction boxes the  dimmers were in free from extra wires, since I plan to buy nice dimmers  that are fairly deep and would take more space in the switch boxes.  And  if I find that using switches differently would make it more intuitive,  I can change which switch controls which lights easily after the fact.   This would also allow me later to possibly control the lights with an  automated system.

 

There are some track lights and rope lights, as well as a couple  receptacles that would all come back to the junction box where they'd be  connected to the switches/dimmers.



I am bringing in power from  two circuits to balance the lighting.  I plan to put some of the lights  on one circuit and some on the other.  The second circuit has some other  stuff on it already, so it has less load left over, so most stuff will  go on the first circuit.

 

Also to save on wiring and make running wire easier, I was planning  to use 14/3 wiring where possible.  Any given 14/3 wire would  always be connected to only one of the circuits (no shared neutrals).



The attached files show my exact plan for each circuit. Note they both  share the junction box in the upper right corner of the pictures, they  also share the switch banks.  This allows me to decide which switches  control which lights, as well as decide which lights will be powered on  which circuit to balance them properly.  Note that the track lights are  each 2 circuit track, that's why I'm running 14/3 to each.

   

See the attached files for circuit #1 and circuit #2



I am running 14/3 NM to the switches.  I was planning to have two  switches share one 14/3 cable.  I am also running 14/3 to each group of  two light groups that I want to control separately.



I've also attached a diagram from the perspective of the junction box.



I also attached an example circuit on how I plan to use the 14/3 wire.

   

Here are some other decisions I made:



- The junction box will  be PVC 8x8x4 (256 cu. in.)  All the wires coming into the box add up to  70 cu in. so the box should be plenty large.

- All the grounds from both circuits will be tied together

  - The neutrals for both circuits will always be kept completely separate (NO shared neutrals)

- No 14/3 wire will ever carry power from more than one circuit (this would violate the shared neutrals anyway)



Even  though this is kind of elaborate and for hobby, I want to be sure to do  it safely and up to code.  Does anyone see anything wrong with  my plan?

 

Thanks,



Daniel
      

Hello All,



I'm about to "re-locate" some existing breakers and wires into a subpanel and have a few questions.



1) My existing hot water heater is wired with 2 conductor w/ground wiring (30 amp, #10 wire). Is this still Code compliant or do you have to have 3 conductor now as with dryers?



My existing dryer also has 2 conductor w/ground wiring (installed in 1999).



If I relocated it or the hot water wires/breakers to my new subpanel will they require me to upgrade to current code (3 conductor, if applicable)? The subpanel will attach to the Main Load Center which is where those breakers/wires are currently attached.



Main question is will I be grandfathered with existing wiring in only relocating the breakers/wires to subpanel?  I'm not relocating the appliances or recepticles themselves.



2) I have 3 conductor w/ground wires for my cook top. It only requires 2 conducter w/ground however. They wired the ground/neutrals together but has flexible metal conduit running to the cook top itself. Should I remove the ground and bond it to the metal conduit?



Thanks, Ralph
      

I removed the light above my vanity and found that the the previous installer did not install a junction box.  The house was built in 1985 so I think there should have been one.  Anyway, there is a metal bar that is crossing the hole that conflicts with a new installation.  I am prepared to cut this bar away to make room but I would like to know what it is before I create a new problem.



Does anybody have any idea what this is?  And if I can cut it away without any regrets?



The bar is shown in both of the attached photos.  For background.  This is an exterior wall.  There is a stud located about 1" to the right of the existing cut out.  There is a vent pipe on the left edge of the cutout.  The metal bar appears to extend from the stud on the right generally in the direction of the stud on the left (outside of the photo).  I have seen something like this as bracing for pipes in other locations of the house but in those cases they used copper pipe.



Any suggestions would be appreciated.



Derek
      

We are in the process of redoing the area around our pool. As part of this we are adding a pool house and hot tub (separate from pool).



I have a couple Elecrtical Contractors coming out this weekend to price/put together a plan. Along with talking to several indivuals, I've been lurking around reading and trying to gather info but feel the need to have as much info available prior to getting these estimates and plans. Please excuse any incorrect verbage i might use and appreciate any corrections to my terminoligy



So this is what i have 



The pool house is approx 100 ft from the house.

It will have a few and outlets for blenders, minifridge, tv etc

the pool equipement consites of a pump, heater and a sand filter. The pump and current heater run off standard 110 lines (however if i upgrade this I dont know if the new one will require a 220 line



The pool light seems to run off a standard line as well



The hottub requires a 220 40amp line



There will be landscaping lighting as well as 2 more outlets for accesories



The original setup prior to last year had what looks like 6 or 8 guage (3 wire) directly buried about 6-8 inches under  ground. it was running what look to be two 20amp circuits from the main panel inside the house. This wire got split to two separate outlets near the pool. One went directly to the pool equipment and on directy to the pool light switch and some landscaping ighting.



With all the enhancements we are making i'm wondering what the best approach will be.



I assume a sub panel in the pool house that has one "main breaker" and has its own ground. Then one run to the pool equipment and one run to the hottub and a couple runs to the accesories i mentioned.



I have seen several replies on here where individuals talk about  "if they were doing the job this is how they would do it". Id be interested in some responses



What type of wire would be best to get it to the pool house

Does it run right from the main panel in the house?

Does direct burial make sense or shold i put it in conduit? I'm already digging a trench three feet deep for water and RG6 (which will be pushed thru conduit)



Any question i should make sure i ask the contractors?





Thanks in advance for any input
      

First off im in So Cal. and a few months back my pool equipment stoped working after a rain storm. I have an underground conection that is accseible through a plastic box in the concrete. There is a water proof box there that housed the wiring as it runs from 220 breaker underground to the pool equip., I opened it to find it full of water. The short burned the wiring some where under some 60 feet of cement. I forgot to mention the wiring in existing conduit will not pull through have tried several times even as despreate as a come-along.



Ive had an electrician and Genral contractor both look at it and both said wiring is fried, but im looking for advice on my two options.



1st is cutting a trench in the cement about 60 to 70 feet from circuit breaker to pool equipment. Then using conduit the whole lenght like it was previously but no under ground box. Just two connections breacker & pool Equip.



2nd option the breaker is near my atic. run power from breaker through the house atic to where pops out on the other side of the house. would be about 50 feet through atic and about another 50 feet of conduit 25 above ground attached to eves and 25 below ground to pool equipment. This is a similar route as the gas line to pool equipment they will come out of atic about 20 feet apart then eventually follow similar path is this a problem?? I was told to use 12-3 Romex?? Suggestions on which route to take would be great. Atic is clearly easyer but concerend with closeness to gas line. Thanks before hand for the help
      

I have 2" grey pvc conduit running from my basement underneath a patio and terminating vertically from the ground a few feet past the edge of the patio (in the dirt).  I want to install an outlet on the stone wall at the edge of this patio.  I do not know how to properly return the wire from that open 2" vertical conduit back to the wall a few feet away.  I assume I need a junction box on the existing conduit, but can't find one with a 2" inlet.  I would like to keep the connections buried if possible, return with a smaller conduit to the wall and up to a mounted outlet box (weatherproof).  Any suggestions about how to manage the conduit connections from the vertical pipe?



Tom
      

I was going to put this in this thread  Junction box in stud wall behind drywall?  but, decided to start a new one.



Two nights ago while sitting in my kitchen the can lights in my soffits above my cabinets suddenly went out. At first I thought my daughter or her boyfriend was messing with me and reached around the corner and flipped the switch. Nope. Tried the other switch near me and nothing. Everything else in the kitchen worked.



Thinking tripped breaker for a moment...nope other lights work on the circuit. Can't be 6 CFL's burnd out at the same time. Hmmmmm?



Background:

Kitchen was remodeled 12 years ago. Drywall was in good shape so not removed. Added circuits for Fridge, Microwave, Garbage disposal, Stove (gas),Dishwasher, range hood, and countertop recepts. None of these are tied to lights. Original task lighting was 4' tubes over countertops above cabinets. Remodel added sofits and can lights from these two feeds



Started tracing circuit path to look for loose/broken wire. Found no power at lights. Checked power at breaker...Good. Follow wire to kitchen, no junctions. Wire disapears up into wall below the switch area. Check for power at switch box. Yep, power there. Power off and pigtail Neutral/hot  wires at a can light together. No continuity on the load side of the switch circuit. Broken wire somewhere between the switch and the lights. Fortunaly there is an attic space above the kitchen. Unfortunatly, it is a short headroom ~3' or less and full of blown ihn insulation. In I go to trace the wire.  after about 10 min up there I found the burried junction box. At some time in the past there used to be a single light in the center of the "U" shaped kitchen cabinets. This was abandoned and the box was drywalled over...still in the location for the light hookup so the cover was not readily accessable. found a tightly twisted Ground, Neutral and Hot with nuts. All looked good untill I Started messing with them. found that one of the hot leads had broken right at the insulation on the wire. Looking at it closer I could see some arc burn at the break. I am thinking that when the handy hack that did the job nicked the wire he did not know or care and tristed it together anyway. It took over, to my best guess, 20 years for it to fail.



Moral... It can happen
      

My wife and I are doing some minor kitchen remodeling in a few months (new sink, countertops, backsplash, adding disposal).  I was looking at the electric to see what I was in for.  There is currently a switch located where you would locate the switch for a disposal... but it shuts off the dishwasher.  WHAT?  WHY?



So I look into the dishwasher circuit.  20a at the panel, wires run in conduit to the switch location.  Out of the switch box comes 14/2 NM-B (WHAT, undersized!) comes out under the drywall and over to the junction box on the dishwasher.



So, what do you guys see as the solution here?  I was thinking to run a new 20a circuit, with 12 gauge THHN from the panel to the switch box, then splice that to a new piece of 12/2 NM-B to the dishwasher.  Question: can the NM-B just lay behind the dishwasher like that?  Should it be BX? 



The 14/2 NM-B would be removed and 12/2 run from the switch to a new outlet under the sink for the disposal.  So, I would end up with 2x 20a circuits: one for disposal, one for dishwasher.



Does this sound like a solid plan?
      

I have a 1960s house with EMT throughout. 



I recently replaced 2 florecent fixtures in my basement with 4 LED lights in their own J-Boxes in the drop ceiling. I did the following:



1. Rerouted the the conduit from the light switch to the main j-box for the lights. (previously it was going directly into the fixture) 

2. Ran 4 foot whips to each jbox holding the LED (metalic 14# wires)

3. Cut the old spliced wire (that was just twisted and taped) and used a wire nut

4. Replaced the switch with a dimmer



The lights work great.  Noticebale improvement and the dimmer is excellent.



The issue is that the circuit for the kitchen is now tripping.  I told my wife its just a coincidence, but she is sure I caused it.  Its only happened 2x (1 day apart.  Nothing unusual running on the circuit, only the fridge and the gas stove which as not in use)



Can my "new" work possibly impact another circuit?   What should I check?  Any way to avoid re-doing my work?



Things I noticed / may or may not be relevant:

1. Some of the EMT is directly in contact with a copper water pipe

2. The switch / dimmer isn't grounded

3. The wires in the jbox were nasty and old.  There was corrosion on the jackets and the jbox.  Looks like some water leaked down fromt the laundy above at some point in the last 40 years.

4. At some point (months ago) when I was in the basement I touched some of the EMT and something that was plugged in I swear I feld a shock. (just listing everything I can think of).  I didn't think much of it at the time, but now my whole electrical system is suspect.

5.  The tripped circuit (fridge, MW, stove) didn't appear to be tripped.  The fridge wasn't on.  When I turned off and back on the circuit the aplliances came back to life.  Appliances less than 1 year old. 

6. The clock on the range was reset at one point but I didn't think I turned on or off the circuit.  The lights for the basement were switced off but still worked with the fridge circuit tripped.

7.  We had a huge electrical storm right before I did the work

8.  We have a "stablock" panel that the home inspector got all bent out of shape about.  Other than truning on and off breakers I have never touched it.

9.  Kitchen breaker and basement light breaker are adjacent in the box

10.  I believe kitchen and basement share the same EMT in places.

11.  I think I now have too many connectors in my j-box.  Will likely add an extension.

12.  I didn't use the red "bushing" on all my whips as I ran out of them, but I was careful with the metal sheath and really don't think any wires were cut. (besides if there was a short wouldn't my LED lights fail and that circut break?)



HELP.  I am happy to call a contractor to come in, but I don't have an electrician I trust yet and I'm scared bringing someone in before I isolate the problem a little.