Extension Cords

[herzausstahl]

I forget which thread I saw this comment on, but I was just curious how many people are running extension cords to their pond from the house instead of running a separate outlet to the area where the pond is?

 

[sissy]

not me I have seen what animals do to extension cords .Especially squirrels and rabbits and even deer .Plus when I did have one I stepped on it and almost fell because it twisted under my foot .

 

[addy1]

I forget which thread I saw this comment on, but I was just curious how many people are running extension cords to their pond from the house instead of running a separate outlet to the area where the pond is?

Was guilty, just partly guilty now, will have a extension cord running my steam pump, so I can have it on a timer, that is on the deck. Eventually some more electricity run down to the pond for that pump. Until a few months back the pond was run on extension cords, my electrician hubby finally ran some lines for me. But now do need a separate line for the deck pond.

 

[j.w]

I ran them for 10yrs straight and then this winter my hubby put in a nice outlet box setup just for the pond. He always worried about it but I never did. I used to bury the cords and he'd say, you can't do that, they will rot and you will fry...............they never did,nor did I fry. Happy tho now that it is safer for him not to have to worry about me anymore.................er well at least for that anyways!

 

[koiguy1969]

i still riun an extension cord from my shed out to the waterfalll mound. its buried, and its been there since before the pond, from when the pool was there....one of these days i might bring it up to code! i am lazy!

 

[mtpond]

When I first started my pond up I used an extension cord for about a month. I never felt that it was very safe. I was glad when my husband buried the line and put up an outlet box by the pond.

 

[addy1]

Mine ran that way for a while, then I decided to work on the wires, tired of tripping on the cords, ....................hubby took over lol. He did not want me to get hurt. Best way to get it done.

 

[herzausstahl]

I ran power to my main one, but I am looking at a wildlife pond in a different part of the yard. So really not even planning on adding fish to it, but trying to figure out options for a pump, that aren't solar (cus not sure how well they will work, but probably will go this route), but I really don't want to dig a 40' trench or rent the equipment to get one to bury a line out there, and pretty sure you can't run conduit above ground attaching it to a fence, so that is out. Thought about a heavy duty 12/3 extension cord run along the fence line from where I do have power, but really don't like that idea either, cus anything could happen to it along the way, and it would probably be a 100' cord. mostly in the brainstorming/researching phase for this anyway, seeing as my wife is due with our second child at the end of july I might have to put this off for a year or two anyway, which may get me to rethink my trenching idea.

 

[sissy]

well congrats on the new baby and hope all goes well .I was a 7/7 baby myself

 

[herzausstahl]

thanks sissy! my daughter was born on july 9, and my wife is due july 30 so they could easily share the same month and be almost exactly 4 years apart. we should hopefully find out if its a boy or girl this wednesday. I got the itch last fall to add a second pond just for wildlife (no fish, or at least nothing except minnows, but probably not even those) and still planning it out and researching, not sure if I will get to it this summer or not.

 

[addy1]

My cord was 100 foot long, 12/3 heavy sucker. I just ran it down the slope to the pond along with two other cords. I had to make sure to not step on them, with our slope my foot would go flying.

 

[herzausstahl]

My cord was 100 foot long, 12/3 heavy sucker. I just ran it down the slope to the pond along with two other cords. I had to make sure to not step on them, with our slope my foot would go flying.

Thanks Addy,
That was the one I was looking at to use to cheat with, but after my brother-in-law gave me an idea to make digging the trench easier, I think I will do it the "right way" to begin with. I didn't want to have to dig it all by hand, but since the patch of lawn it will cross will not be used for anything else, I am going to pull the sod, and then use my parents Mantis tiller to dig down as far as I can with that and loosen up the soil so I won't have as much real digging to do.
Here's a picture of one:


It takes a little getting used to, but I like it compared to any other tillers I have tried. It does tear through clay and anything once you learn to use it the right way. Its also what I used to till up all the clay I dug out of the pond and transported to the upper part of my garden area. This way I can dig out the trench with a lot less effort than the last one, and then lay the pvc and cover it up right away and then get the electrician out to run and pull the electrical cord and put in the outlets. Now I just have to talk my wife into letting me put in a second pond. That will probably be the toughest part, will have to promise her it will be the last one, but I would like one to focus more on wildlife without fish that would eat a lot of the critters. Only downside is my wife isn't big on wildlife, so wish me luck! But she has been pretty cool so far about letting me landscape the yard how I want.

 

[sissy]

small tiller and if you have lighter soil it will work .You can rent a trencher also .I know here the rent for 35 dollars a day.My niece and nephew (twins ) were born July 13 and my other niece was born July 9th and they live in Flatrock and she is due in July also and my son was july 28th .Hope it's a boy

 

[addy1]

lol herz, we ran the pipes for the wires before we even dug out the pond. He just never "got around to it". So extension cords it was

 

[CometKeith]

My garage is right next to my pond. So all the power cords goes through the garage window and plug into my surge protector inside the garage. My air pump is in the garage too and the hoses go out to the pond through the window.