HOw far is your underground electrical box located from pond

[waynefrcan]

Topic title is one last question I have before I start digging. Location of in use plugin box connected to underground lines.

I will check local codes as well, but just wanted some ideas on what you all have done.

So far I found underground lines 5 ft from a hot tub. Any closer then 5 ft to water needs GFI. These are not codes, but good safety advice I think.

Location Alberta Canada.

Thks

 

[sissy]

They need gfci no matter what here if they are outside as code states .I have mine 2 feet from the pond but up 4 feet on one of the 6x6's for my front porch .

 

[j.w]

About 3ft from my pond and don't know what the codes are and it is GFI safe.

 

[HARO]

ANY outside receptacle (plug to you) must be protected by a GFCI !
John

 

[kougs]

About 4 feet from pond. One by waterfall and a second one at other end of pond by Skimmer. Both are GFCI and in a plastic box Don't know how to explain it. Both are on a 4x4 post 10 inches off ground. A third in where my pump, UV filter and bead filter are located. Wow I'm a chatty Kathy.

 

[waynefrcan]

The H-depot guy said no restrictions as long as all GFI. That's good news.

 

[fishin4cars]

We have one set right beside the pond. Maybe 8" away from the side, but about 10" off the ground. The other sets are a little further away. The thing you need to take into consideration is the cord lengths of the pumps and their placement. One of the pumps I have has only a 15' cord and I have it in the center of the pond. It Barely reaches the plug. If I had known ahead of time I would have installed the recepticles about a foot or two closer to allow for a little more slack in that cord.

 

[waynefrcan]

That's why my head hurts. I been banging it for seems like weeks trying to get it all correct. Just when I think I got it. Ooops cord is to short etc. Start over. But I got it down now. Right lights with proper length of cords and 12volt landscaping wire. Leaving lots of room to add more lights in the future. Now to start digging yuk!

 

[j.w]

Get busy :goodnight:

 

[addy1]

My electrical is one foot from the pond, about 10 inches above ground.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

I have an outlet at either end of the pond, both within 2 feet of the water, but only a few inches off the ground. My advice is to be aware of how you are wiring your GFCI outlets. I put a GFCI in every location, but when I followed the wiring directions on the box, I found that when one GFCI was tripped, it would also shut off every outlet downstream from it. I rewired to provide direct power to *each* GFCI, so now if one pump trips a breaker, it does not shut off the other pumps, but each outlet is still properly protected.

One thing I really wish I had done differently would have been to drop TWO wires into my electrical pipes. I have a 15A circuit, which is more than enough for the pumps and lights, however in the Winter if I hook up a heater, it can easily pull over 10A by itself, which then pops the breaker in the house. If I had run a second wire at least to the first outlet, I could have split the load.

 

[waynefrcan]

I still don't have all my electrical questions answered. Back to H-depot I go. I could most likely run all pumps and lights on one line, but why risk it. So 2 lines it is or a 12/3.

 

[addy1]

I have my lights, pumps, aerator running off one line. Have not had an issue. Just make sure your line is large enough for the draw.

 

[waynefrcan]

Just wondering, the people with plug boxes at 10" above ground that get snow, do you cover with a pail or dig it out all winter? I think i'll go higher.

 

[addy1]

Our snow, usually does not hang around long enough to worry about it. We can a snow dump that melts within a week or so.