Protecting the cords in pvc is fine as long as you’re not cutting and splicing cord caps. You are protecting the cord, you are not DIRECTLY burying it. Big difference. I will try to make this easy to understand. All wires’ ampacity is based on two things. The conductor itself and it’s insulation. Although beyond size the conductor remains the same (copper), the insulation dictates its usage. Some insulation is UV protected, some is waterproofed, some is for use in corrosive environments. The different insulation’s however also control how much heat is disapated. Free air ampacity is much different than direct burial ampacity. So there are multiple factors at work here. Can you take a run of the mill extension cord and bury it. Sure. Will it work? Sure. But believe me years and years of testing proves one thing. It will fail. When it fails, what will happen? Pump might just stop. Might leak to ground and find another way back to the source. That other way would be making someone part of the completed circuit (ouch). Might overheat because it can’t disapate it, cause a fire. Which mister inspector will find and suddenly the insurance company won’t pay because the install wasn’t listed (designed) for that use. So, as an electrician, you will find me quite stubborn on certain issues. Yeah, people say we make all this money because we’re electricians. Electrician means we schooled, got the license, kept that liscense up to date and keep people from frying themselves or equipment. Want some good reading? Next time you have the chance, grab our code book. It’s around 1000 pages and gets bigger every 2 years. Sorry about the rant and hope this cleared it up for you.
