Outdoor Wiring – Key Concerns To Elucidate

Are you embarking on an outdoor wiring project? It pays to plan ahead. Check out the key concerns to elucidate from professional electricians prior to starting digging and wiring.

What do the local codes say?

• You need to be completely certain that your plans mesh with those permitted by local building and electrician codes.
• Obtain all essential permits.
• Check with your town’s building inspector regarding any special needs or limitations in your area.

Where was that circuit put?

• It is easy to not recall where an outdoor cable was buried until it is rediscovered by a tiller or a spade. Map out an efficient route for the new outdoor circuit, and keep a record of it.
• An unprofessional electrical contractor will lay low-voltage wiring on the ground and covered with mulch, but according to the professional Redwood City electricians, it is the best to get it out of the way by burying it is a shallow trench.
• Waterproof underground feeder cable can be buried directly in the ground in a trench that is at least 24 inches deep. The trench can be shallower if the wiring runs through plastic conduit 18 inches deep or rigid metal conduit 6 inches deep.

Are the neighbors going to hate me?

• When planning outdoor lighting, take into account glare and its possible effects on your neighbors and passersby.
• Energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs can be used outdoors, as long as the fixture is sheltered from the elements by your porch, for instance, or by an enclosed light fixture.
• Make use of weatherproof bulbs in the outdoor light fixtures due to the fact that they resist shattering in severe weather in contrast to those regular bulbs. And, if you are tired of climbing up a ladder to change a hard-to-reach outdoor floodlight bulb, replace it the next time with a long-life outdoor bulb.

Is it going to hit a utility line?

• Look up your “call before you dig” number for information on all buried utility lines in a given area and to get your underground utilities marked.
• Prior to having a trench dug for underground wiring, check with your local authorities to make sure you won’t hit a utility line.