Electrical Work in the Backyard

[alokahuja]

Experienced Renovators,

I have a friend who is landscaping his backyard and wants to put an electrical point in the backyard.

Is it legal to put DIY a conduid on the wooden fence to put the 220v wire thru
or does one need an electrician to do it.

Is it legal to DIY a conduid thru the soild and put the 220v wire through?

He plans to use this point to run lights,fans, whipper snipper etc .

Any help would be appreciated

 

[wobbycarly]

"Electrical" + "DIY" = "NO"

(Unless you can get away with it )

 

[Melbournian]

If anything is done electrical - it needs to be done by a registered electrician.

otherwise anything happens you're not covered.

 

[wally]

It is definitely not legal....

But its going to be difficult to prove either way, unless there is some obviously incompetent installation.
As it could have been there when the house was purchased from previous owner or you dont have receipts for work going back years etc...
Backyard feed should have a proper safety switch, so get an electrician!

Rule of thumb should be,
if they are asking this question then they shouldn't be attempting it.

 

[evand]

Tell your friend to dig the trench and get his sparkie to install the conduit and GPO. He'll save money that way and the sparkie will be happy.

And you cant install the conduit on the fence.

 

[Propertunity]

Tell your friend to dig the trench and get his sparkie to install the conduit and GPO. He'll save money that way and the sparkie will be happy.

evand, I have to do something similar soon too. How deep does the trench have to be? Is there any min. depth for safety's sake?

 

[units4me]

Needs to be 500mm to the top of the conduit minimum, so 600mm trench depth to be safe. As for whether installation time can be proven, cable is dated. An investigator can determine installation date, with reasonable accuracy. Certication system in Vic has been in for about 10 years now, so a DIY install (without paperwork) will be very easy to prove.

 

[wally]

Certication system in Vic has been in for about 10 years now, so a DIY install (without paperwork) will be very easy to prove.

Does this mean every job performed by an electrician is entered into some database?

 

[evand]

As units says 600mm is required. If it's a short run get a trenching shovel, if its long get a dingo thing with a trenching attachment.

Its got to have - say 25mm - orange heavy duty conduit, glued together with PVC glue. If you want to save money, put that in for him as well. With a draw string in it so he can pull his cable through later.

He should be able to show you what he needs. Although some sparkies dont like giving away any of their work. They see every thing as a profit centre, even trenching.

I never worried about that stuff when i was a sparkie, always too busy.

evand, I have to do something similar soon too. How deep does the trench have to be? Is there any min. depth for safety's sake?

 

[evand]

In NSW they have paperwork called a NOEY (notice of electrical installation) with 3 copies. One for the sparkie, one for the customer and one for the authority with details of the job, the sparkie etc.

Mostly they are somehow forgotten tho for small jobs.

Does this mean every job performed by an electrician is entered into some database?

 

[neK]

For my place it appears the previous owner put in their own electrical / water pipes from the side of the house to the shed.

Im pretty sure its a DIY job (because the previous owner fancied himself as being able to do everything and also because I can see the conduit pipe that runs the electricity cable and wire (its on ground level, not 600mm deep).

What are my obligations here?

 

[wylie]

I don't know what your "legal" obligations are, but I would get a sparkie in to fix it. House a few doors away was a death trap waiting for a victim. Owner thought he was a sparkie and ran lighting cable for the downstairs power outlets (or something like that). When it was sold, new owners had the whole thing redone. It was NOT safe.

 

[units4me]

Every single electrical certificate sold to the REC from Energy Safe Victoria, is paid for and registered. It is then elecronically or phone lodged with ESV, after the job is done.

So if a certificate has been lodged for the job, there WILL be a record with ESV and likely even a random inspection, possibly months down the track.

This is in Vic, not sure what happens in other states.

 

[neK]

I had my sparky mate check it and he said its safe, it just doesnt appear to be legal - ie above ground instead of 600mm below.

 

[wylie]

I had my sparky mate check it and he said its safe, it just doesnt appear to be legal - ie above ground instead of 600mm below.

But if one of your kids (or anybody else) accidentally saws through the pipe with a saw or accidentally puts a shovel through it that will not be any comfort.

No way would I leave something like that. You have something lying on top of the ground, easily able to be fiddled with or accidentally cut through and that could kill someone.

 

[neK]

I guess then what kind of tools does one need to dig a trench 600mm deep without making a wide trench?

I've got trees there so it makes it big hard to dig a trench without killing the trees.

 

[evand]

have you read the thread?

I guess then what kind of tools does one need to dig a trench 600mm deep without making a wide trench?

I've got trees there so it makes it big hard to dig a trench without killing the trees.

 

[TAB_DR]

evand.

Letting the customer dig the trench is acceptable. Signing off work where the customer puts in the conduits himself is irresponsible on the sparkies behalf.

It has nothing to do with making more money. it has everything to do with making sure the conduit is install correctly and at the right depth.

most people start digging and get to 300 or 400 and think that's deep enough, they don't realize how deep 600 actual is when digging trenches.

When something happens to the conduit down the track after install and your signed off on it. you take all responsibly.

 

[neK]

have you read the thread?

I have. My intention is to have the sparky remove the existing cabling. Then I do the trenching and have them come back to lay the cables back.

Whats illegal or unsafe about that?

 

[BuildingBlocks]

I have. My intention is to have the sparky remove the existing cabling. Then I do the trenching and have them come back to lay the cables back.

Whats illegal or unsafe about that?

Your trench digging tool answer can be found on page 1