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How to dig cable trenches for photovoltaic panels

What To Know About Burying Underground Electrical

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For my grid-power, I ran 4/0 direct bury cable inside 2" pvc conduit, buried 4'' deep, from our power pole/meter 100 yards to our house. After 4 1/2 years that wire shorted.

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How to dig cable trenches for photovoltaic panels [PDF]

6 FAQs about [How to dig cable trenches for photovoltaic panels]

Can you use PVC conduit in a trench?

PVC is flexible enough that you can work with a not-entirely-straight trench (like the “isn’t” stretch on Grand Tour), and offers enough protection that you can pull regular wire through it. There are two options for PVC conduit - Schedule 40, and Schedule 80.

How deep should a cable be in a NEC-compliant trench?

There are a few ways to trench cables through this area in a NEC-compliant manner. I could go with 6” of trench depth and metal conduit, I could go with 18” of trench depth and PVC, or I could go with 24” of depth and underground feeder. Talking to electricians out here, everyone had the same advice: “Go with PVC.”

Is trenching a cable NEC-compliant?

So, trenching it is! There are a few ways to trench cables through this area in a NEC-compliant manner. I could go with 6” of trench depth and metal conduit, I could go with 18” of trench depth and PVC, or I could go with 24” of depth and underground feeder.

Should you bury cable and wires in a ground-mount solar array?

Trenching to bury cable and wires on a large-scale, ground-mount solar array is generally easy enough. You dig a trench, lay the cable, fill the dirt back in. But trenching comes with its disadvantages. One, it’s dirty. Two, what if you hit rock? Three, those divots love to fill with water and make a muddy mess.

How do you dig a trench with a pickaxe?

Swing the pickaxe while straddling the trench, cutting up the bottom and loosening any rocks. You’ll get a feel for what’s down there quickly. Once the rocks and dirt are loose, kneel down next to the trench with your trenching shovel and, working sideways, clean out the bottom. It sucks. It’s slow.

How deep should a conduit trench be?

And, I’ll add that the actual wording in NEC isn’t 18” of depth - it’s 18” of cover. Big difference if you’re throwing a few pieces of 1” conduit down there. Realistically, for my 3 runs of conduit, I needed a 21-22” deep trench.

Solar Pro.