Cables in Conduit

Why not just try it and see? If you see a blizzard, it didn't work.

Use double braided coax cable

What type of wire are you using for your underground run?

It must be rated for wet locations even though it is in conduit, because it is underground. My recommendation is direct burial cable or THWN.

In either case, as long as the insulation is rated for the voltages applied, there is no code reason you cannot do this.

You should not have any crosstalk issues.

I was planning on using braided THWN (I believe that is the correct designation for heat and moisture resistance). I already have the coax, although not double braided. I wanted to keep the cross section of the bundle as small as possible. I'll just try it on dry land in a length of conduit, see if it works and go from there.

Thanks.

It might depend on the load, and what equipment is running....in any case it should be quite minimal....which would then depend on the application running...

"It might depend on the load, and what equipment is running....in any case it should be quite minimal....which would then depend on the application running..."

Yea, of course, you are right. I plan to run about 60 ft., and I don't think (you know how that goes) I'll use any more than 20 amps/120V at one time. I'll split the service into 240V to have it just in case, and 120V which is all I plan to use in the foreseeable future.

For the A/C use a UF or USE rated wiring.Use a 10/3 with ground.

Try to spiral the power as you install it in the conduit.This will help reduce noise.

For the coax,use RG6 gel-filled coax.

This is moisture resistant.

Noise should not be a problem with 60 Hz.

I'm not sure about the ground.

He should drive a ground rod at the shop and use that as his ground.

10 AWG wire seems pretty small for a shop, but that's another matter.

I built a combination outdoor kitchen-bar / swimming pool pump house and ran 4 AWG wire and plain old coax cable for TV. 60 foot run in PVC conduit. Works just fine, no interference.

I haven't tried using it for a computer modem or telephone modem, however.

I see 2 problems. One is the code requirements. Most jurisdictions will not allow Power cables and LV electronics cables in the same conduit. If you are going to have an inspection, you should review local requirements. Second is that if you have a failure of the AC line within the conduit it will most likely destroy all electronics connected to the coax at each end.

However, it should work just fine because the intent of coax is to shield out the interference and the frequencies that shop tools produce are easy to shield.

Calculate that the fill factor is adequate (check code). Don't just put the conductors in the conduit to check. If there are any bends the conductors will bind if you exceed the recommended fill. If there are bends be sure to allow the individual wires to slip against each other. (As in do not tape them together) Use 2 people, one to pull and one to guide the wires in carefully. Go slow and steady. Use lots of proper lube.

Thanks to all of you for your constructive comments.

I already have my permit for the garage/shop and there should be no inspection since I am providing power from my existing system. That's just how it works here. I may go ahead and use 8/3 service instead of 10/3. The largest power user may be from hand power tools and possibly a small-scale biodiesel lab.

Permits and inspections are a little tougher then in years past. For the last house I built in 1984, in a rural area, the only requirement was that I had to have a percolation test for my septic system. I built all of the plumbing and electrical systems myself, although I did have friends in the trade perform informal inspections. And, there were some minor adjustments I had to make.

Inspections and code requirements can be a pain but sometimes they save us from ourselves, and neighbors.

Thanks again,

Don

Good luck pulling 10-3 UF in a 1" pipe, much less 8-3. Those are a flat cable and you can't just go by the conductor count/ conduit fill tables. I ran 1-1/4" conduit out to a shed for 10-3 UF, and even then I made absolutely sure the cable fed into the pipe without twisting. If you want a larger wire size in 1" conduit, you will be using individual conductors (THHN, etc), and you do want a ground rod at the far end as well.

I was actually planning to use individual braided wires in the conduit. I know that would be a lot easier than pulling the UF. I've done the same with 12/3 in 3/4" conduit.

FWI: I connected three 100' and one 65' coax cables (total 365') to my surveillance camera it works fine. It's the Defender system that I purchased from Home Depot on line.

Thanks,

Don

Good choice to go with the 8/3 power cable. You never know what you may want to power up in the garage. Better to "oversize" it now than be undersized later.

While not part of the National Electrical Code I normally deal with ... I believe the answer would be "not allowed" per §820.133(A)(1). A note to §820.133 Installation of Coaxial Cables and Equipment, in the 2014 NEC Handbook says:

• Jackets of coaxial cable do not have sufficient construction specifications to permit them to be installed with electric light, power, Class 1, non-power-limited fire alarm circuits, and medium- and high-power network-powered broadband communications cable. Failure of the cable insulation due to a fault could lead to hazardous voltages being imposed on the Class 2 or Class 3 circuit conductors.

Thanks Oscar!