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Buried electrical conduit with un-sleeved 3/4" copper water service... is it legal?

masshole1968

Registered User
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
1
Location
South Florida
I had a water pipe burst under my slab so when I opened the floor up to investigate and I found 3/4" pvc electrical conduit buried with my copper flexible 3/4" copper water service and sch. 40 soil pipe. is this a code violation? Also should the 3/4 copper been completely shielded when buried?
 
Welcome

NE fan in Florida?

Question not in my area, but give it a day or two for great answers.

Just a guess,, all sounds legal.

Not sure why the electrical wire is underground.
 
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I think the NEC is silent on this. We still require water pipe grounding if available.
 
It’s legal. The only time separation is required is if it’s utility owned. Even then you won’t find the requirements in a code book, they are in the utility’s white books.
 
I think they could be at the same depth under a concrete slab if the NEC depth requirement is followed in table 300.5, Column 3. (0-inches). I wouldn't think a tracer wire would be needed for either the electrical or the copper water line?

Now in the utility easement that may be a different story depending where you live and the state established dig locate laws.
 
Sewer and water can be in the same trench under the concrete slab as a waste line but when it exits the building and becomes the sewer line the 12-inch vertical rules apply. If the waterline crosses the sewer line and is within 5-ft horizontally then the pipe sleeved rule applies.
 
Elec. should be above any water or sewer.

I'm not aware of that code, but would be a best practice, due to the frost line here.

On a different issue the code recently changed in the IRC to not permit plumbing above or below the breaker panel and I run into that issue quite often.
 
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