Electrical questions

[FJ and G]

Perhaps there's a good book to explain this or perhaps one of you can. I'm planning a garden RR for next spring.

My concern is keeping electricity separate from soil, water and the elements.

1. I was thinking of wiring track with 12-gauge Romex, fed thru a buried PVC pipe, GFCI protected, with elbow PVC extensions leading to drops, perhaps every 5 feet. Does this sound like the way to go?

2. Planning to attach wires to tracks with resin-core solder. Is this cool?

3. Planning to solder rails together with resin-core solder. Is this OK or will temperature changes cause gauge problems? Perhaps rail joiners would better allow for expansion and contraction? I am, btw, planning to float the track.

Thanks for assist

[Rastun]

David,
What voltage and amperage do you intend to run out there? I mean if we are talking 20vdc that's a touch of overkill. They do make a direct bury romex type if you really want to go with a large gauge solid wire. I would think that landscape lighting wiring would more than suffice. Just make sure that you weather-proof any splices or connections into it you make. Also I'd think that you could probably go to power feeds every 20 feet if not farther apart. Another thought would be pvc pipe with elbows at the drop points unless completely sealed would give a nice place for water to run into and collect around the wiring, without giving it a way out of the pipe.

A good book for looking into this would be pretty much anything dealing with landscaping and lighting outdoors.

Hope this helps a little.
Jack

[FJ and G]

Thanks, Jack. I should have thought of the garden lighting book. Matter of fact I'm reading one now regarding putting in a pond. Just haven't got to electrical part yet.

Any ideas regarding soldering rails together (resin-core). Temps here in Virginia not that extreme and leaving the track floating I'd hope would alleviate any expansion issues?

[Rastun]

David,
If you're floating the track it shouldn't matter as much that the rails are soldered together. Also remember that corners take up expansion much better than straight sections. The track will eventually work itself either into or out of the ballast so be prepared to do ballast work every now and then.

Jack

[FJ and G]

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I certainly wouldn't solder the joints.Install flyleads if needed.
Any wire will do.We're only talking low voltage cable so don't go overboard.

[FJ and G]

OK, Troy,

That would mean soldering a short wire between each section. Sounds even better, as then the expansion and contraction can take place.

[cacole]

For safety, don't put 110 Volt AC house current outdoors in an unprotected area. Wiring to the track should only be the low-voltage from the controller, with the main transformer indoors or at least under a patio, protected with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlet.

As mentioned above, the wire used for low-voltage Malibu lights is intended to be buried and would be much easier to work with than Romex in conduit.

[kstrong]

One quick word about using rail joiners for expansion and contraction. It works, but only up to a point. Dust and dirt will work into the joiner over time, eliminating the room the rail would use for expansion. So, every now and then, you should consider cleaning out the joiners either by compressed air or sliding the rail joiners back on the the rail (if practical) to remove the accumulated dirt.

With floating track, expansion's not going to be that much of an issue, since the track is free to move as nature sees fit. You will have to do more ballasting and leveling from time to time.

I'll echo Troy's jumper wire suggestion. This way, if you want to take the track out for any reason, you need only snip the wire to remove the section of track.

BTW, drops every 5' may be a bit overkill (especially if you're using 8' long sections of rail.) With jumper wires on the rail joiners, you'll be perfectly fine feeding every 30' or so, perhaps even further. Personally, I'd put drops in after every 6 or so joints. If the rails are 8' long, that's every 48'. If they're 2' long, that's every 12'.

And the rosin core solder will work fine. The rosin is merely an encapsulated flux which helps to clean the metal so the solder adheres better.

Later,

K

[tangerine-jack]

I live in VA also and I float the track because even thought the temps don't get all that extreme we have to worry about moisture in the form of rain and humidity. Shrink swell soil is the norm, so drainage under the track is our primary concern. It's not unusual for the soil under my layout to expand several inches during rainy times (like this week!). Any solid mounted track would flex and crack. Floating is more work to level and reballast, but once a year in the spring gets this job done.

I have 14g solid core wire buried under my ballast, with a power drop every 5 ft or so. It is overkill, but I like it and have yet to have a problem with electrics. I recomend against the PVC, it will trap moisture and not drain it. How you do your rail joints is a personal preference, I haven't found any method that was better or worse than the next, just do what will give you peace of mind.

The cotton is blooming and that heralds the begining of Fall in VA, so now's the time to work on your RR! Get er done, Dave!



[oX)]