Outdoor wiring for lamp posts

[ctviggen]

I have a contractor coming Monday to redo our really, really crappy walkway into the house. We have a long driveway, with one lamp post near the house and none after that. The lamp post is near the house, then there's the walkway, then the lawn, which is next to the driveway.

I was thinking of having the contractor see if they could dig a thin trench (>= 18 inches deep) adjacent to the driveway so that I can run 2-3 more lamp posts along the driveway. (Taking the rolling trash can out to the end of the driveway in the winter is a pitch black experience; I usually use a head lamp.) (And I did not think about this until just now.)

Questions:

- I have three large rolls of green, white, and black 10 gauge THHN / THWN wire: "Southwire E51583 10 AWG Type MTW THWN THHN 600v Copper Wire". Assuming I use conduit to route the wiring, can I use this wire?

It looks like this (in green, anyway):

The wire I have

- This seems to be a fairly good introduction to lamp post installation:

How to install a lamp post

It does not, however, say how to route cabling between lamp posts. Do I terminate one run of conduit in an elbow, then start the next length of conduit with an elbow? So, the wiring would go elbow, conduit, elbow to get from one lamp post to another?

And I'll get a permit from my town, so they'll likely throw in their own requirements.

 

[Snoonyb]

Some things to consider/decide.

You have the option of asking the contractor for a referral to an electrical contractor, or hiring your own.

Decide if you are going to set the post in soil or concrete, and how many.

You can rent a ditch-witch and do the trench yourself.

 

[joecaption]

10 Gauge is way over kill, and would be a royal pain to pull and make the connections.
14-2 UF Romex would be more then enough, and no conduit needed.
It also needs to be GFI protected.

 

[WasVilla]

Good for you, thinking ahead and getting those lights installed. You did not say how long your walkway is. But if you use LEDs, it doesn't matter. I prefer the UF option for ease of installation. Your posts are the next problem. If they are wood, you will face the inevitable rotting problem. If metal then you need to think ahead as to rust or corrosion. Ideally, some slack at the bottom of the post (inside) will serve you well in the future.