Electrical question

[Guest Kamikaze]

I am nearing completion of my kids new tree house and I have a question regarding getting electricity to it. It's only about 30 yards from the back of the house and my fuse boxes are easily accessible from there. What do I need to do if anything to bury a line out there. We are rural and not inside any city limits.

[Parrothead]

Get a licensed electrician. Electricity does not play games if something goes wrong. It's cheaper than your homeowners deductible.

[broox]

I am a plumber, not an electrician, so call me when you want to put a water fountain in the tree house.

[runco]

For 60 days a year, I don't call a electrician when I run electricity to my lighted deer and other lightable things in the yard in November and December. Its really rainy and cold. When I am done, I just roll up the extension chord. For 30 years, never burnt up anything. I see your tree house as no different unless you are running 220 or something like that. Use a basic outdoor extension chord until the kids are bored with the tree house, believe me they will be bored once the honeymoon is over. Then roll up the chord and you are done.

[Jonnin]

30 yards? Don't kill yourself over it, get a long extension cord, plug it in, and run it out there. If you want to bury it, put it in a 1 inch pvc pipe thru the yard, about 10 inches deep, and call it good. Give the kids a power strip up there and its done without the complications.

[Parrothead]

For 60 days a year, I don't call a electrician when I run electricity to my lighted deer and other lightable things in the yard in November and December. Its really rainy and cold. When I am done, I just roll up the extension chord. For 30 years, never burnt up anything. I see your tree house as no different unless you are running 220 or something like that. Use a basic outdoor extension chord until the kids are bored with the tree house, believe me they will be bored once the honeymoon is over. Then roll up the chord and you are done.

With all due respect, i take at least one call a week when a DIY'er gets into something he has no business doing and i have send someone out and make it right. Typically, it cost more than the initial service call had he called someone first.

Now, think about all the guys who do this stuff around their house without a problem. It CAN be done. I assumed the OP wanted a more permanent installation than a extension cord. I couldn't handle the thought of mowing around a cord once a week.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

If using an extension cord, I'd at least want the extension cord plugged into a ground fault circuit interrupter socket at the house. I think most recent-construction houses would already have GFCI external outlets but older housing would only have GFCI if it had been installed sometime after original construction.

[nightrunner]

Dig a ditch. 12" deep if you put the wire in conduit, 18" deep if using direct burial wire. If using direct burial use pvc conduit sweeps on each end to avoid damaging the wire with a weedeater or such.

Connect the wire at the house to an unused breaker or fuse in your panel. Black is power and goes to the fuse or breaker screw, white is neutral and green or bare copper is ground and neutral and ground go to the ground bar in the panel. Assuming this is just 120v. Be very careful working inside the panel as its possible to short something out and potentially KILL YOU. HIGHLY suggest getting a professional to do this.

The end at the playhouse, just mount a single gang wall box and install a receptacle and go from there with whatever you need.

If available, you can alternatively put a male plug end on the end at the house and just plug in to an outside receptacle. That would allow an easy disconnect to cut off power to the playhouse. I suggest if going this route to change the outside receptacle cover to an in use cover which allows it to remain weatherproof with something plugged in.

If you need 240v or more than 20amps of power, disregard all of this and call an electrician.

I was a residential electrician for 6 years.

[Guest lostpass]

First off how do I apply to become one of your kids? Fairly that if I wanted electricity in my treehouse my dad would give me a bit of carpet and told me to rub socks.

There are lots of ways to do it, and plenty of safe ways, but it's for the kids. Hire someone reputable. If it was for me the answer would be different but for the kids, well, don't mess around. The money you drop will pale in comparison to guilt you feel should something bad happen.

[Guest Kamikaze]

I appreciate the responses and I apologies for the apparent vagueness of my question. I know how to wire it. I was just curious as to permits required by the state or any other requirements ie wire guage, insulation, depth and so on.

Also here's my playhouse/deer stand I have been building. Be gentile as I am a metal worker and not a carpenter...

Edited March 28, 2012 by Kamikaze

[mikegideon]

12-2UF. Direct bury it. As an earlier post suggested. you may want to protect the wire on both ends as it leaves the ground with plastic conduit. Use a 20A ground fault breaker in the panel. You want that on any outside outlets.

http://www.homedepot...e&storeId=10051

BTW... get ready to cuss a little. That stuff is a bear to strip.

Edited March 28, 2012 by mikegideon

[daddyo]

Several years ago, I bought a large storage building and set it about 15 yards behind my house. I have a neighbor up the street who is an electrician, and I hired him to run a buried power line to it.

I probably could have done it myself, but hiring someone saved me a lot of time and frustration since I am not a professional.

[nightrunner]

Use 12/2UF, as earlier stated. Being for the kids id probably put it on a GFCI either an outlet or breaker. Only electrical permit needed by state is if you pull the meter which you wont need to do. Im not famaliar with the building permit requirements.

It really only has to be a few inches under ground but it sure wont hurt to go deeper. You dont want to cut inti it later.

[mikegideon]

Several years ago, I bought a large storage building and set it about 15 yards behind my house. I have a neighbor up the street who is an electrician, and I hired him to run a buried power line to it.

I probably could have done it myself, but hiring someone saved me a lot of time and frustration since I am not a professional.

Yeah. It's not rocket science, but helps to know what you're doing. I hire electricians for commercial work several times a year, just because some of the jobs can be a pain in the butt.