I think I would call in an electrician who does this sort of
outdoor application to at least get an estimate.
They will let you know what you can
and perhaps should not do. I have no idea on fees.... they
are pretty much dictated by the union ... (I think??)

Nedra
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

"Little Sccoby" wrote in message
...
Actually, after reading a bunch of articles about installing ground fault
interupters, I'm more confused than before so it looks like I will have to
consult an electrician. I kinda thought there might be more to it than
just
trenching a thick extension cord (or other high grade electrical cord) to
a
GFCI recepticle so I am glad I asked. I never thought about the heat
generated from plastic wrapped around the cords (especially since they
would
be buried underground). Good point.

What type of fee could I expect to be charged? Also, do the electricians
trench the electrical wire to the pond or is that something they would let
us do (or a landscaper if needed)?

Thanks again for all the help. I hope everything turns out.

-Little Scooby


"Nedra" wrote in message
link.net...
There is a much better way.... call an electrician! I can
see you are a quick fixer ;-) ... not good to hook up your pond
with nothing but extension cords. And Please
don't wrap the cords with plastic. It holds in heat and could
easily cause a fire. If you must use extenesion cords buy
some dielectric grease from an auto parts store. Smear that
all over the ends. It is water proof.

I would like to see you post that you've thought about it ..
and your going to hire an electrician.

Nedra
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

"Hank Pagel" wrote in message
.. .
always do wiring to code and use GFCI.
"Little Sccoby" wrote in message
...
What about trenching electrical? Anything to it that I need to know?
I'm
guessing I should just trench a thicker guage extension cord to the
pond
(about 20 to 30 foot cord), that way when I want to upgrade or
replace old
pumps, I don't have to dig out the pump/light cord(s), which I was
surprised
to find is not detachable from most of the pumps I have looked at.

My goal is to have 2 or 3 pumps plus lights attached to an extension
cord
that goes to the outside house electrical jack which has a ground
fault
interupter. I feel like I'm missing something though. What should I
use to
waterproof the area where the pumps connect to the extension cord?
Just wrap
them in plastic and seal with duct tape or something? Seems like
there
should be a better way.

-Little Scooby


"Susan H. Simko" wrote in message
...
Little Scooby wrote:

If it works and looks good under the right conditions in such a
tiny
pond,
it will definately make me want to upgrade the size of the pond
sooner
than
later but after digging 100 gallons of hard clay and dirt all
last
weekend
with a Garden Claw and a shovel by myself when it was 90 degrees
outside, I
don't want to touch another shovel for a while (didn't seem
right to
rent a
small Bobcat or excavator device for what at the time seemed
like a puny
100
gallons) and I haven't looked into how much it would cost to
hire
someone to
dig out another 100 to 200 gallons of earth (if anyone knows the
cost,
please tell me), plus, I want to see if I can defy the odds by
getting
it
not only to fit in the tiny pond I have selected, but to have it
look
really
nice as well. Plus, this particular pond has the perfect shape
for the
area
I have selected in the yard (considering there aren't very many
good
designs
for preformed ponds - in my opinion).

I live in a clay area. Try wetting the ground really well and
then
letting it sit and soak in for a while before digging. It's
heavier
this way but a lot easier to dig.

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu