Wiring non anchored chicken coop
#1
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Wiring non anchored chicken coop
My nephew wants me to wire his new chicken coop with a outlet plus a outdoor and a indoor light from a GFCI outlet located 15 ft away. The coop is 30 inches off the ground on 4x4 legs sitting on 12 inch paving blocks. It measures about 5 by 5 ft. Probably weights over 200 pounds. My question is this. Does the coop have to be anchored to the ground?
Don H
Don H
#2
From an electrical perspective, I don't know of any requirement for it to be anchored in any way.
How are you planning to wire it? I certainly wouldn't use rigid conduit to a movable structure since it would easily break... but there are a number of acceptable flexible solutions.
How are you planning to wire it? I certainly wouldn't use rigid conduit to a movable structure since it would easily break... but there are a number of acceptable flexible solutions.
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I was planning on using PVC and thwn. I'm going treat the whole project as a damp location with a weatherproof outlet and light switches on the inside. Even the lights will have tempered glass globes. Thought about using UF-B but since it was only 15 ft and would need conduit on each end I decided to use pipe all the way.
Don H
Don H
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Didn't think about the wind. The coop is pretty heavy but you never know. Maybe I can talk him into bigger patio blocks or even concrete and then anchor the legs to that.
Don H
Don H
#6
I'd use liquidtight flex conduit to make the last few feet of the connection to the movable coop as it will shift around a little bit without a solid foundation. Don't use UF-B alone around animals and animal feed. Rodents will easily chew through it. You can use sch 40 rigid PVC conduit for the underground portion of the run.
#8
I used rigid in my coop. as far as connecting to outside power you can run conduit underground or wire an extension cord to the coop. Just plug the coop in. From a code point oif view the ext cord is easier..
I did ext cord for a wile for night light on timer to keep egg production up, and a water heater I made.. And a fan for in the summer.
I then decided I needed electric to the coop..
After my first round running romex I changed it all to hard pipe..

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This is a thermal plug. for fan to come on when hot..
I did ext cord for a wile for night light on timer to keep egg production up, and a water heater I made.. And a fan for in the summer.
I then decided I needed electric to the coop..
After my first round running romex I changed it all to hard pipe..

![Name: P07-08-12_15.19[1].jpg
Views: 386
Size: 31.2 KB](https://www.doityourself.com/forum/attachments/electrical-ac-dc/81629d1496784136-wiring-non-anchored-chicken-coop-p07-08-12_15.19-1-.jpg)


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This is a thermal plug. for fan to come on when hot..

#11
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Nice coop. Think I'll sent this thread to my nephew. May give him some ideas. I had thought about putting a while-in-use outlet next to the coop and running a heavy duty cord from there but decided to do the conduit all the way. Did some research on flexible conduit. Since it comes in a 25 ft roll I'm now thinking I'll use that from the GFCI to the coop and PVC conduit inside. Maybe put an S curve in it where it runs up to the coop to allow for some movement.
Don H
Don H
#13
Mike... my sister had problems with one of her chickens and an extension cord so I wired her coop in sealtite. Have you had any problems like that ?
#15
Ok... you have a small pen and the chickens are not outside the pen. My sister has the pen and then a much larger area they roam around.
No problems inside.... it was the extension cord thru their roaming area.
No problems inside.... it was the extension cord thru their roaming area.
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Hope I'm not bringing up an old topic but I have a problem that I see a solution too. In post #8 there's a picture of a fan, a cord with a red plug, and an open box. My question is this. The PVC elbow has a double bend in it. How was that done or is the PVC that flexable?
DLH
DLH
#17
This is your thread. You can come back and re-address it any time you need to.
That is two purchased components connected together. A 22-1/2° sweep and a 45° sweep.
That is two purchased components connected together. A 22-1/2° sweep and a 45° sweep.

#19
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Thanks, I see it now. I'm working on a patio and I'm running PVC under a double 2" by 8" that supports the patio. I needed a way to come out from under the 2" by 8"s and mount an outlet on the face of it.
DLH
DLH
#20
Did some research on flexible conduit. Since it comes in a 25 ft roll I'm now thinking I'll use that from the GFCI to the coop and PVC conduit inside.