Protecting UF-B above grade
I will be burying UF-B between my house and shed to install a sub panel in the shed. It will come out of the ground at the foundation of the house and rise about a foot before it enters the crawl space. How do I protect the wire at this spot from damage?
Also, my power needs for the shed will be 2 florescent light fixtures, an outlet for power tools, a treadmill, and possibly a portable heater in the winter. It is very unlikely that I would ever use power tools and the treadmill at the same time, but more likely that I’d use a portable heater (or window a/c) and the treadmill or power tools at the same time.
I was guided to use 6/3 UF-B with a 60 amp double breaker at the house panel, separate grounding rod at the shed. Sound good?
Sounds like you might not need a sub panel. For your needs a multi-wire circuit using 12-3 and a 20a 240v breaker might be all you need. (cheaper then #6 plus a sub-panel.)
The UF can be protected with a short length of PVC conduit where it leaves the ground. If you want to go with a multi-wire circuit and no sub you could run conduit all the way and use #12 THWN instead of UF. That way you could easily add a sub panel later if your needs change and you needed more power.
