Underground is ideal, sure, but sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve got... and your back thanks you for skipping the trench.
That’s a fair point—digging trenches is no joke, especially if you’re dealing with rocky soil or tree roots. I do wonder about long-term durability with above-ground runs, though. In my experience, even UV-rated conduit can get brittle after a few years in direct sun. Still, your approach is practical, and honestly, sometimes the “good enough” solution is the only realistic option. The rechargeable dehumidifier idea is clever—never thought about that for sheds, but it makes sense.
I’ve seen above-ground conduit get pretty brittle too, especially on the south side of a building where the sun just bakes it all day. Sometimes I wonder if painting the conduit or adding some kind of shade would help, but then you’re adding more steps to what’s supposed to be a quick fix. Out of curiosity, did you run into any issues with condensation inside the conduit? I’ve had that happen before and it can be a pain to deal with long-term.
Sometimes I wonder if painting the conduit or adding some kind of shade would help, but then you’re adding more steps to what’s supposed to be a quick fix.
Yeah, I totally get that. Every time I try to do a "quick fix" around the house, it turns into a whole project... I did actually try painting some conduit on the south side, just to see if it would help with the sun. It definitely slowed down the brittleness, but like you said, it was an extra step and I’m not sure it was worth the hassle for a small run.
As for condensation, I’ve had that issue too—especially in spring when temps are all over the place. I ended up drilling a tiny weep hole at the lowest point, which seemed to help a bit, but I’m always a little paranoid about critters getting in. It’s kind of a trade-off, I guess. You fix one thing and something else pops up.
Anyway, props for getting wifi out to the shed. It’s always satisfying when stuff just works, even if the path there is a bit of a pain.
- Painting conduit sounds smart, but honestly, I’d probably skip it unless the sun’s really brutal.
- For condensation, I’ve heard about those weep holes but always wondered if bugs would just move right in.
- Anyone tried using that foam sealant stuff around the entry points? Wonder if that helps with both moisture and critters...
- Getting wifi to work out there is a win, though. I’m still debating if I want to trench or just try a mesh extender. Decisions...
I’ve actually tried that expanding foam around my shed’s cable entry points. It definitely kept the spiders out, but I can’t say it did much for condensation—still got a little moisture buildup on humid days. Maybe I didn’t seal it tight enough? As for wifi, I ended up running conduit and trenching after getting fed up with spotty mesh signals. Bit of a pain, but now streaming music out there is effortless. Anyone else notice mesh extenders sometimes just drop out randomly? Or is that just my luck...