Hey. I am installing four 4x4 posts around my pool. I will bury 12/2 UF-B wire and run pvc conduit up the post “to” a floodlight and will need to run a wire “from” the floodlight back underground to go to the next post/light. My question is can I run both wires (“to” and “from”) in the same conduit? I assume I shouldn’t if using NM wire due to heat generated by opposite flows of current (if that’s even a thing) but would it be ok with UF-B or should I run two separate conduits for “to/from” or “up/down” wires. Not worried about code/inspector but I am worried about safety, so I always try to follow code. Thanks for any help.
Using conduit for lights in series
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That is acceptable, but I do not like direct burial cable. Sooner or later it will likely get damaged. You will already have the ditch, so go ahead and run cheap pvc conduit. Put a j box at the bottom of the poles (2 conduits down and 1 up). Use a fish tape and THHN single conductor wire.
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Not required for lights.
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Depends on how far the poles are from the edge of the pool. 5 feet is the magic number
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Yes you can put 2 cables in one conduit as long as it is large enough. 3/4" will cover you.
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And as a syntax note, your lights are not in "series", they are parallel. The advice you got is rock solid.
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What’s the difference in “series” and “parallel”? Several lights on a single circuit/switch is “parallel”? What does in “series” mean? What about outlets that get power from the outlet before it? Is that “parallel” also? Is in “series” even a thing?
Here is a picture of series vs parallel wiring. When multiple lights or outlets are wired together on one switch or circuit, they are in parallel. People often call this a series, but that's incorrect terminology from an electrical point of view. Perhaps a "string" would be a better description.
So. I run a UF wire (black and white) to the floodlight which has a black/white pigtail. I attach the 3 black wires (wire in, pigtail on light, and the wire out) together and the 3 white wires together. Then I run the UF wire to the next light and do the same. At the end the 1 black and 1 white (from UF wire) attaches to the last light. Is this in “series” or “parallel”? If I unscrew the middle bulb, the other two still work so I assume this is considered “parallel”. Is that correct?
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Yes, that would be parallel.
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