Electrical Question

icebiker

icebiker

JORBA: Morris Trails
JORBA.ORG
One of my outdoor coach light fixtures stopped working recently. The circuit has four coach lights (two at the front door, two at the driveway entrance). The other three are working fine. I then remembered that my sprinkler guy moved a head last month in the area of the now non-operative coach light, and I got to thinking perhaps during his digging he accidentally cut through the underground wire. So I dug around this morning on search of the Romex. Sure enough I found the sheath was nicked immediately in the area where the old sprinkler head was. I was going to splice it but before I did I wanted to see if any voltage was getting to the Romex when the switch was on. Voltage tester didn’t pick up any voltage/current (though it did when I applied it to the switch and the Romex leading to the other driveway coachlight). The nick doesn’t appear to have cut the wires, but it’s possible they’ve got moisture. So my question is: should I expect to have voltage in the nicked Romex when power is on? Or would any compromise to the Romex’s integrity prevent current from flowing from the house? If former, then perhaps the problem is elsewhere in the line?
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Not sure how your outdoor lights are wired, but is it possible you blew a breaker or fuse? I would assume they're all wired in series, but if you had some sort of junction box or lighting contactor you could have a breaker/fuse just for that circuit.

How are you checking to see if there's actually voltage? Just one of those testers you wave near the cable and it lights up? Did you check the actual bulb assembly with a voltmeter?

Probably shouldn't be Romex if it's 120VAC and buried underground.
 
Santapez said:
Not sure how your outdoor lights are wired, but is it possible you blew a breaker or fuse? I would assume they're all wired in series, but if you had some sort of junction box or lighting contactor you could have a breaker/fuse just for that circuit.

How are you checking to see if there's actually voltage? Just one of those testers you wave near the cable and it lights up? Did you check the actual bulb assembly with a voltmeter?

Probably shouldn't be Romex if it's 120VAC and buried underground.
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I checked all breakers and all good. Yes I have been using a voltage tester that you tap against switches and fixtures and it chirps if there is current. The wire has the following numbers printed on it if this means anything 500 1 (1)
 
If the conductor isn't cut, then the light should work. If it was shorted to ground (literally) the breaker would trip.

Probably another break it the wire. See if there is more disturbed dirt.

That wire is not for direct burial. UF-B is. But it was done all the time.
 
What Pat says. Most likely another break in feed. That picture of nick doesn't show much of the damage. If you can't find another break you may need to cut wire at nick and see if you have good voltage to that point.
 
Mitch said:
What Pat says. Most likely another break in feed. That picture of nick doesn't show much of the damage. If you can't find another break you may need to cut wire at nick and see if you have good voltage to that point.
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That’s kinda what I’m asking. So, if I cut before the nick, then turn the power on, would a voltage tester be able to tell me if I have power to that point?
 
icebiker said:
That’s kinda what I’m asking. So, if I cut before the nick, then turn the power on, would a voltage tester be able to tell me if I have power to that point?
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yes - but the little wand would beep if there was voltage. (current is read with a clamp around 1 conductor)

if you have a tester with probes, just strip away the cover and a bit of the black wire insulator, lick your finger and touch it.
or maybe touch the test probes to that, and the bare ground wire.
Should see a reading.

grab the wire and pull! never know. if it is broken a few feet away, could come out.

If this is the last wire in your "string" - there could be an open at the last junction (along the line of what Steve said, just not a fuse/breaker.)
maybe a failed connection at the wire nut.
 
I don’t think you mentioned anything about the actual light fixture. Is it good? Did you check the wiring there? How are the fixtures wired, separate bangles on the ground for each or the cable Goya from one to the next one. If the offending unit is the last of the chain it could be the wiring at the previous fixture as well.
 
johnbryanpeters said:
Given what you have posted so far, I suggest that you hire a licensed electrician. The odds of you killing yourself are significantly above zero.
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breaker will trip before ded. unless you mean burning down the house while passed out.
 
Patrick said:
breaker will trip before ded. unless you mean burning down the house while passed out.
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Breaker may not trip before death unless maybe it's a GFCI.

Can pull many amps through your heart before the breaker blows.

mA of current can and will kill you, and the amount of current you can get from a breaker before it blows is based on the size of the transformer feeding your house...
 
Santapez said:
Breaker may not trip before death unless maybe it's a GFCI.

Can pull many amps through your heart before the breaker blows.

mA of current can and will kill you, and the amount of current you can get from a breaker before it blows is based on the size of the transformer feeding your house...
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it should be a GFCI cause it is outside. and should be 15 amp.
i've usually had them trip when i take a big hit. most of the time it is a little buzz that doesn't trip non gfci
cause sneakers. never create a circuit through your arms.

but yeah - in theory it could kill ya - i was hit by a random shock in a built-in pool. that was scary.
 
Patrick said:
it should be a GFCI cause it is outside. and should be 15 amp.
i've usually had them trip when i take a big hit. most of the time it is a little buzz that doesn't trip non gfci
cause sneakers. never create a circuit through your arms.

but yeah - in theory it could kill ya - i was hit by a random shock in a built-in pool. that was scary.
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Never assume. Can be an older house.

He clearly doesn't do a lot of electrical work.

@icebiker sorry I'm no longer in Morristown, would have been happy to come over and help.
 
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