Electrical Mystery

[flyerdan]

Eddy, think of series as flow. You can measure fluid pressure by putting a gauge on a line, but to get the flow you need to have it going into and out of the gauge, or in this case, DMM. A switch is a series item, just think of the amp feature as replacing a switch in the circuit and it will give results.

 

[grsthegreat]

Try this. Hook op the led lamp socket and lamp, and at the same time, plug in your tester to the same wire nuts and set meter to ACVolts. See if the reading drops when the light turns on.

 

[LittleBill21]

Try this. Hook op the led lamp socket and lamp, and at the same time, plug in your tester to the same wire nuts and set meter to ACVolts. See if the reading drops when the light turns on.

we already determined he has a 60v drop. I provided the steps he needs to follow about 10 posts up

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evening Eddie,
Sounds like LilBill has mapped it out for you !

I’m guessing that when you reinstall a new 12/2 line you will be running it through conduit rather than direct burial !

Good Luck with the fix !

 

[grsthegreat]

we already determined he has a 60v drop. I provided the steps he needs to follow about 10 posts up

Didnt catch that. With his 60v drop, he has a rotten line underground. Also why i NEVER go direct bury. In the past i have successfully found broken and damaged wires by using an underground locating service i frequent. Hes amazing at finding the exact trouble spot. Though its much easier if wire was totally damaged.

 

[ponytug]

Didnt catch that. With his 60v drop, he has a rotten line underground. Also why i NEVER go direct bury. In the past i have successfully found broken and damaged wires by using an underground locating service i frequent. Hes amazing at finding the exact trouble spot. Though its much easier if wire was totally damaged.

And having underground cables are why I spent money on a wire locator that could find both the cables and corroded / bad sections. I don't use it often, but when I do, it saves so much time and effort. Definitely a great auction score.

All the best,

Peter

 

[grsthegreat]

I have a basic locator, but it cant accurately find damaged cables. The guy i hire tells me where issue and the depth of the wire. Always within a few inches.

 

[dieselscout80]

And having underground cables are why I spent money on a wire locator that could find both the cables and corroded / bad sections. I don't use it often, but when I do, it saves so much time and effort. Definitely a great auction score.

All the best,

Peter

How much is this type locator?

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm thinking about the wire being damaged, I'm remembering that my wife dug up the area where the line was to save some of her plants from the dogs. After installing the line, we decided that we needed another dog run, so I fenced in an area of the yard that went through her shade garden. Once the dogs where in there, the plants started to die, and she is borde line psychotic about her plants, so she dug them up to save them. We're pretty sure that she damaged the wire. That narrows down where I need to look for the damage, and where I'll start digging when things warm up again.

What I didn't know, and I still don't understand, is how a damaged wire can reduce the voltage in half? I thought that if it's broke, it's not working. If it's exposed to the soil, it's shorting out and tripping the breaker.

 

[ponytug]

I'm thinking about the wire being damaged, I'm remembering that my wife dug up the area where the line was to save some of her plants from the dogs. After installing the line, we decided that we needed another dog run, so I fenced in an area of the yard that went through her shade garden. Once the dogs where in there, the plants started to die, and she is borde line psychotic about her plants, so she dug them up to save them. We're pretty sure that she damaged the wire. That narrows down where I need to look for the damage, and where I'll start digging when things warm up again.

What I didn't know, and I still don't understand, is how a damaged wire can reduce the voltage in half? I thought that if it's broke, it's not working. If it's exposed to the soil, it's shorting out and tripping the breaker.

Think of it as a partially clogged pipe. If you only ask for a tiny amount of water, you would never notice, but filling a bucket might take forever, and if you measured the pressure at the end of the pipe with no flow, you would measure full pressure.

The wire is probably partially cut through in one or more places, increasing the resistance to the flow of current.

Since this is a direct bury cable, apparently not too deep, outside, this is a GFI breaker, right? Those do go bad, more quickly in areas of thunderstorms.

All the best,

Peter