Electrical / romex mess

[Diggin It]

Now if the wire is plain old house romex...THATS ANOTHER ISSUE.

Looks like it to me.

 

[4570Man]

Either pull it up and replace it right or proceed with hacking. What other options are there? The biggest problem I see is that’s not outdoor wire. I wouldn’t hesitate at all to splice it and put it in conduit otherwise.

 

[plowhog]

Both wires feed into the hole from the same direction.

If expose more wire, I will eventually get to the edge of the circle. I could put a concrete electrical box there, and turn the wire upward into it. No splice. Not ideal, but simply using what was original-- and with no splice. Maybe slip a conduit over the part that turns upward before backfill?

One other oddity. Why two wires? Since there was a light out there, I knew of one wire, and it is switched from the house. As far as I know, it is the only remaining wire after I demolished and rewired the entire house two years ago. Why there is a second wire in the hole is a mystery.

I'm going to clean the jacket on the romex and learn what it is.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Both wires feed into the hole from the same direction.

If expose more wire, I will eventually get to the edge of the circle. I could put a concrete electrical box there, and turn the wire upward into it. No splice. Not ideal, but simply using what was original-- and with no splice. Maybe slip a conduit over the part that turns upward before backfill?

One other oddity. Why two wires? Since there was a light out there, I knew of one wire, and it is switched from the house. As far as I know, it is the only remaining wire after I demolished and rewired the entire house two years ago. Why there is a second wire in the hole is a mystery.

I'm going to clean the jacket on the romex and learn what it is.

2nd wire could be just trash...

 

[Diggin It]

Both wires feed into the hole from the same direction.

If expose more wire, I will eventually get to the edge of the circle. I could put a concrete electrical box there, and turn the wire upward into it. No splice. Not ideal, but simply using what was original-- and with no splice. Maybe slip a conduit over the part that turns upward before backfill?

I do that all the time ... with UF. Protects it from critters and string trimmers.

One other oddity. Why two wires? Since there was a light out there, I knew of one wire, and it is switched from the house. As far as I know, it is the only remaining wire after I demolished and rewired the entire house two years ago. Why there is a second wire in the hole is a mystery.

I'm wondering why one is hot after you thought you turned it off.

 

[plowhog]

I checked and there are no markings on the romex. Looks like black #12, white#12, ground in center, no paper. The ground is enveloped in its own plastic sheath just like the other leads are. (I.e. not "loose" in the center.)

 

[grsthegreat]

If the ground is wrapped, it’s probably uf direct burial wire. But who’s to say for sure. Traditionally UF cable has very heavy insulation that’s hard to cut. But I have seen some out there with thinner outside insulation but still listed uf cable.

 

[MossRoad]

Have you found the breakers for both wires?

 

[Diggin It]

UF tends to have the markings embossed into the sheath rather than printed on the surface. Makes it harder to find on older wire.

 

[civilian]

Can the second wire be the switch leg? Jon