# Shorted underground wire



## hbv2020 (Jan 7, 2017)

The underground wire going from my house to the pole lamp shows a short between the black wire and the ground.  I understand there is a device that can detect current flow underground.   Once disconnecting both ends of the wire, would it be possible to apply a current to the shorted wires and where the current could no longer be detected I would know where the break was?


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## JoeD (Jan 7, 2017)

That type of equipment is expensive and not normally within the price range of a home owner. It would probably be cheaper to dig up and replace the cable.


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## Snoonyb (Jan 7, 2017)

How was the short determined?

Were all the conductors disconnected and separated at both ends?


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## hbv2020 (Jan 8, 2017)

I am not up to digging ditches and electricians want between $1800 and $2500 to put in a new wire.  Yes both ends of the wire were free of all connectors and a continuity test was conducted on the wire with the black and ground wire making a circuit


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## Snoonyb (Jan 8, 2017)

Thanks, but without more info.....


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## kok328 (Jan 8, 2017)

hbv2020 said:


> I am not up to digging ditches and electricians want between $1800 and $2500 to put in a new wire.  Yes both ends of the wire were free of all connectors and a continuity test was conducted on the wire with the black and ground wire making a circuit



You didn't mention how long of a run this is so no idea of how that bid was derived.
Sounds like it might be an opportunity to look into Solar lighting.


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## JoeD (Jan 8, 2017)

The equipment you need is called a TDR, Time domain reflectometer. It will tell you exactly how far from the end the short is.


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## slownsteady (Jan 8, 2017)

So, if you knew exactly where the short is, would you just dig down at that point and make a repair? This makes a good argument for conduit in future projects.


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## JoeD (Jan 8, 2017)

Yes they make underground splice repair kits.


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## edlank (Jan 11, 2017)

You can suit yourself, but if it was cut once, it might be because it is much too shallow.  When the previous owners told us about the landscaping lighting having one light not working because the wire "might" have been damaged, I decided not to use it until I checked it.  I checked between the working light and the nonfunctional light.  All the wire was UF, and the wire was in a PVC conduit leaving the fixture, but only for about 2 feet, and then it was bare, and "buried" about 1 to 1.5 inches for each 25' run.  It was cut at the perimeter of a landscaping "island" where the area around a tree was edged with a spade, no doubt.  I decided to pull all of it out, and all of it was no more than 1.5" deep, even to the two working lights.  That was not good enough for me, since it was 110V.  I don't like chipmunks, and moles, but I have no intention of electrocuting them.  You might find the same problem if it has been cut once.


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## Kabris (Jan 13, 2017)

Wow, even for low voltage lighting, that is way too shallow. It's sad but I've already seen landscape wiring just covered by the mulch. Granted it was low volt, but I hate seeing lazy work like that.


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## nealtw (Jan 13, 2017)

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAz6OA1egCY[/ame]


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## Kabris (Jan 13, 2017)

As far as 120V post lighting I've discovered most of the time the damage to the wire occurs at the base of the pole. The entrance to the wireway at the base of the pole has sharp edges. When the pole gets installed and backfilled sometimes it gets pinched, and over time might become damaged. You might find your problem there.


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