Electrical Wiring Question

[CobyRupert]

There is no correct way to rewire this circuit for a hot and a switch wire. NEC 250.119 says the green will be ground not anything else.
A breaker trips because of overload not because the fault current goes back to its source.
And those ugly bubble covers are made for the use of a cord that is never unplugged and are in wet areas (outdoor outlet covers are for the occasional use of that outlet).

All true. But there is no "overload" for the breaker to trip on if the fault current has a high resistance path (earth and not a low resistence ground wire) to get back to the source (transformer) and limits the fault current to less than the breaker's rating. Instead, every metal thing connected to the local "ground" (e.g. boxes, switches, fixtures, etc..) gets it's voltage raised waiting for someone to touch it. :lightningbolt:

 

[grsthegreat]

you CANNOT simply add a ground rod and expect a working ground safety. you HAVE to have a return path to the breaker...thats what the green wire provides.

you may be overthinking this. just get a weatherproof intermatic timer and place it at the wall. this would turn lights on and off...also you can then set an off time and not let them blaze all night long.

and as far as using metal conduit.....good luck with putting that underground. in a few years youd have rusted mush. Metal conduit is allowed to be used as a ground path ABOVE ground and within weatherproof structure. Rigid threaded pipe is ok outdoors. No one i know ever uses rigid pipes underground...heck even when i wire service stations i use PVC pipe up till the time it leaves the ground. Only then is rigid used (above ground)

 

[MNBobcat]

Its all done. I buried a red wire under the landscaping fabric and rock right along the wall. Not the preferred way of doing it but its the only choice I had. So now the outlet is hot all the time. I used a remote outlet from Menards to switch the lights on and off. The way its wired one remote outlet controls the whole string.

 

[grsthegreat]

Its all done. I buried a red wire under the landscaping fabric and rock right along the wall. Not the preferred way of doing it but its the only choice I had. So now the outlet is hot all the time. I used a remote outlet from Menards to switch the lights on and off. The way its wired one remote outlet controls the whole string.

is it in conduit? or just a buried thhn wire?

 

[MNBobcat]

is it in conduit? or just a buried thhn wire?

Just a buried thhn. Its in a place where nobody will ever be digging. Its up tight against a block wall and buried under rock. I may have to replace it at some point if it deteriorates due to the weather but I'll deal with that later if it happens. Its on a ground fault.

Not my usual or preferred way of doing something like this but sometimes you have to adapt to the situation and just do the best you can.

 

[aczlan]

At least put it in some conduit. All it will take is one rock or mouse to chew a hole through it and you will have a big problem.

Aaron Z

 

[MNBobcat]

At least put it in some conduit. All it will take is one rock or mouse to chew a hole through it and you will have a big problem.

Aaron Z

As I mentioned, if there are problems I'll deal with it later. There is no way to run conduit through an 1/8 " crack in stone.

 

[kcflhrc]

Just another FYI on this. Per code an outside GFCI or any GFCI outlet for that matter doesn't have to be grounded. They will trip using the neutral return? Another note, the color of the wire doesn't mean anything other than color. Electricians all the time use phase tape to denote what the wire actually is if they are out of a particular color of wire. I really think you should take a hard look at this and understand that running an unprotected hot wire just laying under landscape fabric has disaster written all over it. I stick to my original response and think you should use the green wire for the hot all the time at the outlet and run your ground wire exposed if need be.

 

[MNBobcat]

Hi kcflhrc

I frequently color code wires using phase tape. When I buy thhn I don't buy all the different colors because you end up with so much you don't use. So I just color code them with the tape.

I can't run the ground exposed. There are 5 lights along the route and I'd have had to run a new ground to each light and each light is on top of a block pillar that is very, very difficult to fish wire into because it would have to come under the base block which is buried in the ground and then up the center of the base block inside the pillar.

This way I only had to run one wire. The way I did it was the only way that I think it could have been done given I messed up and didn't catch it until it was too late.

Anyway...you guys can keep chatting but thanks for all the suggestions and thoughts.

 

[GregbkH]

What you did is potentially dangerous and irresponsible. I hope you don't have kids that might chase a ball near that burried hot wire.

Conduit and boxes are supposed to be accessable so the wiring can be worked on or modified. You should do yourself and your family a favor and hire and electrician to keep everyone safe. You clearly do not know what you are doing.