buckeyefarmer
Epic Contributor
Cant imagine a gfi going bad with time, unless something mechanical gets stuck.
Locate buried electric line?
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mbohuntr
Platinum Member
I agree with you there..
Diggin It
Super Star Member
OP hasn't given us much to work on as far as I can see. Most light poles aren't very far from a building, usually not over 100' or so. I've never seen a wire take the scenic route between two points unless there are a lot of obstacles. It shouldn't be that difficult to start at one end or the other and work back along the route.
That said, you NEVER make a slice on an AC line underground unprotected. NEVER. If it ever becomes necessary, you use a properly rate box or splice case.
At this point, I'd forget about the old cable and run a new piece of UF.
That said, you NEVER make a slice on an AC line underground unprotected. NEVER. If it ever becomes necessary, you use a properly rate box or splice case.
At this point, I'd forget about the old cable and run a new piece of UF.
ultrarunner
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Thank you for posting the link...
GFCI are something I deal with all the time... Hospital and Property Management
GFCI are something I deal with all the time... Hospital and Property Management
Tractor Seabee
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Nobody has said they could find a fault that way. It works for me; but, the indication is only there is a buried wire not whether energized.
Ron
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They do if installed outside. Changed out few in my life. Moisture corrodes the interiors. Same thing happens to switches and receptacle. Coastal areas are the worst. There is a new one out that is sealed and purported to be impervious to moisture. Haven't seen one yet. The older ones I always tried ti install inside and extend the circuit to the outdoor outlet.
Ron
quicksandfarmer
Elite Member
First I would check that it is a wire fault and not a fault at the lamp that is causing the GFCI to trip. Disconnect everything at the lamp and reset the GFCI, if it still trips then you have a wire fault.
I'm assuming this is direct burial wire that was done 12 inches deep using the exemption for GFCI protected circuits. It's the cheapest, least reliable method. Accept that you got your money's worth and bury a new wire. Direct burial wire is about 30 cents a foot at Home Depot. Or you could put PVC conduit in the same 12" trench for only a few dollars more and get more life out of it.
If you don't feel like doing that you may be able to cobble together something that kind of works. Your GFCI is tripping because either your line or your neutral conductor is leaking to ground. You can use an ohmmeter with everything disconnected at both ends to see which conductors are leaking. They could be leaking to the ground conductor, or they could be leaking to the actual ground. The best scenario is if one of them is leaking to the ground conductor. In a GFCI circuit the ground is unnecessary. Disconnect the ground conductor at both ends, tape it until it goes into the Romex insulation, and your leak is fixed.
If both are leaking there is no fix without digging up the wire.
If one is leaking to ground-- or the line and neutral are leaking to each other -- you might be able to cobble it. Counting the ground there are three conductors in the cable, and a GFCI circuit only needs two conductors to function properly. If you can identify which one is leaking -- and there is only one leaking -- you could rewire it. Use the non-leaking conductor as the line and the ground as the neutral. The ground needs to be insulated with electrical tape at both ends so it doesn't touch anything. If the white and black are leaking to each other whichever one you don't use needs to be taped off at both ends so it doesn't touch anything.
I would not recommend taking out the GFCI, it's essential protection for a shallow-buried cable.
I wouldn't recommend trying to find the splice and dig it up, by the time you find it you might as well have dug a new trench, and you'll end up with a repair you'll be going back to again in a few years.
I'm assuming this is direct burial wire that was done 12 inches deep using the exemption for GFCI protected circuits. It's the cheapest, least reliable method. Accept that you got your money's worth and bury a new wire. Direct burial wire is about 30 cents a foot at Home Depot. Or you could put PVC conduit in the same 12" trench for only a few dollars more and get more life out of it.
If you don't feel like doing that you may be able to cobble together something that kind of works. Your GFCI is tripping because either your line or your neutral conductor is leaking to ground. You can use an ohmmeter with everything disconnected at both ends to see which conductors are leaking. They could be leaking to the ground conductor, or they could be leaking to the actual ground. The best scenario is if one of them is leaking to the ground conductor. In a GFCI circuit the ground is unnecessary. Disconnect the ground conductor at both ends, tape it until it goes into the Romex insulation, and your leak is fixed.
If both are leaking there is no fix without digging up the wire.
If one is leaking to ground-- or the line and neutral are leaking to each other -- you might be able to cobble it. Counting the ground there are three conductors in the cable, and a GFCI circuit only needs two conductors to function properly. If you can identify which one is leaking -- and there is only one leaking -- you could rewire it. Use the non-leaking conductor as the line and the ground as the neutral. The ground needs to be insulated with electrical tape at both ends so it doesn't touch anything. If the white and black are leaking to each other whichever one you don't use needs to be taped off at both ends so it doesn't touch anything.
I would not recommend taking out the GFCI, it's essential protection for a shallow-buried cable.
I wouldn't recommend trying to find the splice and dig it up, by the time you find it you might as well have dug a new trench, and you'll end up with a repair you'll be going back to again in a few years.
coobie
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Why witch the wire if you cannot find the fault what does that accomplish?I think the OP knew where the wire was.He was trying to find a fault in the wire.
Oldoak
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Because just like any other thread here on TBN, people veer off course from the OP intent.
