How do I to test underground wire?

[scesnick]

I have three wire direct burial wire ran out to where I an going to put a pump into a creek for water. Unfortunately, once it was buried it was pulled on with a backhoe that was digging in the area. I believe it was just pulled away from the pipe it is buried with but I am not sure.

How do I check the wire. Keep in mind my electrical skill sleave A LOT to be desired.. lol.

 

[kennyd]

Do you have a digital volt/ohm meter?

 

[Jay4200]

I have three wire direct burial wire ran out to where I an going to put a pump into a creek for water. Unfortunately, once it was buried it was pulled on with a backhoe that was digging in the area. I believe it was just pulled away from the pipe it is buried with but I am not sure.

How do I check the wire. Keep in mind my electrical skill sleave A LOT to be desired.. lol.

You can check for electrical continuity easy enough (disconnect one end and short two wires together - measure resistance at the other end - should be close to zero. Even easier - turn the power to your pump on. If it turns on...it's good. If it doesn't - it's broke.

Personally, I'd carefully dig up the wire where it got hit and inspect it. Generally, once a backhoe hits something (even a nick), it is damaged or destroyed. My exit septic pipe can attest to that .

JayC

 

[frischtr]

Your best bet will be to carefully inspect the wire where you hit it. If the wires got skinned/broken, you'll need to repair it using an underground rated splice kit.

In addition to the above method for checking continuity, you need to separate the wires at one end, and check continuity between all at the other end. You should have a really high or infinite ohm reading to make sure the wires aren't shorted together at the damage point.

 

[hr3]

How do I check the wire. Keep in mind my electrical skill sleave A LOT to be desired.. lol.

Hire an Electrician,,

 

[b2910]

I have three wire direct burial wire ran out to where I an going to put a pump into a creek for water. Unfortunately, once it was buried it was pulled on with a backhoe that was digging in the area. I believe it was just pulled away from the pipe it is buried with but I am not sure.

How do I check the wire. Keep in mind my electrical skill sleave A LOT to be desired.. lol.

If you don't have good electrical skills I would suggest getting a friend with some knowledge to take a look at the wire as a first step. How large is the wire? It would be easy to overlook a cut in the insulation but the electric power when applied will always find it. Measuring for any ground leakage during a wet time period, after a good soaking rain, with an ohmeter might reveal a problem but since the meter's voltage is low it won't necessarily "find" a potential problem.

I am guessing that the wire is too costly to replace, so a friend with some electrical knowledge is highly advisable in my opinion. As was mentioned by another member a good underground repair maybe possible but only for someone that knows what they are doing with it. If you are going to connect it to a GFCI type breaker you will probably be pretty safe knowing any repair will be good as long as the breaker doesn't trip but I don't know if that is possible for a pump in a creek.

 

[barkerlakebob]

"low voltage" wiring is just as deadly as high voltage so be careful !

Hire a electrician...........:thumbsup:

 

[Brettinwa]

I'm an electrician and can say the advice you've gotten so far is accurate. b2910 posted that an ohmeter may not provide enough voltage to detect a problem and that is very true. If it does indicate continuity to ground there's no doubt you have a problem or if you don't have continuity from one end to the other. What you really need is a friend or electrician with a megger that will test to ground and between conductors at hundreds of volts.

 

[scesnick]

i do have a buddy who is an electrician. I will give him a call. Thanks.

 

[dex3361]

You need to test it with an electrical insulation tester commonly referred to as a Megger(brand name). It uses a high voltage and measures for current leakage through the insulation to ground Megger. There are lots of different brands just make sure that it is a voltage tester that test at at least 2 times the normal voltage. Disconnect the motor before testing.

 

[dcyrilc]

I'm an electrician and can say the advice you've gotten so far is accurate. b2910 posted that an ohmeter may not provide enough voltage to detect a problem and that is very true. If it does indicate continuity to ground there's no doubt you have a problem or if you don't have continuity from one end to the other. What you really need is a friend or electrician with a megger that will test to ground and between conductors at hundreds of volts.

You need to test it with an electrical insulation tester commonly referred to as a Megger(brand name). It uses a high voltage and measures for current leakage through the insulation to ground Megger. There are lots of different brands just make sure that it is a voltage tester that test at at least 2 times the normal voltage. Disconnect the motor before testing.

You guys both beat me to it. The best means is to megger it. Our megger tests at 1,000 volts. Ask if your friend has one or has access to one. It really is the only accurate portable tester I'm aware of.

 

[ayelvington]

Have to throw my vote in for the Megger... This kind of work was my stock and trade for a long time.

 

[grsthegreat]

another funny thing about direct burial wire.....if you nick the sheathing and expose the aluminum wire.....it still may work, but the wire WILL rot away in a year or so.

Seen it more times than i can count. even a large rock can nick it enough to rot the wires.

 

[Iowachild]

another funny thing about direct burial wire.....if you nick the sheathing and expose the aluminum wire.....it still may work, but the wire WILL rot away in a year or so.

Seen it more times than i can count. even a large rock can nick it enough to rot the wires.

Which is why I always put underground runs in PVC conduit. Cheap insurance!:thumbsup:

 

[grsthegreat]

Which is why I always put underground runs in PVC conduit. Cheap insurance!:thumbsup:

yup..same here. but sometimes its next to impossible to convince a client to do it.u

 

[dcyrilc]

yup..same here. but sometimes its next to impossible to convince a client to do it.u

Same here, but I hate aluminum so I always run copper even with the higher expense.

 

[grsthegreat]

Same here, but I hate aluminum so I always run copper even with the higher expense.

YOU MUST BE RICH HEHE:laughing: :laughing:

 

[rd_macgregor]

Electric fence energizer might also detect insulation flaws...the underground snapping sound tells me that a leak in my buried supply wire is the reason the fence isn't working right!
I'm not sure if 5k volts or so would damage intact insulation in a regular 220V wire, though.
Its a great time to have an electrician friend!
BOB

 

[dcyrilc]

YOU MUST BE RICH HEHE:laughing: :laughing:

I wish.:laughing::laughing:

It just takes me a lot longer to save up for electrical projects. Sometimes I miss being an electrical foreman. I used to be responsible for getting rid of all the old scrap wire and such. A lot of that was quite reusable and went home with me rather than to the scrap yard. Luckily though, after nearly 30 years with the same company and being well known at the supply house, I can still buy direct from the supply house at a wholesale price. That does help greatly.

 

[Illini22]

We use a dynatel to find faulted secondaries. Of course if you know where the damage occurs you know where to dig. As one poster wrote, aluminum wire will corrode, it will turn to white powder. Depending on soil conditions it could be weeks or years. Definatly expose your cable wipe it down and look for nicks. If the able isn't damaged to bad you can Use a split shrink tube. You but it around the damaged but not broken cable and then put the zipper on it to hold it together and then shrink it. If you have to splice then you can use a regular shrink tube with the splice. This is a minor repair. Be glad it's not in pipe or you would be replacing you service entrance and the utilitys transformer when the backhoe broke thru the PVC and yanked on the cable, in addition to replacing all the wire. Now you have a minor repair, some split shrinks or at most 6 splices, 6 shrink tubes and a few feet of wire, much cheaper. Ok I'm ready to get roasted!