Outdoor Post lamps

tennisnut · 10-15-2006, 05:19 PM

I have 4 outdoor post lamps on one circuit and one of the middle lamps has no power to it. Lamps on both ends have power, so I am a little confused. I don't see any type of access to the lower part of the post to see if there is a loose connection, which I assume must be the case. I know very little about electrical, but would love to try to resolve this one without calling in help.

mdshunk · 10-15-2006, 07:11 PM

For the typical residential post lamp, the connections are in the top. You take the fixture off the top of the post, and the connections are under there. You didn't say how these were controlled. If they have individual post eyes, suspect the eye. The fixtures most often have the leads riveted onto the lampholder, and that is also a popular failure point. If these are HID fixtures, there's a round ballast jammed down inside the top of the post that is also a failure point.

tennisnut · 10-15-2006, 07:37 PM

I had taken off the top of the post, and used a line tester to check for power to the lamp. There is no power at the top of the wire, so the problem is before any connections at the top. The lights are controlled by a timer box in the garage, so I would assume that there is underground wiring from the box to the first post, and then to each successive post. There are no eyes involved nor is it a HID fixture. These are posts that are likely 15-20 years old, and I could understand if an end lamp were out, but a middle one with no juice?

mdshunk · 10-15-2006, 08:07 PM

Okay, if you've only got one wire coming up, there's a connection underground someplace. Best of luck on that one. You might carefully excavate around the bottom of the post and see if there were any underground connections made around there. Tracing underground breaks requires special equipment and is expensive to hire out. It might be easier to abandon the existing wiring to that post light and run new from a working one to that one. That is, if you can't find anything.... there's not a receptacle on the bottom of this post (or nearby that post) where connections might be made up?

J187 · 10-16-2006, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdshunk

Okay, if you've only got one wire coming up, there's a connection underground someplace.

Why? Why would anyone do that?