Garage electrical problem

949 Views 9 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Bythepond88, Apr 27, 2016

Bythepond88

Discussion Starter · Mar 22, 2016

The circuit breaker to my detached garage kept tripping. I traced the problem to an improper splice in the underground cable from the house to the garage. I fixed that with an underground approved splice kit. I double checked with a simple test light after the repair, and had power to the ends of the cable. But when I hooked the cable up to the garage wiring, nothing worked. I touched the test light to splices between the cable and garage wiring, and no light. Oddly enough, if I touch one lead of the test light to the common wire, there is a faint glow that goes out when I touch the other to the power wire.

The breaker does not trip, but there is no power when connected to the garage wire.

Apparently, there is a problem in the garage wiring (everything worked fine before the splice shorted out). Do these symptoms ring a bell with anyone. Any suggestions as to what to look for, other than to just disconnect the branch circuits in the garage one by one and track it down that way?

Save

1 - 1 of 10 Posts

AllanJ

· #7 · Mar 22, 2016 (Edited)

Likely situation is a rusted out wire in the feed. Are the underground wires aluminum, which could rust out not so slowly if the insulation had biodegraded and cracked.

May be at the same place where you made the splice but not guaranteed.

The rusted out remains mixed with dirt could sizzle and change resistance from minute to minute or second to second as you have your meter or a load connected thus you might see a variation in voltage before your eyes.

Save

1 - 1 of 10 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month