On Friday, June 5, 2020 at 10:06:25 AM UTC-4, Todesco wrote:
On 6/5/2020 8:14 AM, Todesco wrote:
On 6/3/2020 3:45 PM, Todesco wrote:
10 years ago I installed a post lamp in the front of my property.Â* The
house builder left a 2" plastic conduit (maybe 100 feet) from the
house to the area where the post light was to be installed.Â* I put a
4" square plastic box at each end of the conduit as ground level.Â* The
house end is no problem as it is in the asphalt driveway.Â* At the
house end, I connected an underground "romex" to a breaker on the
panel.Â* At the other end, I connected 2 underground "romex", one to
the post light and one to an outlet, some 25' away.Â* Through the
years, the outside box has disappeared and I can't find it.Â* I've
tried raking up the leaf mulch. Nope.Â* I've also tried one of the non
touch voltage testers.Â* Nope. I've tried a tracing unit connecting a
signal to the power line and snooping with the other end.Â* Nope!Â*Â* I
don't have a metal detector. Not sure where to go from here.Â* Any
great ideas out there?
Here's an update.Â* When I built the house I took tons of pics.Â* I didn't
remember taking pics of the orange plastic conduit, but actually, I did..
Â*The pictures helped a bit.Â* Haven't found it yet, but I feel I'm
closer.Â* Originally, I was looking in a different spot.Â* It's amazing
how much growth occurred in 10 years.Â* Yesterday I put my signal unit on
the turned off lamp post outlet.Â* I can trace it even to the 2nd outlet
some 25' away without even getting right on that outlet.Â* But in the
ground there seems to be lots of attenuation (ground).Â* I was getting
close in a big patch of some "weedy flowers" but had to give up as my
back couldn't take any more (recent back surgery).Â* Today it's supposed
to rain all day, so it will have to wait.

BTW, this all started out when the GCFI on this circuit started tripping
randomly. It's a new GCFI in the panel. The power comes from the panel
and goes to a J-box next to the panel, where there is an X10 module to
power up the run going to the post light and 2 duplex outlets. The run
from the house to the area where the light and outlets are located, is
about 150'. So, when the post light is off, the neutral is still
connected to the 150' run, but, of course, not the hot lead. I am
wondering if this unbalance might be causing the GCFI tripage?

What imbalance? The only imbalance the GFCI is looking for is a difference
between that flowing in the hot lead and neutral. Light off, should be
no flow in either if it's wired correctly and not compromised.



I'm
guessing here, but it seems the GCFI trips at about the same time as the
X10 switch turns on.

Sounds like the X10 energizes the 150 ft line and that line has a fault.
I would disconnect the X10 from the outside line and see if the GFCI
holds with the X10 on and off. If so, the problem is in the outside line.
Which is common, could be some water has gotten into the box that you
can't find, etc.