Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems. |
Reply |
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
Hi.
While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore |
#2
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
On 8/19/11 8:24 PM, millinghill wrote:
Hi. While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore You might try DryConn wire nuts. Website he http://tinyurl.com/3snscla We've used them at work for some time and haven't seen a failure. We wrap them in plastic electrical tape and point the small end up. You'll find plenty of solutions in an online search. Use "underground wire splice". |
#3
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
millinghill wrote:
Hi. While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore If it happened to me, i would solder them together, but before that put a piece of plastic pipe around it(about 4 inch long). After soldering,shift the pipe over the damaged site, and fill it form both sides with bathroom silicon paste. Let it stay in the open for some days(a week?), to let the paste cure completely,then bury the evidence. |
#4
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
On 8/19/2011 9:24 PM, millinghill wrote:
Hi. While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore Get any silicone filled underground wire nut and follow the directions |
#5
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
millinghill wrote: I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Liquid electrical tape isn't durable enough to be trustworthy. You need a direct burial underground splice rated for 600 volts. Almost all wiring products used for 120V are rated for 600V. Here's one underground UF cable splice: http://www.amazon.com/GB-Electrical-.../dp/B00004WLKR Here's another: http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawe...-&fn=DBYDS.PDF Even better are splices rated for underwater use, not just underground use, but they may be expensive. Don't simply use a waterproof wire nut (regular wire nut filled with gel, often silicone rubber made to never cure) but also put the nut in a waterproof sleeve (electrical tape isn't waterproof). Also pointing the waterproof wire nut upward won't keep its insides dry because water pressure will push up into the nut. |
#6
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
Yah, a half-assed wirenut and a dab a silicon repair is ok. Just point the wire nuts up. Since its underground it cant hurt
anything, right? /sarcasm http://qctimes.com/news/local/articl...cc4c002e0.html |
#7
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
On Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:24:38 -0700 (PDT), millinghill
wrote: Hi. While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore Hello Theodore, The method I've seen used is to join the broken ends together in a junction box and then set the whole wire joint in two-pack epoxy resin to completely waterproof the joint. Ross |
#8
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF
cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore *Home Depot and electrical supply companies sell underground splice kits for UF wire. Basically it is a small round terminal block that gets encapsulated in shrink tube. You will need a heat gun for the shrink tube. |
#9
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
On Aug 20, 7:08*am, "John Grabowski" wrote:
While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . *If possible, I want to *avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. *I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. *Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. *But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. *All advice appreciated. Theodore *Home Depot and electrical supply companies sell underground splice kits for UF wire. *Basically it is a small round terminal block that gets encapsulated in shrink tube. *You will need a heat gun for the shrink tube.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - so how deep ws the wire buried? and if it wasnt to code why didnt someone run it in conduit |
#10
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
Dean Hoffman wrote: On 8/19/11 8:24 PM, millinghill wrote: Hi. While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore You might try DryConn wire nuts. Website he http://tinyurl.com/3snscla We've used them at work for some time and haven't seen a failure. We wrap them in plastic electrical tape and point the small end up. You'll find plenty of solutions in an online search. Use "underground wire splice". Real plumbing supply places sell waterproof splicing kits for use with submersible well pumps, that is what I'd use. |
#11
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
On Sat, 20 Aug 2011 07:08:55 -0400, "John Grabowski"
wrote: While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore *Home Depot and electrical supply companies sell underground splice kits for UF wire. Basically it is a small round terminal block that gets encapsulated in shrink tube. You will need a heat gun for the shrink tube. Home Depot also sells underground splices that include a terminal strip in a folding plastic case that is filled with waterproof glop. No heat shirink required. Connect the wires and then fold the case until it snaps. I have used them before without any problems. |
#12
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
"John Grabowski" wrote in
: While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore *Home Depot and electrical supply companies sell underground splice kits for UF wire. Basically it is a small round terminal block that gets encapsulated in shrink tube. You will need a heat gun for the shrink tube. Here's some at at Lowes. Put in your zip when it prompts. On the right it will tell you if it's available at your local store. Looks like this one will do up to 4 wires in a single container. http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?...llow&cId=PDIO1 Item #: 34228 Looks like a single. http://www.lowes.com/pd_34311-12704-...ice&facetInfo= Item: 34311 |
#13
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
In article , "Ted" @home wrote:
Yah, a half-assed wirenut and a dab a silicon repair is ok. Just point the wire nuts up. Since its underground it cant hurt anything, right? /sarcasm http://qctimes.com/news/local/articl...1cc4c002e0.htm l Well, that link was a complete non-sequitur. Has absolutely nothing to do with the situation at hand, other than the word "electricity." |
#14
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
millinghill wrote: Hi. While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore Hi, Out at my cabin, after fixing broken wire couple times and dealing with tripping GFCI headache, I switched to solar powered LED light post. Works well even in winter. I dončt need a good illumination, I just need a beacon for driveway entrance. |
#15
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
On 8/20/2011 7:08 AM, Pete C. wrote:
Dean Hoffman wrote: On 8/19/11 8:24 PM, millinghill wrote: While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, ... You might try DryConn wire nuts. Website he http://tinyurl.com/3snscla We've used them at work for some time and haven't seen a failure. We wrap them in plastic electrical tape and point the small end up. You'll find plenty of solutions in an online search. Use "underground wire splice". Real plumbing supply places sell waterproof splicing kits for use with submersible well pumps, that is what I'd use. Either will work well--- I managed to find the control wire from the pump house to the well w/ the post hole digger--no mean feat in a 200-yd run either way to select where to stick a post for a new garden plot fence-- It was an evening, of course, so only choice was an Ace Hardware--the equivalent of the DryConn have held for 8 years or so, so far... The are, as above says wrapped very well besides just the silicon in the caps. I've found a couple splices Dad made in the 60s or perhaps even earlier with just twisted ends and friction tape topped by electrical that are still fine--the reasons for finding them had nothing to do w/ the splices themselves but either modifications/additions or in one case, the actual underground cable sheath itself was failing all along it, it turned out was the cause of the failures causing line to be dug out...they are buried pretty deep (24" +) so that they are not ever in standing or thoroughly soaked ground for any length of time if ever, however, but I suspect they would last a long time no matter what given the condition they're in after 40-50 years. -- |
#16
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
On 8/19/2011 8:24 PM, millinghill wrote:
Hi. While gardening, I dug way too deep and cut through the wire (UF cable) that goes to the lightpost (120volt) at the driveway entrance . If possible, I want to avoid trenching and replacing the whole line. I cut the wire close to the house, so... if there's a reasonable way to splice it, I can get some slack in the wire from the house side. Or I can just run a new line from the house to the splice. But, I'm not sure what to do. 1. does HomeDepot sell waterproof electrical junction boxes that have waterproof clamps for incoming/outgoing wires such that I can make the splice, put on wire twist caps, and bury the box? 2. do I strip and solder the wires together and then coat the whole thing with Liquid Electrical Tape and just bury it back up? Please help. All advice appreciated. Theodore dig up the spot, making an extra big hole. Then ADD a piece of wire about a two feet long, make the splices with standard (or waterproof) wire nuts. THEN, shove each set of splices into a tin can filled with roofing tar. We have a splice of this nature in the 300' run of 10-3 to our detached garage. Been there almost 40 years. -- Steve Barker remove the "not" from my address to email |
#17
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
In article ,
Steve Barker wrote: dig up the spot, making an extra big hole. Then ADD a piece of wire about a two feet long, make the splices with standard (or waterproof) wire nuts. THEN, shove each set of splices into a tin can filled with roofing tar. We have a splice of this nature in the 300' run of 10-3 to our detached garage. Been there almost 40 years. Good grief. A quality solder joint protected by a piece of adhesive-lined shrink tubing is all he needs. |
#18
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Repair underground wire to outdoor light?
On 8/21/2011 12:19 AM, Smitty Two wrote:
In articlekbidnVe73MW4H83TnZ2dnUVZ_ridnZ2d@giganews. com, Steve wrote: dig up the spot, making an extra big hole. Then ADD a piece of wire about a two feet long, make the splices with standard (or waterproof) wire nuts. THEN, shove each set of splices into a tin can filled with roofing tar. We have a splice of this nature in the 300' run of 10-3 to our detached garage. Been there almost 40 years. Good grief. A quality solder joint protected by a piece of adhesive-lined shrink tubing is all he needs. that would work also. (for a while) only a few drawbacks: 1. not everyone knows how to solder properly 2. not everyone has adhesive lined shrink tubing easily obtained 3. #2 was not available 40 years ago. 4. Most hardware stores have roofing tar, and cheap. -- Steve Barker remove the "not" from my address to email |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
How to splice outdoor underground wiring? | Home Repair | |||
Create a dazzling outdoor holiday light show with the finest outdoorChristmas displays and commercial outdoor decor from Lvhsystems HolidayLights Installations Los Angeles. | Home Ownership | |||
Insulating pipes at outdoor underground stopcock. | UK diy | |||
Wire type needed for underground | Home Repair | |||
repair underground wire insulation | Metalworking |