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JRF
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Repairing underground feed
12/12/03 08:40 AM
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What is the best way to repair a broken underground feed wire.?
Thanks,
JRF
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GaryM
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Re: Repairing underground feed
[re: JRF]
12/12/03 04:53 PM
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They sell underground splice kits at Lowes. If this is the feed from the pole to your meter, perhaps the power company will fix it.
Gary
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Hey! Aren't you supposed to be working?
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Inspector507
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Loc: Central Ohio
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Re: Repairing underground feed
[re: JRF]
12/12/03 06:01 PM
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JRF,
Tell me what you're fixing
Line to the shed/barn? or main feed to house?
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GaryM
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Inspector,
I was hoping you'd show up.
gary
Gary
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Hey! Aren't you supposed to be working?
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JRF
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Inspector 507,
I apologize for not giving more information in my orginal post.
The line is 150' to a shed converted to a shop. Line was originally ran in the mid 1960's. Looks to be #10 wire, 3 wires run individually in the ground with no conduit. It is ran from outside panel box of a house. I have lost power to the shop. Checked breaker and full voltage at breaker. I was informed that approx. 5-8 years ago, a crew installing a new drain line from the septic tank hit the line and "repaired it". My next move is to dig down and fine the repaired spot and re-work the job. I'm thinking that is where my problem is going to be. If it comes down to running all new lines to shop, I will get a service dropped in to it. The power company pole with the transformer feeding the house is about 15'-20' from the corner of the shop.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
JRF
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Inspector507
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Re: Repairing underground feed
[re: JRF]
12/13/03 05:49 PM
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JRF,
Lowes and Home Depot sell an underground splice kit made by Gardner Bender. It consists of a piece of heat shrink tubing and a 4-wire splicer, thats mainly 4 separate brass splice sleeves. That may be your best bet, except 3 individual wires will be hard to seal around and not get more water penetration. You might also try 3 individual crimp sleeves with heat shrink tubing on them.
Of course all this depends on you finding the right spot with the break in the cables.
Those wires have been in the ground for about 40 years, one or more of them may been a victim of plain old rot. I'm not aware of many single wires, of that size, made 40 years ago that were made for direct burial.
But it won't hurt to dig it up, if you think you know where.........and try it.
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JRF
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Inspector 507 & GaryM,
Thanks for the reply.
My original though was to clean up the wire and put a crimp splice on it and then heat shrink tape on the individual wire. I guess I just needed someone to tell me that was the best way.
Inspector 507: I'm not sure if the wire was intended for direct burial but I do know that it was installed by an electrical company. I will give it a try in a couple of days. It is currently raining tonight and tommorrow and I would like to give it a day or two to dry off.
Once again, many thanks for the reply.
JRF
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tomnky
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Jerry,
Doesn't 3M still make splicing kits with the molds and epoxy type material?
I know before I retired We used a bunch of their kits. These were used on Kerite cable and Okonite products all the way from #14 to #6 conductors.
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Inspector507
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Re: Repairing underground feed
[re: tomnky]
12/29/03 06:00 PM
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Tom,
Yes 3M does sell an epoxy type of splice kit.......I think it's a little too hard (messy) to work with for some homeowners, thats why the box stores dont sell them. Or at least I've never seen those type there.
Thats the only type we used, but if a splice wasn't put togther right, it took a hammer to bust them apart 
Edited by Inspector507 (12/29/03 06:01 PM)
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tomnky
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That's for sure on them being hard (You can almost drive a nail with them)
But I do know that We had thousands of them in use for years and years and never had a problem.
Seems to me Graybar used to handle them and maybe P.I. Burkes.
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Re: Repairing underground feed
[re: JRF]
01/01/04 08:24 AM
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I had a similar problem. My shop is located 150' from the house and had an underground electric cable between the two buildings. Lost power and electricians determined break in cable between the two buildings. Solution, find the break or run a new cable. Called my rural electric provider and they sent a "electric sniffer" out to check the line. Told me to dig in a certain spot 36" down and I would find the break. They were right on the spot and depth. You may want to give your utility provider a call.
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