Wire problem

[MJ]

Hi,

I have an outdoor light on the gate (two lights, one on the left pole and one on the right pole). Wire comes to the left pole and then goes to the right one. I was using low energy bulbs and was using automatic timer/dimmer. Lights were working perfectly but all of sudden, the right pole stopped working and then the left one. I changed the time/dimmer to a normal switch but as soon as I turn on the switch, the left one turns on for about a second then the breaker goes off. Does any body know what is wrong and how can I fix this? Thanks in advance.

[Bob]

Sounds like you have a short. Disconnect everything outside above ground. At the left pole, connect the hot from the house to the hot from the right pole. Then do the same for the neutral. At the right pole, connect a standard light bulb fixture with light. Turn on the breaker and the light should come on. If the breaker trips, then you have a short underground. If it doesn't trip, then the problem is in one of your fixtures.

[RBM]

I would try removing both fixtures, then turning the power on to see if one of the fixtures is at fault. It the breaker still trips with fixtures removed, separate the wiring from the left side to the right to try to isolate where the problem is and either replace the bad fixture or the bad cable

[CJT]

Were they installed with wire and fittings intended to be used outdoors? If not, perhaps something is wet that shouldn't be.

Another possibility is rodent damage.

[mm]

How could damaging a rodent cause this problem?

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[MJ]

Hi,

I tried and still having the same problem, the breaker trips. The question is: what casued this as this was working for almost 12 years. I bought the house a year ago but the house is 12 years old. The other question is, if the there is a short, how can I fix it as the wire is underground? Thanks

[Bob]

There's still a possibility that the short is above ground. Some light poles have receptacles built into them, and the ones that come pre-wired have junctions at the base. If possible remove both poles and connect the wires the same way, but without the poles. If the breaker still trips, then disconnect the hot and neutral at the left pole and connect your standard light bulb fixture to that pole's wires. Turn on the breaker and if it doesn't trip, then you know the short is underground below the gate area. Get a shovel and start digging. If the breaker still trips, then the short is between the left post and the house. You'll need 6 shovels, 5 friends, and 3 cases of beer.

[hah]

A damaged rodent emits a unique smell, detectible by other rodents. These will try to repair the damage, chewing up the wires for the necessary copper.