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Success and no electrician needed. As I said I could not trace the wire back as it disappeared under a patio. But I was able to identify an identical UF-B going into the panel so with the help of a more knowledgable neighbor who confirmed my finding we took off the panel and disconnected. I already knew it was tied to another breaker, the one that controlled the cellar lights and of course I had tripped that breaker. So I was never in danger but thanks for your concern.
I'll ask again: Did this situation actually drain power and bump my bill even a few pennies?
Check that, I identified the breaker and what it does is kill the lights to the cellar (this is a farmhouse built in 1900). Again totally unacceptable to permanently turn off that breaker. There is no visible sign of the outdoor line leaving the panel box.
I was able to pull the wire up until it joins with a junction box wrapped in plastic and duck tape. Yeah well that wasn't a well done project but at least he used UF-B. I am unable to access that junction box as the screws are rusted but I can cut the line from the house to the junction box, then cap it and bury. Again I can't trace it back to the house due to the patio. So how to bury safely is the question.
You can't bury a junction box. You have to find where the wire exits the house from the basement and terminate it there. If that wire is hot all the time even when the basement lights are off, it might be coming from the switch to those lights. It might be as simple as disconnecting the wire from power in the switch box. Try following the wires from light to light and from the switch to see where it ends up.
Success and no electrician needed. As I said I could not trace the wire back as it disappeared under a patio. But I was able to identify an identical UF-B going into the panel so with the help of a more knowledgable neighbor who confirmed my finding we took off the panel and disconnected. I already knew it was tied to another breaker, the one that controlled the cellar lights and of course I had tripped that breaker. So I was never in danger but thanks for your concern.
I'll ask again: Did this situation actually drain power and bump my bill even a few pennies?
The "drain" is more short hand for some current flow. And yes at least when it rains you might actually lose some current that basically heats the soil. I would think once the areas dries out it would be insulated by the soil and current would cease to flow. So perhaps a little when it is wet. May not be enough to be detectable in your power bill. And you might get small current flow all the time even when dry depending on the soil and its conductivity. Certainly enough to be dangerous though.
Success and no electrician needed. As I said I could not trace the wire back as it disappeared under a patio. But I was able to identify an identical UF-B going into the panel so with the help of a more knowledgable neighbor who confirmed my finding we took off the panel and disconnected. I already knew it was tied to another breaker, the one that controlled the cellar lights and of course I had tripped that breaker. So I was never in danger but thanks for your concern.
I'll ask again: Did this situation actually drain power and bump my bill even a few pennies?
The wire is simply hot. It's not drawing any power so there is no usage. It's just a live wire. It's no different than having a receptacle with nothing plugged in
The wire is simply hot. It's not drawing any power so there is no usage. It's just a live wire. It's no different than having a receptacle with nothing plugged in
Mild disagreement. Depends on the contact to the soil and how conductive it is, particularly when wet.
Practically correct...very few such situations will draw any significant current...but under some circumstances it can happen.
I don't understand the reason for this nasty tone. If I identified the breaker that powers this wire and shut it off it also shuts off the lights to the bathrooms. I'm pretty sure I have identified it as there is a GFI breaker on the panel. So how is tripping this breaker and forever losing lights to the bathroom the BEST ONE again?
Mild disagreement. Depends on the contact to the soil and how conductive it is, particularly when wet.
Practically correct...very few such situations will draw any significant current...but under some circumstances it can happen.
Yeah but it's not drawing anything. It's leaking electricity in the surrounding soil. There is still no draw. There is nothing using the electricity. In order to use electricity you need to have something draw it and use it
I guess if somehow induction or a appliance in some way gets power off the leaking voltage (vampire draw) that gets intorduced in the soil it's possible. But that's very remote
Yeah but it's not drawing anything. It's leaking electricity in the surrounding soil. There is still no draw. There is nothing using the electricity. In order to use electricity you need to have something draw it and use it
I guess if somehow induction or a appliance in some way gets power off the leaking voltage (vampire draw) that gets intorduced in the soil it's possible. But that's very remote
Yes there is...it is ohmicly heating the soil. There is a resistor between the hot and the neutral or between the hot and ground which is getting warm. I remember once seeing a 208 volt conductor laying in a shallow puddle bubbling a little.
Again I agree the flow will mostly be low or even nonexistent but what it is doing is using the yard as a resistance heater.
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