How can I find a break in an buried electrical wire without digging it all up?
Answers:
The problem is probably either close to where the wire enters the house foundation or where it connects at the well head. Make sure your testing correctly.
If the house was built within the last 5 years, the back fill around the foundation has settled and put a lot of strain on the wire as well as the water pipe coming from the well. I would dig down 4 feet at the outside wall where the wire enters the foundation wall. However it's hard to believe that 12/2 Romex type wire would suffer enough tension force to break. Usually it's the water pipe that breaks at the wall and springs a leak. I'd recheck the voltage at the well head.
Other answers:
what u need is a tick tracer ora fox and hound unit the fox and hound unit will help more the fox unit sends a paulce on the line and the hound unit will helpfind the break
what u need is a tick tracer ora fox and hound unit the fox and hound unit will help more the fox unit sends a paulce on the line and the hound unit will helpfind the break
You need to use a circuit tracer. One part of the unit send a signal thruogh the wire, the other unit is kind of like a a receiver that will pick up the signal as you go along the path of the wire. Loss of the signal is either the break in the wire or you are off the path of the wire.
Your best bet would be to replace the whole line, and put it in plastic conduit, with detection tape (kind of a metal wrap tape) around it to find the conduit under ground if you have to dig, repair, etc., around that area. It may not be cheap, but will save you more headaches later on.