Electrician help needed. Wire to fish cleaning house – 10.3V AC.

We have a fish cleaning house with water and electricity. I went to use the outlet to charge my boat. My Minn Kota in-boat charger wouldn’t work so I tried the fish house light – nope. Turns out it has only has 10.3V AC. It worked last October.

Underground 12/2 with ground wire from 200amp panel 50′ to LED yard light (works just fine), spliced underground at light pole then 150′ to fish house. Has been there 40+ years with zero issues. It is aluminum wire (old guys like me remember that time). It’s the only thing on that breaker. There’s been no work around the wire.

My guess is that the wire is broken/cracked somewhere. Is there a way to find out where??? Or is it new wire time? My Dad (96) says it’s “a good foot deep” across the yard. My guess it’s the depth of a long nose shovel – he dug it by hand. The only way I can think is to dig it in the middle, cut it and check voltage. Then cut in the middle again, and again. That could mean several cuts/splices.

Monday I might dig up the spice at the pole and check the connections but since the light works I think it’s not the issue. Burying 150′ of wire isn’t a job for the spring around here.

EDIT: Oh and I only need the fish house one more summer.

Aluminum wire has a bad tendency to corroad at all splices.
I would start at the point where it splices at the light pole and your fish house.
There is a way of traceing the wire and finding the fault, but I would start at all your junction points first.

Get yourself a tile spade, it wont take long to dig a trench deep enough for the new wire.
Or you can rent a compact trencher that will do the job for you in minutes.

Could just be phantom/ghost voltage. Some volt meters will test for this by putting a really small load on it and when done, volts will go away. a lot of electric lines will have this.

To be up to code you will need to trench 24” deep or 12” and install in pvc conduit.

Tom schmitt wrote:

Aluminum wire has a bad tendency to corroad at all splices.
I would start at the point where it splices at the light pole and your fish house.
There is a way of traceing the wire and finding the fault, but I would start at all your junction points first.

———-
Wire comes into the fish house to a 4×4 box with an outlet. I took all the wires apart. When I turned the power back on still 10V at wire coming in. I guess I will did up by the light pole and see what going on there.

Burying $150 worth of wire for a few months (few hours of light actually) of use doesn’t seem worth it. Maybe I will put my ice shack battery in there and switch the bulb to 12V. Would get me by for the summer with just a few charges.

Tom, how difficult to trace it if need be??

Thank you.

I know this is going to sound like bs but get yourself 2 pieces of number 6 ground wire about 18 inches long bend them to an L grasp 1 wire loosely in each hand have them point straight out. Walk across known wire locations. If wires cross you have power underneath. Continue doing this back and forth until no longer cross that is where your break is or very close.

Wire need to be solid

michael keehr wrote:

I know this is going to sound like bs but get yourself 2 pieces of number 6 ground wire about 18 inches long bend them to an L grasp 1 wire loosely in each hand have them point straight out. Walk across known wire locations. If wires cross you have power underneath. Continue doing this back and forth until no longer cross that is where your break is or very close.

These are called witching sticks. And they work to find power and water lines. It’s Blackmagic. No idea how or why they work but they do

Witching sticks definitely work, use utility marking flags.
I think they work from the magnetic field created by electricity and the opening in the ground from an empty pipe.
If your power is not at the fish house it more than likely is bad underground at the pole.

I was taught witching early on in my electrical career. The man that taught me was amazing could almost tell you exact depth wire was at, like within an inch. I have done this to find many broken wires. It makes no sense but it works

Could get by with 12″ if following column 4.

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My uncle had a set of witching sticks. I thought it was BS. I held them and walked across the water line from the well to the house. Dang, they worked!! Never heard the end of it from him.

I have used the wire witching sticks for 30+ years. I have used them for gas (propane & natural), water and sewer lines dozens of times. I found a septic tank or 3 too. They have no electricity in them. The “old guy” who taught me told me that they find any void in the ground (no soil). I don’t see how it will tell if has power or not. But willing to learn. I will give it try though.

So you’re all actually telling me witching sticks/ dowsing is not pseudoscience?

I’m going to try it when I get home. I have a known water pipe and known electrical lines. If those sticks don’t cross you can all pat yourselves on the back for having “got” me.

I don’t see a legitimate physics reason why this would work. I hear a lot of talk about magnetic fields, I’m not buying it at face value.

KPE – Cut up metal coat hanger has worked for me. Try not to shake your head and chuckle when they cross. Then do it 4 more times and laugh again. Hold them lightly. You can even point the tips down so the wire needs to turn “uphill” (in opposite directions). I don’t know the physics but I see the results . . . every time.

I go from both directions, mark the toe tips and center the marks to get the right spot.