Replies

1. 
   SamT | Dec 17, 2003 01:30am | #1

   OPen return side?

   SamT

   "You will do me the justice to remember that I have always strenuously supported the right of every man to his opinion, however different that opinion may be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it."   Thomas Paine

2. 
   Sphere | Dec 17, 2003 01:44am | #2

   That other guy in wire nut posts did your j-box..find it.

3. 
   EricS | Dec 17, 2003 03:09am | #3

   More info - there is continuity between neutral and ground at lamp post.  Before I took the lamp post apart to troubleshoot, I wanted to open the breaker for this circuit.  Since the breakers in the sub are not identified, I took the easy way out and tried to short the hot at the switch.  This did not trip the breaker so I flipped half the breakers and half again and finally found the correct breaker and marked it.

   Is this a separate problem - i.e. eventually replace the breaker or is this somehow connected into the 77v reading at the lamp post?

   thanks again,

   Eric S. 

1. 
   decornut | Dec 18, 2003 02:45am | #13

   "I took the easy way out and tried to short the hot at the switch.  This did not trip the breaker "

   "the" breaker?  a dead short should have tripped the breaker for that branch circuit.  If that was defective, it should have tripped the subpanel breaker.  If that was defective, it should have tripped the main service panel breaker.  So I would check to see if you have continuity on the neutral of your feed from the switch back to the subpanel.  (Most reliable test would be to use a "pigtail" - a lighbulb socket with two wires coming out of a black molded base.  just touch one lead to the hot and one to the neutral.  Phantom voltages don't light up incandescent bulbs).

1. 
   EricS | Dec 18, 2003 05:59am | #14

   When I say "I tried to short the hot lead at the switch", the lead was disconnected from the switch.  I then shorted the hot lead to ground at the switch box as "my easy way out".  The result was the typical "instantaneous" spark(s) and when I checked the lead for voltage, you can imagine how surprised I was to see the meter still reading 120v.  This DID NOT trip any breaker in either the sub or main.  I certainly don't condone this practice but the fact that it uncovered the additional(?) problem, I'm feeling good about that.

   I believe I have two separate problems here as the other lights and maybe outlets all seem to work just fine.

   Thanks for your input - I'll test the neutral as you suggested tomorrow.

   Eric S. 

4. 
   fireball | Dec 17, 2003 03:13am | #4

   Look at where the UF cable comes out of the lamp  post base.

5. 
   bake | Dec 17, 2003 03:20am | #5

   77 volts with a digital meter? If so I would dismiss it as inductance, being as an incandescent lamp should light with that voltage (dimly)

   My guess the problem is in the hidden jb, once you find that you can perform your checks both ways from there.

   bake

1. 
   EricS | Dec 17, 2003 04:51am | #9

   Yes, 77v with a Fluke 77.  I xan only hope that the JB is part of an outdoor recepticle box that has a cracked duplex which I will replace tomorrow anyway.

   Eric S. 

   Edited 12/16/2003 8:56:46 PM ET by Eric Svendson

1. 
   Sphere | Dec 17, 2003 05:08pm | #10

   probly not much help.but when I ran uf under a gate for my ele. fence.it was bleeding off current into the ground,, it was rated at 600v and I was pushing over 5000v..maybe tho ya have some split in the uf jacket or some standard romex making contact with the ground and bleeding off some juice..

1. 
   EricS | Dec 17, 2003 10:06pm | #11

   Thanks

   Well, I figure there's either something amiss with the UF cable or where the NM from the switch splices into the UF in the JB that I haven't yet looked for (its raining cats and dogs this day in MD). 

   Eric S.

6. 
   MrBill | Dec 17, 2003 03:22am | #6

   Eric,

    Does the lamp have a photocell to turn it off during the day ? I had a problem a few years ago where the photocell went bad and was only allowing the lamp to glow at about 3/4 normal brightness.  It also had a low voltage condition at the lamp socket.

   Bill Koustenis

   Advanced Automotive Machine

   Waldorf Md

1. 
   EricS | Dec 17, 2003 04:41am | #7

   Mr. Bill  -

   Thanks but no, there is no photocell.

1. 
   RalphWicklund | Dec 17, 2003 04:49am | #8

   Anybody been digging in the area of the lamp post or the wire route to the post?

   Replaced a run of UF last week that had been damaged months ago during a replanting of a small shrub. The hot wire had been nicked and the problem took a while to manifest. Same as yours - low voltage.

   Who ever did the original electrical job only buried the wire about 6 inches below the surface.

7. 
   lunar | Dec 18, 2003 01:09am | #12

   This is probably off subject, but my brother bought an old house where the lamp post light didn't work.  He had power in the basement as the wire exited but not at the post.

   Electrician friend told him to swap the hot and neutral wires inside the house and lo and behold power to the post!

   Explained it to him/me as a leaky hot wire which wouldn't matter so much on the neutral side as it picked up its ground through the leak.  Probably violates a few code rules but nevertheless lit the post.

   C.