Here’s a new outdoor electrical problem

[pmiranda]

The ground somehow shifted enough over the last few years to snap off the pvc fitting where my gate opener power feed enters the panel. Eventually the insulation wore through enough to pop the GFI.


All the dirt in the bottom of the panel is from the nest I removed from the mud daubers that came in through the open knock out.

So, I guess check all your small conduit fittings more than once a year.

 

[LopezBart]

By any chance is the gate actuator connected to the panel? Because something is moving that panel...

 

[pmiranda]

Nope, the conduit just goes straight into the ground then about 10 feet over to the gate.
Maybe the horses or cows got curious and rubbed against them, or more likely just walked next to it and compacted the soil.
Hard to tell from the picture but the conduit is more than an inch lower than when I put it in about 4 years ago.
If I had to do it over I would have put more effort into running it closer to the big conduit.
I will leave more of the cable jacket intact within the panel this time so if it happens again the inner wires won't be as vulnerable.

 

[TurnipTruck]

When you replace the wires, use outdoor rated wiring. That looks like nm-b (romex). I would cut the conduit and add a foot of flex, too.

 

[Bert_]

That's why you are supposed to use an expansion joint. This is super common.

 

[Dagny]

Cows cows is the problem. You cant put too many straps. They get bored and hey I know lets chew this pipe off the wall.

 

[Dagny]

Yeah not sure about texas but every pipe going into the ground here should have an exp. joint

 

[PCustoms]

Kind of looks like liquid tire or flex conduit not sure how the expansion joint would have helped

 

[whateg01]

Am I looking at that right? Nothing on the ground bus and neutral and ground wires on the neutral bus?

 

[PCustoms]

Am I looking at that right? Nothing on the ground bus and neutral and ground wires on the neutral bus?

Looks like a main panel?

Not sure how the Eaton ones are bonded

 

[pmiranda]

I don’t remember off the top of my head but I’m pretty sure there’s a bar between the downstream ground bus on the left and the neutral bus on the right.
Yes, I’ll be replacing the top foot of rigid pvc with a liquid tite for flexibility. Otherwise I’m not sure I could even get the repair into the panel.

 

[JKinAK]

Are you experiencing freeze/thaw cycles where this is (Austin?) these last few years?
Our ground moves significantly every fall and spring proportionally to the moisture content of the soil. It expands in the fall and contracts in the spring, something most of Texas isn't used to seeing. It's powerful stuff and will destroy just about anything that isn't designed to accommodate it. It'll grab your conduit and move it vertically or sideways (with a lot of force). Cows seem like a more plausible explanation but freezes are becoming common in the south these days.

 

[pmiranda]

BTW Something I learned about premade liquid-tite whips a few years ago:
Don't assume they are actually assembled correctly. I bought a couple for doing my AC compressors and only about half the fittings were usable so I had to disassemble and reassemble them.

 

[rancherbill]

...Maybe the horses or cows got curious and rubbed against them, or more likely just walked next to it and compacted the soil...

...If ya gotta itch .... They rub anything. It's a lot of lateral force to sheer it like that.

 

[PCustoms]

only about half the fittings were usable so I had to disassemble and reassemble them.

Unusable in what way?

 

[Dodgeboy2020]

I agree with what others have said, using a slip joint type expansion section of the conduit right before it enters the panel will help alot. I believe the ones I used are actually supposed to be used to help repair damaged conduit in that you can collapse the fitting, put it in place and then expand to fit the damaged area. When I installed mine vertically right under the box on the house I 'split the difference' between the longest and shortest they are designed to be and they have been working well for the 4 years or so that I have had them in place. I'm in SE Wisconsin so we definitely deal with frost heaving issues almost every year.

 

[captaindiode]

Am I looking at that right? Nothing on the ground bus and neutral and ground wires on the neutral bus?

Looks like a sub-panel to me with a four wire feed. Notice the green egc tied to the left bar, but the heavy bare copper exiting the bottom which most likely goes to a ground rod on the neutral bar. I believe the grounds should all be on the left, neutrals on the right and the bars split and with no bonding screw in the neutral, if it is a sub-panel.

 

[hobie18]

Mrs O'Leary has signed in.

 

[Bert_]

Looks like a sub-panel to me with a four wire feed. Notice the green egc tied to the left bar, but the heavy bare copper exiting the bottom which most likely goes to a ground rod on the neutral bar. I believe the grounds should all be on the left, neutrals on the right and the bars split and with no bonding screw in the neutral, if it is a sub-panel.

Pretty sure it's a meter/main. Power comes in the top. The big wires going out the bottom probably go to the house. It's all bonded together...

 

[mike93lx]

When you replace the wires, use outdoor rated wiring. That looks like nm-b (romex). I would cut the conduit and add a foot of flex, too.

Agreed. That doesn't look like UF to me

 

[PCustoms]

Agreed. That doesn't look like UF to me

Looks like grey jacket and no paper (though there's a lot of brown in the bottom so hard to say).

 

[mike93lx]

Looks like grey jacket and no paper (though there's a lot of brown in the bottom so hard to say).

The grey made me question it but the jacket doesn't look molded, so that's what was making me think NM. Not clear either way and worth it for the OP to check

 

[PCustoms]

The grey made me question it but the jacket doesn't look molded, so that's what was making me think NM. Not clear either way and worth it for the OP to check

You know, I'm suddenly reminded of the blue/grey gross NM that I ripped out of my house...

 

[sparky 1971]

Yes, I’ll be replacing the top foot of rigid pvc with a liquid tite for flexibility. Otherwise I’m not sure I could even get the repair into the panel.

Use an expansion coupling

Carlon 1/2 in. Schedule 40 and 80 PVC Standard Expansion Coupling E945D-6-HD - The Home Depot

Get the Carlon E945 Series 1/2 in. Sch. 40 Expansion Fitting E945D-CAR, gray designed to compensate for length changes due to temperature variations in exposed conduit runs, it can be installed horizontally

www.homedepot.com

 

[dave*99]

Let's not forget the conduit for the 200A cable needs an expansion coupling too.

 

[Norcal]

That Zinsco II mobile home feed through panel looks to also have some corrosion on the bus stabs.

 

[PCustoms]

mobile home feed through panel

Is this a new type of panel?

 

[alfredeneuman]

Maybe the horses or cows got curious and rubbed against them, or more likely just walked next to it and compacted the soil.

Why is the panel in the corral in the first place?

 

[no704]

Mrs O'Leary has signed in.

My wife better not be here!

 

[hobie18]

Burn down two cities