Home wiring...

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

Okay, well, the wire in my back yard went bad... I have 3 outlets connected to a beam in my back yard's patio... for some reason, none of the 3 outlets work. I figured it was faulty wiring. What gauge wire should I use for AC-Current?

I was thinking like 12 or 14 awg would work? Or would I need bigger? The wire in there is pretty small, I'd say 12 or 14.

Any insight or help troubleshooting it so I don't have to tear that ish down and replace all the wire?

Click to read more...

 

[Ken448 10+ year member]

are they ground fault plugs?? Sometimes they go bad, and need to be replaced. Could be a short in the wire somewhere too. Animals like to chew on wire when they get bored with life.

 

[sqhertz 5,000+ posts]

14/3 will work fine.

check or replace your outlets first since that can be done cheapest. i know we had one outlet out in our house for the longest and all it was, was that it went bad over time.

 

[97gp 5,000+ posts]

You should probably ask seth phillips, he's like bob vila or something.

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

are they ground fault plugs?? Sometimes they go bad, and need to be replaced. Could be a short in the wire somewhere too. Animals like to chew on wire when they get bored with life.

Nah. They're just regular plugs... as for animals chewing the wires, I don't think that's a possibility. It's in a metal tube the whole way.... I think even from the fuse box.

14/3 will work fine.check or replace your outlets first since that can be done cheapest. i know we had one outlet out in our house for the longest and all it was, was that it went bad over time.

Well, whenever I find my X-acto knife or a razor, I'm gunna check connectivity between the start of the tube on the ground and where the first plug is connected. (It's hard to explain the set-up... basically a 1" metal tube extruding from the ground by one of the first supporting beams, it runs up the beam and then across another beam all the way down my patio...)

You should probably ask seth phillips, he's like bob vila or something.

Fuckin' Bob Vila.

 

[quins90lac 10+ year member]

are they wired up to a switch on the inside of the house .if they are ide check the switch . i know hear in IL any kind of out building including sheds garages and out side power out lets have to have 2 switches one in the building that kills the power and one in side the house that dose the same also the first outlet in the circuit must be a 20amp max GFI

 

[SethPhillips 5,000+ posts]

14-2 is what kinda of wire you will need allso see if It tripped breaker

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

are they wired up to a switch on the inside of the house .if they are ide check the switch . i know hear in IL any kind of out building including sheds garages and out side power out lets have to have 2 switches one in the building that kills the power and one in side the house that dose the same also the first outlet in the circuit must be a 20amp max GFI

They're all wired up to the same breaker, as well as the light inside of my laundry room, and the fans outside... there's also an old outlet sitting out in the middle of my backyard which shorted out (but it worked), and there's a small plug (not in the same power line as the ones that aren't working) that work, as well as the light in my laundry room and the fans outside.