Lights Out in the Garage: Repairing Underground Feeder Cables

Having power in a detached garage or shed is essential for automatic door openers, lighting, and tools. But one day, you flip the switch, and nothing happens. You check the main panel, reset the breaker, and it trips again instantly. The diagnosis is often the homeowner's worst nightmare: a fault in the underground feeder cable running through the backyard.

Underground wires live a hard life. They are subjected to freezing ground, gnawing moles, and tree roots. Over decades, the insulation breaks down, causing a short circuit to the earth. Fixing this doesn't always mean renting a trencher and destroying your landscaping. Modern Electrical Repair Services in New Jersey utilize diagnostic technologies to locate and repair the fault with surgical precision, restoring power to your outbuilding efficiently.

Locating the Fault with Precision

The old way of fixing a bad underground line was to abandon it and dig a whole new trench. The new way is "fault finding." We use a device called a "thumper" or an A-Frame fault locator. We disconnect the wire at both ends and send a high-voltage pulse down the line. The tool detects exactly where the electricity is leaking into the ground. It can pinpoint the break to within a few inches. This means we only have to dig one small hole to access the damaged section, saving your lawn, patio, or flower bed from widespread destruction.

Underground Splice Kits

Once we expose the damaged wire (often cut by a shovel years ago or crushed by a rock), we repair it using a heavy-duty underground splice kit. These aren't regular wire nuts. They are mechanical connectors housed in a mold that we pour full of waterproof epoxy resin, or thick-walled heat shrink tubing with mastic glue liners. These repairs are rated for direct burial and are completely impervious to water. A properly executed underground splice is stronger than the original wire and will last for the life of the cable.

Conduit Breaches and Water Ingress

Sometimes the wire is in a conduit, but the conduit has cracked. Water enters the pipe and freezes, crushing the insulation of the wires inside. In these cases, we might need to pull the old wires out and pull new THWN (water-rated) conductors through the existing pipe. If the conduit is collapsed (often due to tree roots), we may have to dig up that specific section to repair the pipe before pulling new wire. We use fish tapes and pulling lube to navigate the new wires through the existing infrastructure, avoiding the need for a new trench.

Upgrading the Sub-Panel

While we are restoring power, we often assess the sub-panel in the garage. Many older garages are fed by a single 15-amp circuit that is barely enough for a lightbulb. If we have to replace the wire anyway (due to extensive damage), it is the perfect time to upgrade the feeder to a 50-amp or 60-amp cable. This allows you to install a proper sub-panel in the garage, giving you the capacity for EV charging, welding, or heating in the future. It turns a repair expense into a value-adding upgrade.

Conclusion

Losing power to your garage is inconvenient, but the repair doesn't have to be a landscape disaster. With advanced fault locating and waterproof repair techniques, we can heal the connection under your yard. Don't let a broken wire render your garage useless; get the power flowing again.

Call to Action

Restore power to your detached garage without destroying your yard by contacting our underground repair specialists.

Visit: https://www.sperryelectricnj.com/electrical-repair-services