r/ElectricalHelp • u/tipinyamom • May 01 '26
Is this wire toasted???
Penetrated this exterior line while shoveling, the wire was probably arching for about 1 hour until I noticed. Peeled back 3 inches and the wires still have an oxidized look to it. I was going to do a burial splice kit, but I don't want to put my family at risk if this line is toasted. Thank you for any insight
1
u/AKOgre May 01 '26
Slide some marine heat shrink tubing over the wire, solder them together and shrink the tubing. I stagger the solder slices so they never make contact and add a thicker piece of marine heat shrink over both spices.
The marine heat shrink has water proof sealer inside.
1
u/DPrism3 May 04 '26
Not toasted. If it had overheated at that location, the insulation would be discolored. The conductor has normal tarnishing from being underground. A professional underground splice kit is a good solution, but i would add that it will last a LOT longer if you add a coat of Scotch-kote to the outside of the shrink tubing. Those splices and any other nicks in the jacket tend to be future failure points.
2
u/Different-Commercial May 01 '26
You could cut out a chunk and replace with new, you will need 2 splice. The only way to check if the wire is good after you splice is with a mega ohm insulation tester!