House tech- outside electrical box

[proskier101]

Got myself into a problem on my house. This junction use to go to a non existent light pole in my front yard. I was hoping to turn this into an outside outlet for holiday lights.

Two issues.

The screws broke off in the plastic junction box. What's the best action here?

There is no power to the wires in the box. I have no idea where the wires go, how the old light turned on, or anything. The house across the street has a switch, the house next to me is always on with a solar switch.

Is there any strategy to finding where that wire goes without removing a bunch of outlets and looking for a disconnected wire?

 

[jeeptj19992001]

Need a wire tracer

Klein Tools 80016 Circuit Breaker Finder Tool Kit with Accessories, 2-Piece Set, Includes Cat. No. ET310 and Cat. No. 69411 Amazon.com

Amazon.com

 

[Pook]

Need a wire tracer

Klein Tools 80016 Circuit Breaker Finder Tool Kit with Accessories, 2-Piece Set, Includes Cat. No. ET310 and Cat. No. 69411 Amazon.com

Amazon.com

This tool works really well.

 

[Pook]

Got myself into a problem on my house. This junction use to go to a non existent light pole in my front yard. I was hoping to turn this into an outside outlet for holiday lights.

Two issues.

The screws broke off in the plastic junction box. What's the best action here?

There is no power to the wires in the box. I have no idea where the wires go, how the old light turned on, or anything. The house across the street has a switch, the house next to me is always on with a solar switch.

Is there any strategy to finding where that wire goes without removing a bunch of outlets and looking for a disconnected wire?

I would try and cut away the plastic around where the bolts where until I could grab them with some pliers.

Really the only option that won’t make a mess and as an electrician is what I would do at a customers house…

 

[proskier101]

It looks like this one will help me find dead wires in the wall? My worry is it's been cut and just buried or the hot wire robbed and repurposed to a newer remodeled bathroom that is nearby.

I've been checking outlets on that side of the house to see if there is a capped wire in the wall.

 

[M92PV4U]

I would try and cut away the plastic around where the bolts where until I could grab them with some pliers.

Really the only option that won’t make a mess and as an electrician is what I would do at a customers house…

And heat the plastic with a heat gun.

 

[Pook]

It looks like this one will help me find dead wires in the wall? My worry is it's been cut and just buried or the hot wire robbed and repurposed to a newer remodeled bathroom that is nearby.

I've been checking outlets on that side of the house to see if there is a capped wire in the wall.

Any other exterior plugs? I would check there first. Any decent electrician wouldn’t of stole power from an interior cct to run lights/plugs outside

 

[jeeptj19992001]

It looks like this one will help me find dead wires in the wall? My worry is it's been cut and just buried or the hot wire robbed and repurposed to a newer remodeled bathroom that is nearby.

I've been checking outlets on that side of the house to see if there is a capped wire in the wall.

Yes this us a trace.

 

[proskier101]

Any other exterior plugs? I would check there first. Any decent electrician wouldn’t of stole power from an interior cct to run lights/plugs outside

I have 1 other exterior plug in the back of my house, I'll check it though.

 

[pcorssmit]

Check for any tripped GFIs as well.

 

[Chevy_man]

Any other exterior plugs? I would check there first. Any decent electrician wouldn’t of stole power from an interior cct to run lights/plugs outside

Decent and residential rarely go together. Assume nothing.

 

[M92PV4U]

Any other exterior plugs? I would check there first. Any decent electrician wouldn’t of stole power from an interior cct to run lights/plugs outside

Decent and residential rarely go together. Assume nothing.

My house is from 05 and the outside receptacles are daisy chained from the garage gfic. I have a customer who's house is from the 80s and her outside receptacles are daisy chained from the bathroom gfic.

 

[proskier101]

My house is from 05 and the outside receptacles are daisy chained from the garage gfic. I have a customer who's house is from the 80s and her outside receptacles are daisy chained from the bathroom gfic.

This house was built in 84. For some reason, my light above my kitchen sink was powered by the bathroom outlet on another floor.... that is on the other side of the house. They just ran a wire across the entire house for that one light while building it...

I'll check the backyard outlet to see if it is there and I'll double check my house lamps to see if they were tied into those. I don't think there was anything there though.

 

[MigGunslinger]

I have a customer who's house is from the 80s and her outside receptacles are daisy chained from the bathroom gfic.

I have a house built in the 70s and the exterior outlets are on the same circuit as the bathroom GFCI outlet too.

I would check the closest bathroom GFCI for abandoned wires.

 

[Chevy_man]

I have a house built in the 70s and the exterior outlets are on the same circuit as the bathroom GFCI outlet too.

I would check the closest bathroom GFCI for abandoned wires.

This was common when it cost $1500 to wire an entire house to basic code, and a GFCI was super expensive at $12 compared to the standard recep at $0.12.

This house was built in 84. For some reason, my light above my kitchen sink was powered by the bathroom outlet on another floor.... that is on the other side of the house. They just ran a wire across the entire house for that one light while building it...

I'll check the backyard outlet to see if it is there and I'll double check my house lamps to see if they were tied into those. I don't think there was anything there though.

Likely it was fished across the attic later, and that was the run the service guy happened to grab.

By code bathroom circuits can only serve bathrooms. Bathroom lights can be on the lighting circuit with other rooms. Cheap asses used to run a home run to one bathroom, install GFCI, run across to any other bathrooms. Then put lights on with the hallway.
GFCI protection used to be way more expensive than wire.


My favorite resi guy was the dick that would drill the holes on the back of the 15A receps to be able to push in #12s, and he'd splice on the device because wire nuts were too expensive.
His $850k custom house burned down right after he retired and sold his business. I swear God waited for him to retire and think he was set with $ to smack the shit out of him with karma.

 

[grumpy356]

This was common when it cost $1500 to wire an entire house to basic code, and a GFCI was super expensive at $12 compared to the standard recep at $0.12.




Likely it was fished across the attic later, and that was the run the service guy happened to grab.

By code bathroom circuits can only serve bathrooms. Bathroom lights can be on the lighting circuit with other rooms. Cheap asses used to run a home run to one bathroom, install GFCI, run across to any other bathrooms. Then put lights on with the hallway.
GFCI protection used to be way more expensive than wire.

COUNTERTOP & Work Surfaces.

If it's a plug at the floor, it can be on a random circuit.

I believe that is current anyway.

 

[Chevy_man]

COUNTERTOP & Work Surfaces.

If it's a plug at the floor, it can be on a random circuit.

I believe that is current anyway.

Who puts receps in the bathroom floor?

We pull a home run to every bath regardless. GFCI is cheap comparatively these days.