Don't know how to title this one!

[chrisb]

A friend cut into a SER cable buried in his back yard that leads to a small garage. (I've already pointed out to him SER direct burial at 12 " is not cool). He made repairs but now the lights in the garage will not come on, they just flicker. But if he turns on something connected to an outlet in the garage the lights come on. Also, he has a small table fan and other small devices plugged into a power strip. As he unplugs various items from the power strip the fans speeds up as though it is on a dimmer. The voltage is rising?

I suspect the neutral wire in the trench has been damaged but I would greatly appreciate your thoughts.

 

[stickboy1375]

Ser is not rated for direct burial at all, never mind the 12"...

 

[iwire]

I suspect the neutral wire in the trench has been damaged but I would greatly appreciate your thoughts.

Yes it sounds like a neutral problem.

The power should have been shut down as soon as this was noticed.

Dig a new trench, use the correct cable or raceway and fix it right.

 

[charlie b]

Here?s a title for you:

Here?s a title for you:

I come to bury SER, not to raise it.

 

[chrisb]

Thanks iwire!

 

[Oakey]

Do you mean UF 4 wire direct burial was used? Just wondering..

 

[M. D.]

I wonder who installed the S.E.R. in the first place .

 

[M. D.]

. He made repairs but now the lights in the garage will not come on, they just flicker. ...

not enough of them perhaps.
Let me guess your friend is not an electrician??

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

not enough of them perhaps.
Let me guess your friend is not an electrician??

It sounds like the only way electrician can be used in a sentence with his friend would go something like this:
"He is too cheap to hire an electrician."

 

[M. D.]

Amen , brother ,.. my advice to chrisb would be stay away stay very far away.

 

[coulter]

I come to bury SER, not to raise it

Et tu, Charlie

 

[george t. everett]

Ser is not rated for direct burial at all, never mind the 12"...

Could it have been tray cable, not SER?

 

[Inspectorcliff]

my oh my

my oh my

Sounds like a place to capture fishing worms. This definitely sounds like a place in need of proper expertise and repair.

 

[inspectorparker]

Stay out of that garage!!!!