Fred B
Senior Member
- Location
- Upstate, NY
- Occupation
- Electrician
Got a call for parking lot lights being out in a large store like Walmart or Macy's,. The companies guy who does bulbs claims that there is a wireing issue below grade.
Been to site to check on it and there is no rhyme or reason apparent to how it is wired between poles.
Two poles that I checked so far when checking for power made even less sense, first pole that was "working" that "was supposedly providing connection point" to second pole had no power on lines going up into pole to the lights but did have power on a line that simply spliced and went back down in the conduits. The wires in second pole also did not have power but also did not have the same color conductors that are in the first pole. Would there normally be some kind of schematics for a parking lot lighting design? (I would think so but nobody there knows anything.)
Went back after dark to confirm which lights are out as again nobody on site including store manager knew anything. Did confirm the nonfunctional lights.
Other thing nobody knew was where the breakers for the lights are, they took me to 4 different electrical rooms last one did have a panel that had beakers marked as parking lot lights but each breaker also marked "motor control", what this is idk. So do they really control only the light circuits?
Would there be a timer on these light besides the photo control that are on the fixtures? That could account for no power at the now known working fixture, but again nobody knows anything.
These breakers are also different than normal, had an additional smaller wire about a #16 besides the larger #10 that is also seen at the poles, similar to shunt trip but not quite. Seen online something similar that indicated it was a relay control of sorts that will switch the circuit off and on with an internal motor, but didn't see if it actually putting the breaker handle into a tripped position. If this is indeed controlling the power as a switch again nobody knows where the controls are (timers or other sort).
Each fixture also has inline fuses, that would be my first investigation vs a buried long term previously working lighting wire damage as no recent (at least more than a year) excavation done at site. But unable to confirm as yet power issue, breaker state, or timer/photo cell issue. Without which LOTO not possible. Panel found that had breakers marked as parking lot lights also marked as 277V so feel LOTO should be done.
Seems there should be some schematics for the whole thing, but again nobody knows anything.
Been to site to check on it and there is no rhyme or reason apparent to how it is wired between poles.
Two poles that I checked so far when checking for power made even less sense, first pole that was "working" that "was supposedly providing connection point" to second pole had no power on lines going up into pole to the lights but did have power on a line that simply spliced and went back down in the conduits. The wires in second pole also did not have power but also did not have the same color conductors that are in the first pole. Would there normally be some kind of schematics for a parking lot lighting design? (I would think so but nobody there knows anything.)
Went back after dark to confirm which lights are out as again nobody on site including store manager knew anything. Did confirm the nonfunctional lights.
Other thing nobody knew was where the breakers for the lights are, they took me to 4 different electrical rooms last one did have a panel that had beakers marked as parking lot lights but each breaker also marked "motor control", what this is idk. So do they really control only the light circuits?
Would there be a timer on these light besides the photo control that are on the fixtures? That could account for no power at the now known working fixture, but again nobody knows anything.
These breakers are also different than normal, had an additional smaller wire about a #16 besides the larger #10 that is also seen at the poles, similar to shunt trip but not quite. Seen online something similar that indicated it was a relay control of sorts that will switch the circuit off and on with an internal motor, but didn't see if it actually putting the breaker handle into a tripped position. If this is indeed controlling the power as a switch again nobody knows where the controls are (timers or other sort).
Each fixture also has inline fuses, that would be my first investigation vs a buried long term previously working lighting wire damage as no recent (at least more than a year) excavation done at site. But unable to confirm as yet power issue, breaker state, or timer/photo cell issue. Without which LOTO not possible. Panel found that had breakers marked as parking lot lights also marked as 277V so feel LOTO should be done.
Seems there should be some schematics for the whole thing, but again nobody knows anything.
