I purchased a house back in May and this was originally missed in the inspections. I have no idea how long it’s been like this, but I’ve been thinking of how I can fix this as soon as I noticed.
The detached garage gets its power from this buried romex wire that is exposed to the elements. It looks like it was originally protected by some sort of non-outdoor conduit at some point.
It’s now rusted through and exposed. The romex UF insulation still seems intact, but I’d obviously like to protect this more permanently.
The wire is powering a single outlet and light that is just above where this exits the ground and enters the garage.
I was thinking I could use some correct type of caulk (something for asphalt?) in combination with some correct conduit to make this safer. I can probably disconnect it from the outlet and pull it through to install conduit piping from the top. Or find something outdoor rated that is more U-shaped that can be bonded to the back wall to also protect this.
Anyone have any ideas? I’d very much like to avoid digging this up completely. If I were to server this wire in the process, there’s nothing I can do other than digging up the driveway.
Edit: thanks for all the comments everyone! I did go back to check and it is actually UF cable. I assumed romex but went back to check. After removing all the cobwebs and actually rubbing away the dust, I could make it out. I didn’t realize you could bury any cable right into the asphalt like that.
Assuming this is on its own circuit and you’ve got the space in your panel you could make whatever repairs to the conduit you think are practical and then swap the breaker for an arc fault circuit interruptor (AFCI). That should trip under any failure conditions you are likely to experience but it won’t stop the problem from getting worse. It’s not up to code either but I wouldn’t be too concerned about it under those conditions. That’s also assuming the wire run you can see during your repairs seems to be in decent shape.
There’s really no substitute for digging it up and replacing the whole damaged section of conduit but my suggestion would be a serviceable solution if that is untenable for some reason. It certainly doesn’t come without risks but neither does the situation you’re currently in.
Thank you for making me aware of AFCI breakers! I will definitely be picking one up just in case. I think I’ll go with the quick solution for now. I’m thinking of getting the driveway resealed and fixed up a bit in the near future (thinking maybe Spring) so I will ask about this with them as well