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.
That steel conduit is just there for mechanical protection. The cable inside the pipe has its own insulation and you can assume its integrity is still good if its still working fine. I wouldn't upgrade the protective device myself. If youd had no issues with the circuit then all id do is get a galvanised cable/pipe protector and cover the rusting pipe. (Im an electrician ๐ค)
Cool thanks, I also didn't realize it could be buried like that straight into asphalt so it all felt pretty weird. I'll be replacing it to at least keep it safer than it is now. Even though there's no reason why someone would be using one by the garage, I was just imagining someone accidentally hitting it with a weed wacker or something.
Is the cable actually directy buried and not in a pipe? It should be in conduit wherever its underground or exposed to potential damage like Your weed wacker. It looks like that pipe goes underground which is why i wasnt worried haha.